Peruvian Anticuchos Recipes

PERUVIAN ANTICUCHOS RECIPE

Steps:

• Cut meat into cubes of 3/4″ x 3/4″.
• Parboil potatoes.
• Soak mushrooms for several minutes so they retain moisture on the grill.
• Slice vegetables into 1/4" to 1/2" thick pieces. Less dense vegetables like onions and bell peppers can be on the thicker side, as they cook faster.
• For the marinade: In a bowl mix soy sauce, vinegar, oil, garlic, ginger, cumin, and chili sauce. Stir well with a fork.
• Marinate meat for 3 hours, covered and refrigerated.
• For the vegetables, use a brush to coat them with the marinade before skewering.
• Heat grill to high.
• Place meat and vegetables on the skewers leaving 1/4" between each piece, allowing heat to circulate and cook the meat and vegetables through.
• For best results in cooking, place each type of vegetable or meat on its own skewer, as cooking times vary.
• Rotate skewers every 2 minutes until the meat and vegetables are cooked to the amount desired, up to about 10 minutes. Brush with remaining marinade as you rotate during cooking.
• Serve hot.

ANTICUCHOS DE CORAZON, GRILLED HEART SKEWERS

Steps:

• Pour boiling water over the dried chiles and cover. Let this sit for 20 minutes to soften.
• Mix all the marinade ingredients together and buzz them into a puree in a food processor or blender. Submerge the heart pieces in the marinade for at least 1 hour, and up to a day.
• Thread the heart pieces on the skewers-this helps you flip them more easily and helps them cook more evenly. Grill over very high heat with the grill cover open until you get a nice char on the outside, about 3 minutes per side. Baste with the marinade as the skewers cook.

PERUVIAN ANTICUCHOS

Steps:

• Place the pieces of heart in a glass or ceramic tray.
• Previously, soak the chiles in hot water until they are soft, devein and take the seeds off. If you want you can keep some of the seeds to make it spicier. In Peru we use aji panca, but this works well too.
• Blend the vinegar, garlic, aji panca (or dried chile), and all other ingredients with 1/2 cup of the oil until you have a soft paste.
• Pour it on the pieces of heart and distribute evenly so all pieces are well covered and can absorb the marinade. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Do not let them marinade for too long or they will dry out because of the vinegar.
• In the meantime, place thick bamboo skewers to soak in water so they don't burn when they go on the grill.
• Use a charcoal grill and make sure the coals are very hot before you start.
• Stick three or four pieces of heart in each skewer, so that the meat lays flat.
• Save the rest of the marinade in a cup or small bowl and add the rest of the oil to it, mixing well. This will be used for basting the anticuchos on the grill.
• Tie some pieces of fresh corn husk with a string made out of some more husk and shred them half the way to make a kind of brush and use it for basting. (You can use dry husk too but you need to soak it for a while in warm water to make it flexible and then pat it dry before you use it).
• When the coals are ready and the grill is hot place the anticuchos flat on the grill and baste them generously with the leftover marinade and oil mix.
• This will drip and cause the coals to flame, make sure it flames over because this is what gives the anticuchos their distinctive flavor.
• Let anticuchos cook for about 1 minute and a half on each side. DO NOT OVERCOOK! They will dry out and become tough. Medium or medium well is fine. Turn them over continuously and keep basting and flaming until they are done.
• Hold two or three at a time to turn them over quickly.
• At the same time, place the pieces of corn and potatoes on a corner of the grill, baste them with the same marinade and allow them to be flamed too.
• Serve three skewers in each plate, accompanied by one piece of corn and one potato. You can also cut the potatoes in half (across not length wise) and stick a piece at the end of each skewer.
• Serve hot, right out of the grill, don't let it get cold! ENJOY! :P.
• What takes the longest time is to slice and cut the heart in squares and stick the pieces on the skewers; as you get practice doing this it will be faster, allow yourself some more time of preparation the first couple of times.
• You can also use regular beef, chicken, fish, prawns, or lamb to make anticuchos, but the original and traditional recipe calls for cow heart. Hope you like it! :).