Peruvian Ají Verde Sauce

A Wine, Dine, and Play Recipe

By: Sean Overpeck (CFE)

Executive Chef

Ají is a spicy sauce that often contains tomatoes, cilantro (coriander), ají pepper, onions, and water. Recipes vary dramatically from person to person and from region to region, depending on preference. Ají has been prepared in Andean countries such as Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru since at least since time of the Incas, who called it uchu. In Colombia and Ecuador, for example, food is traditionally mild, so ají can be added to almost any dish to add some flavor and spice.

Yum

Recipe		Information
Servings:	10	Ready In:	15m
Prep Time:	10m	Cuisine Origin:	Peruvian
Cook Time:	0	Category:	Sauce
Inactive Time:	0	Difficulty Level:	Easy

Ingredients	Amount in Imperial Measurement			Metric Measurement	Amount Per        Serving:	total amount	Equipment and Tools (Mis en Place)
Jalapeño pepper	1	----		----	Amount Per Serving:	2 ounces	Cutting boards[1](green, and red)
Cilantro leaves	1	cup	237	g	Carbohydrates:	4.8g	Chef knife
Garlic cloves	2	tbsp	30	g	Total Fat:	27.1g	Food processor
Green onion	1	tbsp	14	g	Sugar:	2g	Cheese grater
Huacatay paste — sub mint or mint paste	1	tbsp	14	g	Sodium:	574mg	Measuring spoons
Ají amarillo[3]or yellow bell capsicum pepper	1	----		----	Calories:	250 kcal	Measuring cup
Juice of a lime	1	----		----	Cholesterol (HDL):	0mg
Salt	1/2	tsp	2 1/2	g	Protein:	1.2g
Ground black pepper	1	tsp	5	g	Dietary Fiber:	2.1g
Parmesan Cheese	2	tbsp	30	g	Potassium:	26mg
Mayonaise	3/4	cup	177	g	Vitamin A %DV.	3%
Olive oil, extra virgin	1	cup	237	mL	Vitamin C %DV.	6%
Understand Metric & Imperial Conversions		tsp		tsp

Method		Notes for Preparation
1. See the Notes for Preparation section (to the right) for vegetable preparation in this recipe		Wash, sanitize[2], and rinse the Ají amarillo[3]pepper, cilantro, green onion, and the lime to clean thoroughly.
2. Using a green cutting board[1]and chef knife, cut the tips from the Ají pepper[3], and the Jalapeño pepper, and remove the seeds, then slice.
3. Peel the skin from the garlic
4. Remove the stems from the cilantro leaves
5. Cut the lime in half on the green board, and squeeze out the juice
6. Cut the green onion, removing the bulb, then cut into smaller pieces so that it can fit into the food processor
7. Grate the parmesan cheese
8. Place all the ingredients except for the extra virgin olive oil in the food processor and pulse at a low speed. Steadily in a stream, and the olive oil to emulsify[4]to create the sauce.
Assembly		Drink Recommendations For Dish
1. Remove from the blender and refrigerate for up to one week before discarding		Potable Water
Notes and Citations:		Temperature Cooking Chart
1.     One of the most common causes of food-related illness (a.k.a food poisoning) is something called cross-contamination, (transfer of harmful bacteria from one food product to another) by way of contaminated tools. Cutting boards are a prime culprit. Using separate, color-coded cutting boards for ingredients is a great way of preventing illness. The colors help you keep track of which cutting boards are reserved for which types of foods, so that you don’t cut lettuce on the same board you used for cutting raw poultry. The green cutting board is used for fruits and vegetables only.		Blue                              100-110°f (38-43oC) Pittsburg (B&B)             115°f             (46oC) Rare                              120-125°f (49-52oC) Medium Rare                 130°f        (54oC) Medium                        140-145°f (60-63oC)                        Medium Well                   150°f         (66oC)                       Well done                         155-160°f (68-71oC)
2.     In accordance to food safety regulation (21 CFR Part 173) specifies two conditions for the permitted use of hypochlorite solutions (bleach) in washing produce: The concentration of sanitizer in the wash water must not exceed 200 ppm (Parts Per Million).The produce must be rinsed with potable water following the chlorine treatment.		Seafood                                  135-140°f           (58-60oC)                         Roast Beef                    145°f                   (63oC)                     Roast Pork                        145°f                   (63oC)                  Ground Beef or Pork        155°f                   (68oC)                 Poultry                               165°f                   (77oC)
3.     Ají amarillo is a Peruvian pepper; "Ají" means chile pepper in Spanish, and "amarillo" means yellow. But although they are named yellow chile peppers, their color changes to orange as they mature. The famous Peruvian chef Gastón Acurio recently named Ají amarillo the most important ingredient in Peruvian cooking. Grand Food Dictionary Online
4.     Emulsification is a process in which a well blended mixture of two liquids that normally don't combine, (i.e. oil and water) to prevent a separation. It is achieved by slowly adding the former to the later and mixing rapidly. Mayonnaise and Hollandaise sauce are two examples of oil in water emulsions. Grand Food Dictionary Online

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Ají Verde Sauce

Row 11 Red Wine Demi-Glace

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Lomo Saltado

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Suspiro a la Limeña 

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About Sean Overpeck:

I am based out of St. Petersburg, Florida working as a chef and other areas of food service over the past twenty years, and is currently working with the American Embassy as the Executive Chef in Basra, Iraq. Formally I have worked with groups contracting in Afghanistan, Dubai, and Antarctica, and worked in restaurants in and around Atlanta prior to the wars. I have also owned a catering company and served proudly in the United States Army, in their food service program. The idea for the Wine, Dine, and Play Blog started in late 2012 after a trip to Jordan, when I was asked by others to write down the experiences in food from the Jordanian restaurants, wine from the region that I tasted, locations of interest such as Petra, and of course the culture so that people, not only friends could read about the adventures instead of just listening to me talk. Since that time, nearly 200 articles have been written on restaurants, including fifteen from the worlds top 100 lists of San Pellegrino and the Elite Travelers Guide; exotic world locations such as Dubai, Petra, and African Safari’s; food recipes & Grand Food Dictionaries; country cuisines such as Afghan and Peruvian dishes; and of course wine including vineyards from California, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. 

F.O.B. Shank, Afghanistan 2011

Chef Sean cooks for soldiers in Afghanistan, 2012:

“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things, 

But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”

-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)

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