Peruvian Quinoa Shrimp Chicharrones With Green Aji Sauce Food

AJI VERDE (SPICY PERUVIAN GREEN SAUCE)

Steps:

• In a food processor or blender, combine all of the ingredients. Blend until the cilantro has broken into very tiny pieces and the sauce is green and mostly smooth (no matter how long you blend it, it will still have some texture to it).
• Taste, and adjust if necessary. This sauce is intentionally bold and spicy and I usually think it's just right as written. However, if the flavor is too overwhelming, blend in 1 tablespoon of olive oil while running the food processor. If it's not spicy enough, add some of the reserved jalapeño seeds and blend again. If it doesn't have enough zip, add another tablespoon of lime juice and/or a pinch of salt.
• Aji verde keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 1 week.

PERUVIAN QUINOA SHRIMP CHICHARRONES WITH GREEN AJI SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the sauce first. In a food processor or blender, finely mince the jalapeno, garlic and cilantro. Add the lime juice and salt, and puree. Drizzle in the olive oil to make a smooth sauce. Reserve.
• Bring a large pot of water to boil. Rinse the quinoa and add it to the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes, then drain.
• Spread the quinoa out on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to dry. It should be quite dry to the touch; pat it with towels if necessary.
• Pat the shrimp dry, if damp, and place in a medium bowl. Mix the oregano, cumin, and cayenne and sprinkle it over the shrimp; toss to coat.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Prepare two pie pans, one with the flour and one with the beaten eggs.
• Dip the shrimp in the flour, then the egg, then the quinoa.
• Place two heavy baking pans in the hot oven for five minutes. Take each out, spray liberally with oil, then quickly place the shrimp on the hot pans, keeping them from touching.
• Spray the coated shrimp with oil, and bake for five minutes.
• Flip the shrimp with tongs, then bake for five minutes more.
• Remove from the oven and cut one through the thickest part to ensure they are cooked through. The baking time will vary with the size of the shrimp.
• Serve the shrimp hot with the aji sauce.

AJI (COLOMBIAN SALSA)

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients, cover, and let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour so all the flavors develop before serving.

PERUVIAN QUINOA

Steps:

• Put quinoa with chicken broth in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until all the broth is absorbed (about 10-15 minutes). Stir occasionally while simmering.
• In a small bowl; mix cream, sriracha, lemon juice, and sundried tomatoes.
• Add tomato mix to cooked quinoa and stir well.
• Stir in lima beans, orange juice, and parmesan cheese.
• Heat on low until cheese melts through (about 5 more minutes) then serve.

AJI (ECUADOREAN HOT SAUCE)

Steps:

• Combine the water, peppers and garlic in the blender and blend well.
• Strain the liquid into a bowl and discard any solids.
• Add the balance of the ingredients and mix well.
• Store in the refrigerator.

AJI (PERUVIAN HOT SAUCE)

Steps:

• In a blender add the cilantro, oil, jalapenos and salt.
• Pulse, adding water as needed until it's well blended but not runny.

PERUVIAN AJI SAUCE

Steps:

• Chop everything up as needed to fit into a blender.
• Remove the thick stems from the Cilantro and Parsley bunches. Cut the hard stem/hearts out of the romaine lettuce.
• Combine ingredients in the blender and blend thoroughly until smooth. Add small amounts of water if it sticks and gets too thick to blend. It will be a bright teal to sea green in color when complete.
• Spread it on any kind of bread either by itself, or on top of butter, margarine or hydrolyzed vegetable oil spreads. It is very tasty and really wakes up bread or can be used as a dip with chips.
• Store up to a week in the refrigerator. This stuff is awesome but very perishable, so I would use it within 5 days.