I took Dr. Food to Peru...Well not really.

I was sorta getting tired of meat and wanted to do something with chicken. I mean there is only so much meat that I can post about (I am a liar I could do every post on meat but then all of you would think that is what I ate every night and I don't). Anywho... I am not sure what made me think of Peruvian food but I started thinking about Peruvian food. I decided to make Peruvian chicken. Then I thought "Janis, why not go all out and make Dr. Food a whole Peruvian meal". So I went to trouble of doing research. Finding the chicken recipe was easy. Finding out that Pisco Sours are a Peruvian drink was easy. So, then I had to get off my butt and go to the store.



I asked the man at the liquor store if they had Peruvian wine. The Pisco Sour was an iffy proposition. No Peruvian wine in Massachusetts. Why? Nevermind. I bought the Pisco to make the drink.



Came home and made the goo that goes on the chicken. I then let it sit for a couple of hours in the refrig.



Meantime while in the kitchen I harvested some of my mushrooms. I ate one and didn't die so that is a good sign.



I put the chicken in the rotisserie to cook. I started making simple syrup for the Pisco Sours. I came upstairs to get some Peruvian Pan Pipe music so that it would be playing when Dr. F came in the house. It sounded something like THIS



Dr F. walks in and the music is playing and I say "What country am I recreating" He said ...wait, I don't remember what he said. Anyhow, I then make the Pisco Sour. We toast and take a gulp. Ew. I don't like em. Dr. Food seemed to have to problemo throwing a few down his throat.



Then the problem comes. I sorta dropped the ball. I got tired and burnt out in the middle of doing all this and it didn't seem fun anymore. So, what did I do? I made some Quinoa that I had from Trader Joe's that is frozen (Shut up, *I* did my research and found out that Quinoa is Peruvian. Ok, so it was FROZEN.)



I got dinner done and although I pooped out it was a good dinner. Yes, that is schmutz on the plate and that wrecks my chances for any blogger awards because we all know that a good chef cleans the plate and a good blogger sacrafices their food getting cold by putting it in front of a backdrop with just the right lightening so they get that PERFECT picture. Too bad the food has gone cold. Me?? I wolf down the food and then apologize for the crappy photo.

Sorry about the photo.


Peruvian Rotisserie Chicken
By Derrick Riches, About.com Guide

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds)
4 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons white wine
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
juice of 1 lemon
1 quart cold water
Preparation:

Combine vinegar, wine, oil with garlic powder, cumin, paprika, black pepper, and salt. Mix well to form a paste. Add lemon juice to cold water. Trim chicken of any excess or loose fat. Wash chicken thoroughly with lemon water. Place chicken in zip-top bag. Pour spice paste over chicken. Coat chicken completely with mixture rubbing into every surface. Try to get the paste under the skin as much as possible.
Seal bag and place chicken in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. The chicken will have more flavor the longer it "marinates" in the spice mixture. Do not refrigerate more than 24 hours however.

Preheat grill and prepare rotisserie. Place chicken on rotisserie and on the grill for approximately 1 1/2 hours at a temperature around 300 degrees F. (150 degrees C.) Test chicken for doneness by measure in the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh. Chicken is done at 165 degrees F. (75 degrees C.).

This chicken is frequently served with dipping sauce. A simple version of this sauce is made from combining 1/2 cup of mayonnaise with 2 tablespoons mustard and 2 tablespoons lime juice. (Ooops. I forgot to make this but I bet it is good)


Pisco Sours
By Marian Blazes, About.com Guide


Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup key lime juice
1 1/2 cups pisco
3 egg whites
1 1/2 cups ice
Angostura Bitters
Preparation:

Make sugar syrup: Put sugar and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, remove from heat, and let cool.

Place sugar syrup, lemon juice. pisco, egg whites, and ice in a blender, and mix until very frothy.

Serve in small tumblers, with a dash of bitters in the middle of the foam.
Tip: The ratio of 3 parts pisco to 1 part lime juice to 1 part simple syrup makes a strong, tart pisco sour. You can reduce the amount of pisco to make it a little less "fuerte". The egg whites give the cocktail its traditional frothy top layer, but some people prefer to leave them out.

Serves 6-8