PERUVIAN RECIPE: SEAFOOD CHOWDER, BRINGING BACK MY CHILDHOOD.

What is the food that brings back many memories for you? Would you like to go back and eat it again? This happens when the palate and memory unite and take me back to the past, to the time of my childhood, when my mom would make delicious food every day.  How could I forget the aroma of fried chicken with fried plantains that she made in the mornings, the smell of lemon grass tea with toasted bread and butter that were often part of our dinner, fried eggs and plantains with rice and beans that were left over from lunch to eat for dinner later.   What life I had back then!

How could I forget the aroma of seafood on some Saturdays came out of the kitchen and filled the whole house. So many aromas and flavors that I can never forget. On Saturdays my brother and I knew that Mama prepared delicious "Chupe de Mariscos" with its combination of evaporated milk, potatoes, oregano, mussels and shrimp. Anxious, we would await the call "Valeria!  Cristian! Lunch is ready, come and eat!" Jumping for joy, I would sit down and start to blow the rich, warm chowder fresh from the kitchen.

What excitement I felt when I found the little shrimp in the among the potatoes and broth.  It seemed as if I was looking for them on the seashore. When I found them, I ate them slowly because they were the best part for me. Today, those memories came back to me, so I wanted to eat seafood chowder. With a combination of my mom's and Gaston Acurio's recipes, I was able to make a delicious seafood chowder at home. Below is the recipe of the delicious "Chupe de Mariscos" that I prepared this week.

SEAFOOD CHOWDER

8 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of pre-cooked seafood mixture

15 small precooked mussels

15 pre-cooked medium shrimp

4 tbsp of olive oil

1 medium onion diced

5 cloves of minced garlic

5 blended tomatoes

1 cup of fava beans

1/2 cup of rice

4 cabbage leaves

6 tbsp of aji panca paste

1 cup of whole kernel corn

4 potatoes cut in half

1/2 cup of fresh cheese or grated mozzarella cheese.

1 cup of evaporated milk

3 1/2 liters of water

2 tsp. of oregano

4 eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

To serve alongside:
- Slice of Garlic Bread

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400ºF / 200ºC

Rinse the shrimp and put on a tray with the mixed seafood in the oven for 6 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Set aside.

In a saucepan over low heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add half of the chopped onion and garlic, sauté 3 minutes until the onion softens. Add 2-thirds of the tomatoes and 4 tablespoons of ají panca paste, cook for 5 minutes while whisking. Add 3 1/2 liters of water and season with salt, pepper and oregano. Add the shrimp, seafood mixture, and mussels; boil for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon. Strain the broth and set aside.

In another pot and over low heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the rest of the onion, fry for a few minutes. Add the rest of the tomatoes with the ají panca paste and let it cook for 5 minutes. Add the reserved seafood broth, corn, fava beans, potatoes, rice and cabbage. Cook until the potatoes and rice are cooked.

Add the seafood to the broth and cook for 1 minute, then add the cheese and evaporated milk. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Rectify the oregano, salt and pepper.

Break the eggs into the broth and wait a few seconds until the egg is cooked.  Do not stir the eggs.

Serve in a bowl and accompany it with garlic bread and Parmesan cheese.

TIP: Prepare the soup 5 hours in advance, and let it rest for a few hours. The soup will be more flavorful.

I hope you take a moment to make this at home and taste it with the whole family.

Bon Appetite,

VALERIA