Gluten Free Passion for Peru and Peppers
By: Anonymous
Published: March 24, 2011

The following article was written by Foodista friend and Gluten Free Foodie, Lisa Garza
About a year ago, I connected through Facebook with a gentleman named Nino who lived in Peru. I’m amazed that I can have a conversation with someone in another country that I have never met. I love how food connects us in so many ways. I know for me it is always one of my favorite ways to get to know someone by their favorite foods. I think the gluten free community bonds are even tighter because when you feel as though something is being taken away from you or threatens your health, it must be a priority in your lifestyle. Nino and I were instant Gluten Free Foodies friends. There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t mention a new gluten free label sighting or a new gluten free menu. Nino picked up on that and shared his excitement for similar changes that his government is requiring too. My connection with Peru grew deeper as I began to ask questions and learn about their traditional foods. I wrote about gluten free food labeling in Peru a year ago on February 27, 2010. Since then it seems as though Peru has been calling me.

So, for the past year I have been researching and reading all sorts of information about foods in Peru. I learned that so much of the best natural gluten free grains are grown at high altitudes in the Andes. Some of the grains such as quinoa - a staple food in South America and also amaranth, have become more main stream in the US and are easier to find. After realizing that quinoa was once considered “the gold of the Incas” because it is a complete protein providing all 9 essential amino acids, I wanted to use it in everything. This is the perfect food for someone like me with celiac disease because studies have shown how important it is to get enough magnesium and riboflavin, both of which are high in quinoa. The nutty, fluffy texture was also appealing and I fell head over heels making my famous “Summertime Quinoa Salad” for every picnic. I wanted to create more recipes using quinoa and started to wonder about using it in baked goods. I started seeing quinoa flour in recipes more and more.

The search was on … where the heck do I buy quinoa flour? I searched high and low and luckily found a local company in the Seattle called Zocalo Gourmet that imports a variety of Andean heritage flours, grains, spices and more from Peru. I felt as if I found “A GLUTEN FREE TREASURE” because they import purple corn flour, sweet potato flour, mesquite flour, kañiwa - which is a cousin of quinoa and more. I contacted the company and I learned about these flours and grains and realized how beneficial they are to all of us – high in protein and fiber, low in sugar. In fact some of the flours – sweet potato and mesquite - actually help balance blood sugar levels. All are high in minerals and vitamins and perfect for baking and cooking. I couldn’t wait to experiment with these flours after I contacted the company and picked up some of the flours to create! I started to make sweet potato waffles, sweet potato rolls and sweet potato ginger cookies. I was on fire! I found my new love! I made variations with the sweet potato rolls by adding some mesquite flour and more oil to make flat bread. I couldn’t believe the aromas of the flours wafting through the kitchen when I would open the package. It was heavenly!

The mesquite flour is made from the pods of the algarroba tree in the northern coastal regions of Peru. The pod is dried and milled to produce a powder or flour. The scent and taste is floral with a bit of smoky sweetness and is a great way to enhance chocolate, caramel, and coffee flavors in baked goods. Mesquite will also enhance sweetness so that you can use less sugar in your baked goods. I couldn’t wait to get into the kitchen and bake … and devour everything I made! I want to share this new discovery with everyone.
The more I baked and cooked with the flours the more my passion grew beyond just infatuation with the Peruvian traditions. My latest lust is for Peruvian peppers that they grow to make aji – (ah-hee). Aji is a sort of condiment or spicy pepper paste that is used to make stews, sauces, marinades, or anything your imagination can dream up. The panca (pan-ka) or pepper grows 3-5 inches, with thick green skin which turns into a dark red when it is ripe. It is dried and crushed to enhance the mild fruity, smoky flavor and is used as a spice or turned into an aji. Aji panca is made by adding a little water, oil and salt to the dried Panca and mixing it well to a thick paste.
Aji amarillo, made from the amarillo pepper, is yellow and mild and is the most commonly used with a heat level of 6. The famous Chef Gastón Acurio, named the aji amarillo the post important ingredient in Peruvian cooking. Aji limo, made from the limo pepper, is hot - an 8 on a scale of 10 and is a bright vivid red orange. Limo is grown in the northern coast of Peru, the pod is 2-3 inches and changes color as it ripens. Aji amarillo and aji limo are made a little differently to preserve the heat and flavor of the pepper. They are blanched twice to take the oxygen out to preserve the color and flavor. The peppers are then crushed or mashed into a paste by adding oil and salt. The only difference in making the limo is that the some of the seeds are kept to add into the aji to increase the heat level. The heat is in the seeds!
I purchased the aji paste from Zocalo Gourmet and have enjoyed all of them for toppings on tacos; aji panca is great on eggs or with roasted potatoes and aji limo is perfect for a slow cooking pork stew, seafood and rice. Aji amarillo is the perfect complement with vegetables. I actually found some Peruvian white beans at my grocery store. I put the beans in my food processor added some sea salt, black pepper, crushed garlic and aji limo! Wow, instant party dip! So if you are looking for some something new so your taste buds will swoon, try some Peruvian natural gluten free flours, grains and aji! As I always say … Celebrate the foods that you can eat!
-Lisa Garza, Gluten Free Foodies