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“The godfather of Peruvian cuisine” captures the flavors and excitement of his native food, from rustic stews to specialty dishes to fabulous cocktails. 
 
Lima-born Los Angeles chef and restaurateur Ricardo Zarate delivers a standout cookbook on the new “it” cuisine—the food of Peru. He perfectly captures the spirit of modern Peruvian cooking, which reflects indigenous South American foods as well as Japanese, Chinese, and European influences, but also balances that variety with an American sensibility. His most popular dishes range from classic recipes (such as ceviche and Pisco sour) to artfully crafted Peruvian-style sushi to a Peruvian burger. With 100 recipes (from appetizers to cocktails), lush color photography, and Zarate’s moving and entertaining accounts of Peru’s food traditions and his own compelling story, The Fire of Peru beautifully encapsulates the excitement Zarate brings to the American dining scene.
 
“Ricardo is a great chef and a person with a point of view in his cooking. When you taste his food, you not only taste Peru, but you taste an unmistakable flavor that is totally him.”—Roy Choi, chef and author of L.A. Son
 
“Not your usual crop of Tex-Mex recipes at all! You will enjoy The Fire of Peru with both the food and the insights into Peruvian culture. Our world is far broader than we often imagine.”—HuffPost

From the Publisher

Lomo Saltado: Peruvian Beef Stir-Fry from The Fire of Peru

Serves 2

Lomo saltado is probably on every mom-and-pop Peruvian restaurant menu. The classic beef stir-fry is easy to make from inexpensive ingredients. When I’m having a rough day, lomo saltado is still the comfort food dish that does it for me. The best taste like a big, warm and cozy salad. You get a little crunchiness, but also something satisfying in your belly. The key is to fry everything at very high heat so you get a good sear on the ingredients, but you don’t cook out all of their freshness. You should never spend more than two minutes from the time your beef hits the pan to when the scallion and cilantro garnishes are ready to scatter on top of the finished dish. The meat should be medium-rare, the tomatoes juicy, and the onions barely softening on the edges but still crunchy in the center.

Directions

1. Prepare the potatoes or rice, or rewarm the leftovers. You can roast baby fingerlings, go all-out and confit them in olive oil, make homemade french fries, or even fry up good-quality store-bought fries. The same goes for rice: Use leftovers, or make your favorite style of white or brown rice to serve with the saltado.

2. Next, prep all of your other ingredients, so they’re ready; this dish cooks quickly. (Keep each in a separate pile.) Sprinkle the beef lightly with the salt and pepper and rub the pureed garlic all over the meat with your hands. Put the red onion half, cut side down, lengthwise on a work surface. Slice off both ends, then slice the onion into lengthwise strips about ½ inch thick, moving the knife at a slight angle as you work around the onion globe. Your knife should be almost parallel to the cutting board along the sides of the onion and upright at the top. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and cut each half into several large, chunky wedges. Finely chop the scallions, including about halfway up the green stalk, or chop them roughly for more texture, if you’d like. Finely chop the cilantro leaves and top half of the stems. Have your saltado and soy sauces measured and ready.

3. Heat a wok or large sauté pan over high heat until hot—a good 2 minutes. Pour in the oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan and heat the oil for 2 to 3 minutes, until very hot. The oil shouldn’t be smoking, but close to it. Swirl the oil around the pan, then toss in the beef and quickly sear both sides for a few seconds each until it begins to brown, about 30 seconds total. Add the onion and shake the pan or use tongs to flip them a few times, then add the tomatoes right away. Fry the saltado until the edges of the onions color in a few spots and the tomatoes barely begin to soften, about 30 seconds. The total cooking time shouldn’t be more than 90 seconds at this point.

4. Immediately drizzle the saltado and soy sauces along the edges of the wok or pan, not on top of the stir-fry ingredients. You should smell the sauces caramelizing. Scatter the scallions and cilantro on top of the stir-fry and toss everything together one more time. Taste and add another drizzle of soy sauce, if you’d like. The saltado should be really juicy, with big flavors that the potatoes or rice can sop up.

5. Spoon the lomo saltado straight out of the pan into serving bowls. Pile the potatoes on top or serve the rice alongside.

Note: To Make Pureed Garlic or Ginger

Combine about 1¼ cups peeled garlic cloves (4 to 5 heads) or 1 cup roughly chopped peeled fresh ginger in a blender with 3 tablespoons water. Puree the garlic or ginger until finely chopped. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in 3 tablespoons olive oil until you have a smooth, fluffy puree. Store the puree in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freeze the puree in a flat, thin layer in a medium plastic food storage bag so you can break off small pieces as needed. Makes about 1 cup.

Ingredients About 1 cup baby fingerlings or roughly chopped potatoes, 2 handfuls of homemade or good-quality frozen french fries, or about 1½ cups rice 8 to 10 ounces filet mignon or tenderloin, thinly sliced into 2-inch-long strips Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper ½ teaspoon pureed garlic (see note below) ½ medium red onion, halved from stem to root end 1 ripe medium heirloom, beefsteak, or other juicy tomato, or 2 plum tomatoes 2 scallions 3 or 4 sprigs fresh cilantro 1½ tablespoons Saltado Sauce (see recipe below) 1½ tablespoons soy sauce, preferably a good-quality Japanese brand, or more to taste 2 to 3 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil

Saltado Sauce

Makes about ¾ cup

A saltado “sauce” doesn’t really exist in traditional Peruvian cooking. It’s what I call the base seasoning that we use at my restaurants to make saltados. Instead of prepping and adding seasonings like ají amarillo, ginger, and red wine vinegar as you fry the other ingredients, my saltado sauce does the work for you in one or two spoonfuls. Make the sauce ahead, keep it in the fridge, and you’re ready to go.

Directions

Shake up all of the ingredients in a small jar, or stir them together in another storage container. Cover and refrigerate the sauce for up to 1 week.

Ingredients 2 tablespoons pureed garlic (see note above) 2 tablespoons pureed ginger (see note above) or finely zested ginger 1 tablespoon ají amarillo paste, store-bought or homemade 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons soy sauce, preferably a good-quality Japanese brand, or 1½ tablespoons tamari 5 tablespoons red wine vinegar

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0110ITIVW
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Illustrated edition (October 20, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 20, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 151036 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 270 pages
Reviewer: Char
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: an accessible and incredibly tasty introduction to Peruvian cooking
Review: The Fire of Peru is an accessible, adventurous, well-executed introduction to Peruvian cuisine for American chefs, presented in an appealing and personal way. I've made three of the braises in the book, as well as two ceviches, the lomo saltado (stir fry) and one grilled beef kebab, and all turned out astonishingly good - exotic yet homey, with an appealing blend of big, bold flavors and textures. It's not Mexican, but offers many of the same pleasures. I also enjoy the surprisingly comfortable - and authentic! - fusion of Asian techniques and flavors with Latin ones. Peru is home to many of Chinese and Japanese descent, and Chinese food is everywhere in Lima, so this is not the forced, awkward collision of tastes one might imagine. It's a cohesive and delicious cuisine that wears its origins on its sleeve, and I'm excited to learn more.One important point: this is modern, forward-thinking Peruvian food. It's all dishes and flavors one can find in Peru, but Zarate is a chef and restauranteur, not an elderly grandma with a head full of old recipes. The recipes here are modern and embody Zarate's own vision. Americans tend to demand that Latin food be cheap, basic, traditional, and homestyle before they'll acknowledge its authenticity and validity. If you want abuelita food, look elsewhere.The recipes are generally accessible to the home cook, but do call for several Peruvian ingredients not generally found in most American grocery stores (more on them at the end of the review, if you're interested.) I would not recommend this book to a timid or unskilled cook, but if you're proficient, you'll be fine. I haven't found any errors in the book so far.One minor quibble: the writing features lots of cutesy additions of Spanish words, which are then translated in parenthesis - "this dish is muy delicioso (very delicious) with...." I suppose this is to give the impression that it's Zarate really talking, and peppering his sentences with Spanish, but it's irritating and patronizing, both to him and his readers. Zarate has lived in London and LA for years - I'm certain that he speaks fluently.To make most recipes from this book, you will need aji amarillo and aji panca chile pastes. Do go to the trouble to find them, because they're both highly unique and characteristic tastes of Peru with no real substitute. Both are available here on Amazon and at various other places online. HEB groceries in Texas sell aji amarillo in paste form - it's called a "Pepper Starter." Savory Spice Shop (savoryspiceshop.com) does sell aji amarillo in powdered and whole-chile form. I've seen aji panca at several Latin markets. You may be able to mimic the flavor of aji panca with a mix of ancho, guajillo, and chipotle chiles from Mexico, perhaps with the addition of some berry juice to the puree. One recipe calls for the herb huatecay in paste form, but it's less critical than the two chiles.

Reviewer: FoolsGold
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: ... months for this cookbook to be released by my favorite Peruvian chef
Review: I've been waiting months for this cookbook to be released by my favorite Peruvian chef, Ricardo Zarate. Los Angeles has had a bustling Peruvian restaurant scene for at least 15 years (Mario's, El Pollo Inka to name a few), but Zarate's Mo-Chia and Picca took Peruvian food to a new level by incorporating quality ingredients (along with smaller portions) and adding a bit of a Japanese flair to his dishes.This cookbook is not your traditional Peruvian cookbook. Zarate even states in his recipes that some ingredients or techniques are not traditional. If you want a good all purpose Peruvian cookbook, grab "The Everything Peruvian Cookbook".Yes I might be biased, but this is by far the best Peruvian cookbook that in my collection of three (Everything Peruvian, The Fire of Peru, andPeru). Here's why:1) The other two cookbooks I have (Everything Peruvian and Peru) are nice cookbooks but there is a lot of ambiguity in those recipes especially since they try to cram 100s of recipes. The Fire gives you tips on what to do and what not to do. The recipes are a lot more detailed. For example, in the saltado recipe, Zarate recommends you make a saltado sauce and then drizzle it on the edge of the wok to carmelize the sauce. Quality over quantity.2) The Fire is tailored and written for a home cook in the US, not in Peru. Therefore the recipes minimize the obscure ingredients. Yes you will need a few Peruvian stapes: aji amarillo, aji panca, aji rocoto and Japanese staples: yuzu kosho, mirin, shoyu, but once you have these kitchen staples, you should be able to make most recipes. All these fluffy cookbooks requiring obscure ingredients to make one recipe in the cookbook. Who realistically has time to seek out a virgin baby unicorn's tear drops for one recipe?3) The aesthetics of the cookbook are top notch. The paper quality, the pictures, and the size of the book are top notch. You can lay it flat and open to actually use as a cookbook, go figure.4) The editing is well done. Easy to read and understand, unlike "Peru". The stories that lead into the recipes are interesting. Of course, I'm a bit biased.The only negative is the cookbook could have probably used a handful more recipes to fill the book out more. I would have enjoyed a few more of Zarate's touch on some other common Peruvian dishes like Pescado a lo Macho or Arroz con Mariscos.COMMENT ADDED 11/25/15: I have made Zarate's Lomo Saltado in my new 65000 BTU wok burner (must have very high heat) and the dish was absolutely mind-blowing good. On par with the dish he served at Mo-Chica. The lomo is better than 95% of the 30+ Peruvian restaurants that I've been to. Maybe it's the wok-hei taste that I get from my new burner, but man, it's amazing!I made a few of his quick easy Japanese mayo-based dipping sauces. Good, but not great.

Reviewer: xenoc
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: wonderful and inventive
Review: This is a great cookbook - the recipes are great, the techniques are great, even the book construction is solid and holds up to typical kitchen abuse quite well. Most of the recipes are at least inspired by Peruvian dishes but they have been adapted to US palate and ingredients to great effect. Unlike many cookbooks where there are a dozen or so really outstanding recipes and the others are meh, this is chock full of terrific and varied dishes from start to finish. There are a few ingredients that I couldn't find (frozen huacataya anyone?), the online resources at the end are not very helpful and there is at least one sub-menu missing (roco aioli) but so far virtually all can be replaced and/or figured out with a little help from Amazon. I have >200 cookbooks and this is in the top 10 for fun, relatively easy, inventive and just plain delicious recipes.

Reviewer: SilvieGirl
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Delicious peruvian flavor profiles at home
Review: I'm a native peruvian raised in the US, and I've always wanted to re-create my moms and aunty's recipes, but their recipes are always "add a pinch of this and that, throw it together and cook it up!" So, not super helpful. This cookbook has helped me re-create authentic peruvian flavor profiles from scratch. I especially liked the substitutions for hard-to-find peruvian ingredients. I've tried a couple of recipes (huancayo-style sauce, and stewed short ribs) and they've turned out great. I can't wait to try the anticucho sauce! These recipes are detailed and well written, they tell you when to turn up/down the heat and what to look for in your dish, i.e.: until tomatoes release their juice. You'll get great results if you follow them. The directions may seem a little long winded or intimidating for a novice, but they are easy to follow for intermediate cooks.

Reviewer: Henry Ackerman
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The best I have read in years about Peruvian cuisine and gastronomic fusion with other cultures.

Reviewer: Sasha McInnes
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Peruvian food is my all time fave and Zarate makes cooking it a total pleasure!!

Reviewer: Joe
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The cook book arrived as agreed, in great shape. The book includes beautiful food pics and a well written bio. Great purchase. Thank you

Reviewer: Jacqueline McDowell
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Awesome cookbook

Reviewer: Trust Me
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Fast Service. - Good Product