Lomo Saltado
Finally, Dan, here’s the recipe for lomo saltado – hope you enjoy experimenting! This dish is a real crowd pleaser, and very easy to throw together. It’s essentially just Peruvian fast food – but if you are a carnivore, it’s difficult not to like steak and chips; this is steak and chips with an added, tasty twist…
Lomo Saltado
Meat – beef, turkey or chicken, sliced thinly
Red onions, sliced thickly
Large, juicy tomatoes, skinned and sliced into large wedges
Paprika
Aji – chilli, in any form you like (powdered, fresh or paste)
Vinegar
Salt and pepper
Cumin (optional)
Chips – from the chip shop, obviously!
Chop the onions and cover them with vinegar, leaving them to soak until you need them. Skin the tomatoes by immersing them in boiling water for two minutes, then plunging them into cold water. You should be able to run a knife around them, just piercing the skin, and then pop them out of their skins. Note: this doesn’t work if they are rock-hard orange-coloured supermarket tomatoes! Chop the meat and tomatoes, and then begin to fry the meat at a high temperature, moving constantly (the meat, not you). When the meat is browned, add a shake of salt and pepper, chilli and paprika according to taste (you can always add more later!). If you are using meat with a mild flavour, such as turkey or chicken breast, add a sprinkle of cumin too, for extra flavour. Keeping on a high heat, add the tomatoes for a minute or two, until they are getting juicy, then pop in the onions and vinegar. Fry until the onions are beginning to soften, then add the chips and stir thoroughly. Check the seasoning, and serve. Enjoy with ketchup, mustard and mayo, if you feel so inclined.
