HEAT INDEX - Virbmedia.virbcdn.com/files/6d/7d88647c1392c39a-Ajiamarillo...Chef Brian Zenner of...
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— december 2013 TASTINGNOTES © STOCKFOOD/GREG RANNELS PHOTOGRAPHY INC AJI AMARILLO CHILES Golden-hued peppers that constitute the fiery heart of Peruvian cuisine HEAT INDEX You can sample some hot chile flavor this month in United’s premium cabins from the U.S. to Europe in the form of aji amarillo mashed potatoes, served alongside the short rib of beef with red wine sauce and f ine green beans and carrots T HE ANCIENT Incas depicted them in drawings and pottery. The internationally renowned chef and restaurateur Gastón Acurio has called them “the essence of Peruvian flavor.” And any Peruvian home cook will tell you that if a recipe calls for them, there is simply no substitute. A cu- linary cornerstone in their native Peru, aji amarillo chiles have come to define an entire cuisine in a way that few ingredients ever do. The name aji amarillo translates rather prosaically as “yel- low chile pepper,” but these chiles actually have a vibrant orange hue when ripe. The flavor is unique; unlike the sharper fruitiness of peppers like poblano, aji amarillo has more subtle fruity notes, reminiscent of berries. The heat is also intense—in the range of 30,000–50,000 Scoville Heat Units (a scientific measure of chile-pepper heat), compared to only about 2,000–5,000 for jalapenos. Chef Brian Zenner of Belly & Trumpet restaurant in Dallas makes a classic Peruvian dish called aji de gallina: chicken cooked in a flavorful cream sauce made from aji amarillo and ground walnuts, served over rice with potatoes, olives and hard-boiled egg. “The combination of the aji amarillo and the walnuts has a fruity but almost bitter note,” Zenner explains. “The pepper does a great job of cutting through the richness of the dish and really complements it well.” Aji amarillo is not just for Peruvian food, however. In recent years, the chile has found its way into other cuisines and onto high-end menus around the U.S. At Recette in New York City, Chef Jesse Schenker brings aji amarillo to his New American menu, using the chile in the marinade for an appetizer of hamachi, uni, sea beans and harissa. And at their modern Mexican restaurant, Border Grill, in Los Angeles, chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger make quinoa fritters with aji amarillo aioli. For home chefs, Zenner recommends using aji amarillo with chicken, pork or even octopus. The chiles are most commonly available in paste form, at Latino markets and in the international sections of some grocery stores, but they also come fresh, dried or jarred. To use the dried variety, deseed and soak to rehydrate, then puree to make your own paste. —CHRISTY HARRISON
Transcript of HEAT INDEX - Virbmedia.virbcdn.com/files/6d/7d88647c1392c39a-Ajiamarillo...Chef Brian Zenner of...
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AJI AMARILLOCHILESGolden-hued peppers that constitute the f iery heart of Peruvian cuisine
HEAT INDEX You can sample some hot chile flavor this month in
United ’s premium cabins from the U.S.
to Europe in the form of aji amarillo mashed
potatoes, served alongside the short rib of beef with red wine sauce and f ine green
beans and carrots
THE ANCIENT Incas depicted them in drawings and pottery. The internationally renowned chef and restaurateur Gastón Acurio has called them “the essence of Peruvian
flavor.” And any Peruvian home cook will tell you that if a recipe calls for them, there is simply no substitute. A cu-linary cornerstone in their native Peru, aji amarillo chiles have come to define an entire cuisine in a way that few ingredients ever do.
The name aji amarillo translates rather prosaically as “yel-low chile pepper,” but these chiles actually have a vibrant orange hue when ripe. The flavor is unique; unlike the sharper fruitiness of peppers like poblano, aji amarillo has more subtle fruity notes, reminiscent of berries. The heat is also intense—in the range of 30,000–50,000 Scoville Heat Units (a scientific measure of chile-pepper heat), compared to only about 2,000–5,000 for jalapenos.
Chef Brian Zenner of Belly & Trumpet restaurant in Dallas makes a classic Peruvian dish called aji de gallina: chicken cooked in a flavorful cream sauce made from aji amarillo and ground walnuts, served over rice with potatoes, olives
and hard-boiled egg. “The combination of the aji amarillo and the walnuts has a fruity but almost bitter note,” Zenner explains. “The pepper does a great job of cutting through the richness of the dish and really complements it well.”
Aji amarillo is not just for Peruvian food, however. In recent years, the chile has found its way into other cuisines and onto high-end menus around the U.S. At Recette in New York City, Chef Jesse Schenker brings aji amarillo to his New American menu, using the chile in the marinade for an appetizer of hamachi, uni, sea beans and harissa. And at their modern Mexican restaurant, Border Grill, in Los Angeles, chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger make quinoa fritters with aji amarillo aioli.
For home chefs, Zenner recommends using aji amarillo with chicken, pork or even octopus. The chiles are most commonly available in paste form, at Latino markets and in the international sections of some grocery stores, but they also come fresh, dried or jarred. To use the dried variety, deseed and soak to rehydrate, then puree to make your own paste. —CHRISTY HARRISON
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