For when you want a taste of Peru but can’t fly down to see us, Dawn on the Amazon is compiling recipes of Peru. What a gourmet, Peruvian grandmother would serve to her family when she wants them to remember it’s special.
From this modest beginning, over time, will come a list of recipes of Peru and then a Dawn on the Amazon Recipes of Peru cookbook. This is our first recipe.
Cecina con Tacacho:
Tacacho is green bananas (platano). Two per serving. Sauté, boil, or bake until they are soft enough to mash. Mix a with little pork fat, or palm or olive oil, and small pieces of cooked pork (optional), just enough to make the pieces stick. Form into a baseball sized ball and cook over charcoal until heated through. Serve with the best ham-like cut of pork you can get, no fat at all, cured, dried, and salted, called cecina. It makes a very good meal. To impress a girl from Iquitos with a special meal you would either buy her ceviche or cecina with tacacho.
Dawn on the Amazon Recipes of Peru Cookbook, Cecina con Tacacho.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Fantastic!
But I don’t think I’ll be able to get my pepper flowers to look like Marmalita’s. We will plan on coming down every year for a trip on the Dawn 3 for some of the delicious meals. Dottie
hey Bill and Marmalita….Great idea !….to begin compiling and sharing some of the Peruvian delights you serve onboard…..as we have such fond memories of eating in Dawn III’s dining room….
Thanks Dottie, and Dawson, for your continued enthusiasm. Marmelita, Judy, Marjorie, Marina, and Lupa, practiced on some new recipes a few days ago. It was like Thanksgiving. They fed my entire crew. I must brag on the orange sauce stir fry, the Maracuyá (Passion Fruit) sauce and the stuffed peppers like I never had before but want to have again as soon as possible.
Best,
Bill
Last night we had friends over to watch a DVD of some of our Amazon pictures and we cooked a Peruvian meal as best we could. Shirley, Dave and I started slicing and dicing at noon and we were barely ready when people arrived for dinner. I don’t think we’d make it as cooks on your boat – at least not if people wanted 3 meals a day. But it was good and we were homesick. Shirley was in charge of pepper flowers and they looked pretty good. Dottie
Wow, I wanted to be there to share the hard work,,,ja,ja,ja, that is nice of all of you, I am delighted to know that you are practicing, is a pity I couldn’t practice Mr. Dave’s mango salad yet but when it is mango season I will. It is wonderful the flowers came pretty, but I am with the curiosity which recipe did you make? If I can help with some questions it will be my pleasure,,,be fine and good luck,,we keep you present always, Marmelita.
Yes. It sounds sweet and salty and good. More recipes.
Keep the recipes coming!
Dawn, I would like to speak with you regarding an idea for a dish that I have using cuy. I want to have cuy, cecina, and tacacho in the same dish, and I have an idea of how to do it, however, I wanted to speak with you regarding the traditional methods of cookery, and how I might improvise in a more modern kitchen. In Puerto Rico we called the mashed green plantain mofongo, but i have an idea that tacacho may be very similar? Please email me at your earliest convenience.
Nate Auchter
Sous Chef
National Museum of the American Indian
Washington, DC
My apologies Bill,
I thought the author of this site was named Dawn, and didn’t realize the title, “Dawn on the Amazon” Sorry for my ignorance. Please email me when you have a chance.
Nate