Making Aji Verde in our spiffy aprons!

As Austin has emerged as a leading foodie city in the United States many opportunities have arisen to sample the local fare, but none of these festivals or events unites the community like the Austin Hot Sauce Festival. The Hot Sauce Festival, which has been sponsored by the Austin Chronicle for the last 22 years, cuts across all demographics to attract commercial and home cooks across the city and the state to compete for a coveted “best hot sauce” or honorable mention. Being Texas, the hot sauce festival is extremely popular with festival goers and hot sauce makers alike. This year, James and I joined in the fun.

The Hot Sauce Festival competition is exceptionally inclusive – anyone who wants to enter a hot sauce and has $20, can. In addition to participating in the event, you have the honor of having your food tasted by a panel of judges including food writers, chefs, and three times James Beard award winner and hot sauce aficionado Robb Walsh.  Finally, and most democratically of all, if you want the public to sample your sauce at the festival all you have to do is prepare it in a commercial kitchen.  Just Add Chef was offering free kitchen time to non-commercial contestants which was a fantastic chance to use some industrial strength equipment that we just could not pass up.

For the festival we decided to make two very typical Peruvian Ajis using locally available peppers from Johnson’s Backyard Garden. Ajis are pepper sauces that are used as table condiments in Peru and Ecuador. Every restaurant and home chef will have their own recipes and techniques that can vary dramatically, but usually there is a lot of flavor and a good amount of heat.  Aji Verde is a green sauce made with an abundance of herbs including a Peruvian mint, huacatay. Our second aji was a version of Aji Amarillo which is the cornerstone of all Peruvian cuisine that appears on most restaurant tables in the country and adds flavor and color to the country’s most famous dishes.

On Sunday morning we arrived at the festival early to register our Ajis and came back a little later in the afternoon to get in on the samples. The festival is so popular that the organizers had set up a dozen different hour long lines to try the sauces submitted by companies and individuals. James and I took turns holding our place in line while the other ran around the festival getting samples from the sponsor tents and procuring adult refreshments. When we finally reached the sample tables we were rewarded with a wide variety of hot sauces including smooth and savory barbecue sauces, hot and sweet chutney style sauces, and lots of spicy, smokey, peppery varieties. We both agreed that out of the samples we had James and I enjoyed a hot Asian style garlic sauce. To whoever made that – I want to buy a jar!

Sad to say, James and I did not reign victorious in the competition, but we  were really pleased with our submissions and hope that the judges and festival attendants enjoyed them as well. You can view our Aji Amarillo and Aji Verde recipes on this site and  find our Chifa Aji, Green Tomato Aji, and Roasted Tomato Aji as well. These sauces are so delicious and versatile I don’t know if we eat a meal at home without them since returning from Peru.  We encourage you to explore these recipes and hope that you will make your own and share your ideas with us!

Baked Figs

This recipe is simple, but packs a lot of good fresh flavor.

Ingredients

• 12 large ripe figs
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons water

Preparation

1. Place cleaned and dried figs side by side in a deep baking dish and place in an oven heated to 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.
2. While the figs bake, make the almond creme and caramel. Prepare the almond creme by placing the almond milk, blanched almonds, and vanilla extract  in a blender and combining until smooth.  Taste and season with granulated sugar if necessary.
3. Place the brown sugar, salt, and water in a broad skillet and melt over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Continue string until the caramel comes to a boil then remove from heat.
4. When the figs are finished baking, plate the desert by carefully slicing the figs, scooping a spoonful of almond creme on top, and drizzle with caramel.

Purslane Chimichurri

Ingredients

• 1 cup purslane leaves
• 1 cup parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 large cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

This recipe includes all the flavorful goodness of pesto and the extreme nutrition of nuts and seeds, including quinoa!

Four Nut Pesto

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 cup packed basil leaves
• 1 cup packed arugula
• 1 clove garlic
•  1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup blanched almonds
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1.  Place basil, arugula, garlic, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and almonds in a blender or food processor.  Puree the ingredients, drizzling in olive oil until the combination is smooth.
2. Stir in the quinoa and season with salt and pepper to taste.

This is a baked, gluten-free falafel, packed with heart-healthy omegas!

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked garbanzo beans, mashed
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 tablespoons ground flax
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1/4 cup purslane, chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup mint, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Form chickpea patties about 1 ½ inches wide by 2 inches thick. Place formed patties on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Crema de Habas is by far one of the most popular soups in Peru. However, it took me a long time to figure out that the long strange pods and beans contained therein were fava beans. The other day, now back home in Austin, Texas, I was extremely excited to see these same now-familiar beans at a Middle Eastern grocery store in town. However, if it is difficult to find fresh fava beans in your home town you can reconstitute and use dried beans or lima beans.  The color will be far less vivid, but the taste is still nice.

Crema de Habas

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh fava beans, prepared
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 key lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

 Preparation

1. Combine fava beans, broth, lime juice, and soy sauce in a food processor or blender and combine until smooth.
2. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste.
3. Serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley.

Fresh fava beans in their pods.

You might be able to find fresh fava beans at grocery stores specializing in imported Latin American, African, or Middle Eastern foods. If you are fortunate enough to get your hands on some you might need some help preparing them.

Fava beans in the pod.

First, remove the beans from the pods. Fresh pods are usually pretty soft and should be easy to rip open with your bare hands. There are typically three to five large beans in each pod.

Once you have removed the beans from the husks you still need to shell the fava beans. The easiest way to do this is to blanch the beans in boiling salted water for about one minute. Rapidly cool the beans under cold running water or in an ice bath. This will loosen the shells and allow you to easily peel them away from the beans.

Now you have a bowl full of fresh, delicious fava beans that are ready to use!

Tacu Tacu is an Afro-Peruvian staple that can be garnished with anything from seafood stews to sauteed vegetables. This version is great with a fresh Ensalada Criolla.

Tacu Tacu with Ensalada Criolla

Ingredients

• 1 cup white rice, cooked
• 2 cups cooked black beans
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 small purple onions, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons Ají Amarillo or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 key lime, juiced
• cooking spray
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion, garlic, and cumin until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
2. While the onions saute, combine rice and beans in a large bowl. Add the Ají Amarillo and mash the rice and beans together.
3. Add the sauteed mixture to the beans and lime juice and combine. Season with salt to taste.
4. Form palm-sized patties using about 1 cup of the mixture.
5. Spray the skillet with non-stick cooking spray and cook the patties over medium-high heat until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the other side.

This salad makes a great side for burgers, tacos, or with any summer cookout that needs an extra tangy, flavorful punch.

Ensalada Criolla

Ingredients

• 2 medium avocados, cubed
• 1 pint tomatoes (we used sunburst), halved
• 1 medium red onion, julienned
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Allow to marinate for at least 10 minutes before serving.

I don’t know a lot about the foreign relations between Peru and Russia, but after seeing this salad on almost every menu in Peru I am not sure if it has something to do with the country of “Rusa” or if beets are synonymous with that nation everywhere in the world. Either way, all of these fresh veggies and a light mustard dressing make this salad is a winner.

Ensalada Rusa

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound of asparagus, chopped and steamed
• 3 beets, roasted, peeled, and cubed
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 cup of English peas

Dressing

• 1/2 teaspoon mustard, ground
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Combine prepared vegetables and set aside.
2. Thoroughly mix the dressing ingredients until the oil and lime juice are incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Dress the salad and serve.