#4 Aji de Gallina

"Peruvian cuisine is the new thing all over Chile," declared my amiga as she came back just 3 weeks ago from her holiday travels in South America. Likewise, my Peruvian novio (aka "Peru") claims the same as he says, "Claro, mija, la comida de mi tierra es lo mejor, no hay otra igual. Es que Lima es el capital gastronómica del mundo." (Of course, the food from my country is the best there is, it doesn't have an equal. Lima is the gastronomical capital of the world.)

I put those claims to the test this week as I attempted to surprise "Peru" with a meal from his homeland. It was just by luck I happened to see this recipe on allrecipes.com and decided to make it

my own.

And according to the reaction of "Peru" - sending a text to his mom to brag about his girlfriend making "Aji de Gallina, I'd say it was a raging success. So if you're looking for something a cultural kick, you should definitely give this one a try and you tell me if you'd agree with all those Chileans and my novio about "the best food on this earth."

Aji de Gallina

Yield 5 servings

Indredients:

2 chicken breasts (WITH BONES!!)

1 onion, coarsely chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic

2 quarts water

1/2 loaf whole-wheat bread (cut into cubes!)

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped nuts

1 tsp vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

3 yellow chile peppers (chile guero o amarillo)

2 tsps. turmeric (If you have it....I didn't use it, but I bet it'd add more flavor)

4 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

2 cups of rice, cooked

Directions

1. Place chicken breasts,

onion, carrot anmd 2 cloves garlic in a large saucepan, pour in 2 quarts of water and slowly bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Skim off the foam which forms on top, then cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and allow to cool. Leave the chicken broth off to the side for later.

2. Pour evaporated milk and 1/2 cup chicken stock into the bowl of a blender. Add bread cubes and puree until smooth. Add Parmesan cheese and nuts; puree until smooth. Shred the cooled chicken and discard the bones (or throw them back in the broth to make veggie chicken soup later...and get two recipes out of one!)

3. Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in minced garlic clove and chopped onion; cook until the onion has softened and

turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in shredded chicken and chopped chile peppers until heated through. Pour in bread puree and cook until hot, stirring frequently. Add more chicken stock if needed to keep from getting too thick. (If you have turmeric, add 2 tsps. and simmer for 5 minutes).

4. Serve garnished with sliced hard-boiled eggs and with rice.

Buen Provecho!