RECIPE: CURRIED GOAT WITH PUMPKIN

This was so good we stuffed ourselves. In Peru goat is a popular meat and is usually cooked in a stew. In some supermarkets, here, you can find unbelievably fresh goat meat. The goat we used for this was sweet and tender. It won't look like a pretty picture in a cookbook when you are finished, but that is because the veggies are meant to be well cooked to add flavor to the juice.

For many years I used only the Madras curry powder that came in that lovely decorated tin. I asked my sister to send me some to Peru, but she could not find it. Instead she sent "SWAD" Madras curry from Rajafoods. I am converted! It has just the right amount of spice to make it tasty without too much fire.

I used my own homegrown "zapallo loche" in this recipe. If you can get it, cook some with the skin on to increase the flavor of the juice. Zapallo loche is similar to loche but much less expensive (see my photo of loche in this blog). Otherwise, buttercup squash would be the best replacement.

CURRIED GOAT WITH PUMPKIN/SQUASH (this recipe is done with colors which may not reproduce in black print)

Ingredients:
2 1/2 to 3 pounds (1 kilo plus) young goat (ribs are really tender) cut into serving pieces
2-4 tablespoons of virgin olive oil (total for all the sauteing)
4 cloves of garlic chopped roughly
1 slice of fresh ginger minced (about 3/4" thick)
2-3 medium tomatoes (ripe!) cut into medium to small pieces (skin if desired)
2 or more tablespoons of butter
1 medium white onion cut into small crescents
2-4 tablespoons of curry powder (more depending on strength and preference)
2-3 small to medium white potatoes in good sized chunks
1-2 medium orange camotes in chunks (optional)
1 green, semi-hard skinned squash/pumpkin in chunks
1/2 red bell pepper in chunks
1 amarillo pepper with seeds removed & in chunks (if available, this is a long, yellow, slightly spicy pepper)
2 cups of chicken broth (preferably homemade)
Water* to bring the liquid line to about 1/2" to 1" below the meat and veggies
Salt and pepper to taste

*Water -- if you have extra chicken broth, add that instead. It will make the stew much richer.

1. Sear the goat well in heated olive oil in a heavy iron pot (lg enough to hold all of the above) over fairly high flame. Remove to a bowl. (If there is burnt oil, clean the pot with a paper towel.)
   
2. Lower the flame a bit and saute the garlic and ginger in olive oil (add more if needed) for 1 minute.
3. Melt the butter in the pot & add the onion. Saute until golden.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook (stirring a bit) until they soften somewhat.
5. Add the curry powder and stir for 1-2 minutes until incorporated.
6. Throw in the rest of the vegetables and stir for a minute or so until they are coated nicely with the curry mix.
7. Add the chicken broth and return the goat (with juices that have accumulated).
8. Add water to about 1/2" to 1" below all. Too much water will weaken the flavor; too little will make the juice too thick.
9. Bring to a boil and then lower the flame and simmer for 45 to 50 minutes.
10. Test the meat with a fork. If not tender, cook until it is (adding more water if necessary). If tender, and all veggies done; turn off, serve with rice, and enjoy!
    

Update on Loche

Earlier I posted a piece about loche, but had no photo and only incomplete information. Above is a picture of a loche I purchased in Mercado Modelo in Chiclayo for 3 soles. It is 8 inches high. I also found an organization that is dedicated to research on and the promotion of the loche. However, this was not my finding, but the work of a woman whose blog is dedicated to food. After writing to her, she did some searching and found this organization at http://www.lamolina.edu.pe/hortalizas/loche%20Cucurbitaceae%202006%20ppt.pdf . They have pictures and information in both Spanish and English. Her blog is a wonderful compendium of information on food and has some delicious recipes www.worldonaplate.org .

My father-in-law, who has some farm land about 15 minutes (by car) from our house, asked local farmers about growing the loche. Most agreed that it had to be grown from cuttings, but one mentioned that the seed of the larger loche zapallo could be planted; a cutting taken from its vine could be planted, and the smaller loche would grow. We are going to try this.

If I were 25 to 30 years younger I would seriously consider growing loche for export. The flavor is superior to most types of pumpkin or squash. For now, we are experimenting with inventing recipes using the loche: a truly Peruvian vegetable.

MAKING CHICHA BEER THE OLD WAY

Must fix these pictures. Still trying to figure it out.







Photos: 1) Tia Rosa's kitchen with chicha room in back at right, 2) chicha oven, 3) two stages of fermentation, 4) three stages of fermentation, 5) bottles ready to be filled, 6) workers buy & drink chicha at Tia Rosa's, 6) Kika says "delicious!"

CHICHA DE JORA (chicha from corn flour)

It is possible that chicha has been made in Perú since before the Incas. This post describes chicha as it has been made in Monsefú, Perú for at least 75 years. The chicha maker in the picture is Rosa Hemerajinda Chafloque Pisfil. “Tia Rosa” celebrated her 87^th birthday on January 13, 2007 (the picture was taken in 1986). She stopped making chicha about 8 years ago. Her chicha was very different from today’s chicha which is made in aluminum or stainless steel vats, uses sugar rather than molasses, and is bottled in plastic. Tia Rosa’s chicha was cooked in an oven of ceramic vats about 3 feet tall by 2 ½ feet wide at the top. The vats were tapered. The quantity made was enough for over 100 bottles.

Ingredients: corn flour (made from alazan corn, a reddish medium kernel corn, which was soaked in well water until it germinated, dried in the sun {this took days}, brought to the mill to be ground when thoroughly dry, and ground to a medium coarse grind), well water, and molasses from sugar cane.

Preparation: The germination and drying of the corn takes two to three days depending on the heat of the sun. In the ceramic vats 50 kilos of ground corn and about 8 gallons of water were added. This was brought to a boil over a wood fire inside the oven (see photo of oven). It was left to boil for 12 hours. Every time the boiling made foam, it had to be stirred with a wooden ladle. This was about every half hour. After 12 hours, it was left to sit without heat until it no longer showed any signs of boiling.

Next it was strained with a coarse cloth; shaking and then squeezing the cloth with one’s hands. The residue left in this cloth was squeezed through the hands until the dry residue was captured. This “afrecho” was given to the animals (pigs, chickens, ducks, etc.). The liquid from the hands was caught in a pot, sweetened with sugar, and given as a warm drink to children. Though the children were given this “chufla” for nutrition, adults liked it too. After this stage of straining the liquid it was left to cool for about 2 days. Then it is strained again with a finer cloth. The residue of this is called “ñuto.” This watery residue is heated, sweetened, and drunk. Sometimes cinnamon and apples are added.

Then the finely strained liquid in the vat was transferred to barrels (see photo) or taller ceramic vats and sweetened with about 4 gallons of molasses. This was left to rest in order that fermentation would begin. This took about 1-2 days. Then it was tasted for sweetness. More molasses was added if needed and it was left for a few hours to further ferment. When ready, it was poured into dark green or brown (glass) beer bottles and corked (see photo). The cork was tied with string so that the gass produced would not pop the cork. The bottles were left for two days. Both the taste and the potency could vary from cooking to cooking. If the bottles were left for more than 2 days its potency was increased. Sometimes bottles were buried in the ground for a month to produce a type of corn brandy. The sediment that formed at the bottom of the bottles was saved to use as a vinegar. The better the filtration, the less the sediment.

Chicha was generally drunk in small, dried halves of gourds which had decorations of leaves, flowers, and (sometimes) sayings burnt into the surface. Unfortunately, this delicious brew is no longer being made in this way.