Christmas: 8 recipes with a Peruvian touch that we can put into practice for December

This December 24 and 25 we can add new flavors, different dishes and the odd surprise to our Christmas table. The chefs Carmen Hanza, Ignacio Barrios and Martha Palacios help us with their star recipes, arranged according to the time required for each preparation. It is not a bad idea to get organized from now on.

1. Baked turkey

Recipe by Ignacio Barrios

To prepare a good Christmas turkey, you have to start the day early. Around 7 am would be ideal. Technically, this preparation must be started the day before: a 7 kg turkey is left soaking in a brine with salt and sugar overnight (for every liter of water there are 50 grams of salt and 20 grams of sugar) and in the refrigerator. The next morning the turkey is removed from the brine and left to rest for at least 3 hours. Let this be the first thing you do when you get up, so that the turkey goes into the oven around 10 am Take advantage of the space to boil vegetables from other recipes, make coffee and leave the butter at room temperature for later use.

preparation:

We preheat the oven to 200 °. We mix 150 g butter with 150 ml of olive oil; We smear the turkey with this evenly. We place it on a baking tray (if possible, on top of a rack, so that the juices are not in direct contact with the skin and it remains crispy), breast side down. As soon as the turkey is in the oven, we lower the temperature to 180 ° and let it cook for 1 hour. We turn it over (now breast up) and let it cook again for another hour.

At this point it is very likely that the turkey will have another 1 to 2 hours left, so you have to start to be careful. There are many variables that influence the total time. It will depend on the oven, if the turkey was very cold when it was time to cook or the type of tray used, for example. “From this moment on, you have to review it. The best option is to use a meat thermometer, ”Barrios suggests.

When we see that the skin is already golden and crisp, we cover it with platinum paper so that it does not burn. Then, we can measure the progress of the cooking with the thermometer. The ideal point for this recipe is when the internal temperature reads 68 ° (the thermometer should be placed in the thickest part of the breast). We can bathe the turkey every 20 or 30 minutes with its juices. In total, the complete cooking will take between 3 and 4 hours. Once ready, we must let it rest for at least 40 minutes before cutting it (in case you prefer to leave it chopped) or refrigerate it. If you want to show the whole turkey on the table, you will need to give it an oven blow 1/2 hour before and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting it. Pour the juices that were left on the tray into a saucepan and reduce until the sauce is thick. Season with salt and pepper and reserve to serve alongside the turkey.

2. Arab rice with ají panca

Recipe by Martha Palacios

As the turkey cooks, be sure to soak 1/2 cup black raisins and 1/2 cup brown raisins in water. Don’t throw it away.

preparation:

In a pot, make a dressing with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, ½ cup of chopped red onion, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, and 3 tablespoons of ground chili pepper (in that order). Once ready, add the drained raisins and cook for 5 minutes. We add 2 cups of rice, a cup of the water where the raisins were soaking and a 420 ml bottle of Coca-Cola. Add salt and pepper to taste and let the rice cook for 20 minutes. In addition, we fry 30 g of angel hair noodles (raw) in hot oil. We cut the noodles into pieces of about 3 cm and, 5 minutes before the rice is ready, we add them to the pot and mix carefully. We reserve until the food. Before serving, reheat the rice with a little more raisin water.

3. Onion soufflé

Recipe by Carmen Hanza

preparation:

We chop in a feather cut – lengthwise; very, very thin– 6 white onions and set aside. In a pan we heat 150 grams of margarine with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Cook the onions there, remove them and let them cool. Besides, we butter a rectangular pyrex and place the well-drained onions there. Meanwhile, we prepare a white sauce (see the recipe for corn in bechamel on the next page) that is light. We bathe the onions with it. Cover everything with plenty of Parmesan cheese and bake at 180 ° for 45 minutes. We let it rest until dinner.

4. Glazed ham with mustard sauce

Recipe by Carmen Hanza

preparation:

We place a 2 kg Virginia ham in a platter. If necessary, we clean the ham. Then, we bathe it with a good jet of whiskey or pisco and we take it to the 180 ° oven for 20 minutes. We remove it and cover it completely with a pot of orange marmalade. We take it back to the oven for 20 more minutes, until the surface is glazed. That will be all. You can accompany it with sliced ​​pineapple (canned), previously roasted in butter.

To serve the meat, we can prepare a mustard sauce by beating by hand, in the following order, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1/3 cup of white vinegar, 1 whole egg, 2 yolks, ½ cup of mustard (prepared ), salt and pepper. A tasty and creamy mustard sauce will remain.

5. Sweet potato puree with squash loche

Recipe by Ignacio Barrios

preparation:

Place 750 grams of loche squash and 750 grams of sweet potato in a pot, both peeled and coarsely chopped. We fill with enough water so that they are covered. Add a pinch of salt and heat over medium heat. When the water starts to boil, we lower it to the minimum and let the loche and sweet potatoes cook for another 20 minutes, until they are soft. We strain and mash them by mashing them with a fork. Add 70 grams of unsalted butter in cubes, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup (or whatever you have on hand), 1 ½ teaspoons of ground cumin, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and 50 grams of chopped hazelnuts (or the dried fruit of your choice). Mix well and serve, covering with 50 grams more of hazelnuts and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped chives.

6. Choclito with bechamel

Recipe by Carmen Hanza

preparation:

We boil 6 corn with a pinch of sugar and the juice of 2 lemons. We let them cool in their own liquid and we shelled them. Besides, we prepare the bechamel or white sauce. In a pot we mix 150 grams of flour with 150 grams of margarine and stir with a hand mixer. Little by little we add 1 liter of fresh milk without stopping beating. Cook until the sauce takes point and the flour is cooked. Then add ¼ kilo of grated Parmesan cheese. We release the sauce with ½ liter of cream and a little chicken broth (the latter is optional). Mix the corn with the sauce and serve hot.

7. Coconut hot chocolate

Recipe by Martha Palacios

8. Avocado salad with pineapple

Recipe by Martha Palacios

preparation:

In a bowl mix 5 creamy diced avocados, 3 parboiled and shelled corn and a cup of pineapple cut into cubes (it can be canned). In addition, we blend an avocado with a splash of olive oil and salt, until it forms a mayonnaise. You can add a splash of pineapple juice or syrup from the can. We bathe the ingredients with the preparation and mix everything.

Dare for any of these proposals, there is time to choose.