Even if you don’t like offal, you can stay and read, because this recipe will change your vision on the subject, thanks above all to a crucial marinade so that the anticuchos are as they should be, soaked in that aroma of cumin, oregano and the fundamental point of the vinegar, which plays a very important role both for the flavor and for the texture of the heart. Yes, beef heart is the most popular ingredient for these skewers, although they can also be chicken, duck or even octopus, or other parts of the beef such as liver or loin.
Although they are of Peruvian origin, anticuchos are also eaten in Bolivia, Chile or Argentina and the funny thing is that they have become a way of cooking a skewer of marinated and grilled meat or fish. Not only the spices mentioned above are important, but so is the panca pepper, one of the most popular peppers in Peruvian cuisine, red in color, which will give color to the meat and personality to the recipe. Don’t you have ají panca or do you know where to buy it? You can replace it with a little chorizo pepper pulp seasoned with a pinch of hot paprika to give it grace, or with a hot sauce to suit everyone’s taste (sriracha goes very well).
In my head I can’t conceive of anticuchos without potatoes, but we could also find them with some chifles -very thin and crunchy fried male plantain- or with a bit of choclo (tender white corn). If you are in Lima, don’t miss out on eating at Pascuala Patiño’s stall in Surquillo; her flavor is wonderful. In Madrid, I am fascinated by those who serve in chicken and charcoala humble bar in the Fuencarral neighborhood where they grill them with an excellent marinade.
Difficulty
The one to find ají panca.
Ingredients
for 4 people
- 1 veal heart
- 3 teaspoons of garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons of ají panca cream
- 2 tablespoons of vinegar
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons of oregano
- 2 teaspoons of soy (optional)
- Salt
- mild olive oil
- Potatoes to taste for frying
Preparation
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Clean the heart by removing all the skins and superficial fat (or ask for it already cleaned at the butcher’s). Cut the heart into bite-size pieces -not very fine so that it is not dry, nor very thick so that it is not raw-, removing the ternillas, hard pieces and everything that we see that can bother.
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On the other hand, mix in the same container all the spices, the vinegar, the salt and also the panca chili cream. Stir well.
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Spread the slices of heart with the marinade, until they are well impregnated everywhere, film or cover and reserve in the fridge for at least three hours (ideally, they spend the night like this).
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When it is going to be consumed, cook the potatoes for 15 minutes. After this time, dry well, cut to the desired size and fry in plenty of hot oil. Another option is to sauté them with butter and salt.
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Thread the heart portions onto skewers and grill or grill over high heat, sprinkled lightly with a little oil. Brown very well on both sides. Serve the anticuchos with fried or sautéed potatoes, all piping hot.
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#Peruvian #beef #anticuchos