Ceviche, Peruvian Kitchen – a Cookbook Review
The name Ceviche pulled me in, but the rest of the book captured me as I flipped through Martin Morale’s Ceviche, Peruvian Kitchen. The book offers many more recipes than just ceviche so if citrus-cured seafood is not your preference, keep reading!
This Peruvian cookbook is one of the first of its kind for American kitchens and the author is a one-time guru who ran iTunes Pan Europe and Disney music but now is a critically acclaimed restaurant owner in London, notably Ceviche and Andina. Morales has become somewhat of a pioneer of Peruvian food in Britain and now shares his love for his cuisine in this wonderful cookbook.
We have a fantastic variety of ethnic markets here in Oklahoma City, as well as several Peruvian restaurants, so I knew many of the dishes as well as knew that I could find the ingredients.
I made a visit to one market and came home with quite the haul.
However, if you don’t have the blessed market that I do, never fear, for Morales gives you acceptable substitutions for many of the hard-to-find the Peruvian tough-to-find ingredients.
The first recipe I tried was the Carapulcra (Peruvian Meat & Potato Stew) This stew uses the Inca dehydrated potatoes called “papa seca” which gives it a truly unique flavor and along with ground peanuts, Peruvian peppers and yes, even a hint of dark chocolate, this created a smoky, spicy, earthy and nutty flavor as well.
Again, while Morale. suggests the authentic ingredients, substitutions are offered for each ingredient that is hard to find.
I am anxious to continue to read and experiment with this book and look forward to trying out my hand at the various kinds of ceviche as well and my next dish most certainly will be –the restaurant’s signature dish – Don Ceviche, sea bass with onion, cilantro and sweet potato marinated in that luscious Tiger’s Milk.
The photographs will lure you in to Ceviche and captivate you with their stunning depiction of color and the stories Morales weaves into his recipes will take you through his journey of his dream to bring his homeland (by his Peruvian mother) home to all of us and there you will stay and be tempted to fix many recipes.
