Ají de Gallina

click HERE for a printable version

This might be - next to Ceviche - one of the best known peruvian dishes and one of my absolut favorites. While I was living in Chile I took a cooking course for peruvian kitchen organized by a peruvian lady who owned a little shop where you could buy all the necessary ingredients to prepare these luscious meals. So when we moved to Argentina I made sure to take a good amount of all the different chili peppers conserved  in jars with me just in case I wouldn´t find them in Buenos Aires. And it turned out to be a really good consideration since it was something nearly impossible to find. After maybe one year I found out about the "barrio boliviano" which was a good ways away from where we lived. But since I´m a really inquisative person I took the challenge to cross half Buenos Aires on search of this little street. I found it and at least was able to buy the fresh chiles that you need.

Now in Stockholm I was confronted with the same challenge. Where do I find what I need?? Surfing through the Internet I do find one or the other useful link and that´s how I found Estebán Ribera who sells products from peru from his home but will also meet with you in town (he lives a little far out)  for "handover". His phonenumbers are 070-620-9163 and 08 - 580 30301. I have no idea if he speaks english, just give it a try. The other shop I found is in Kista and called Kista Grossen (http://www.kistagrossen.com/). I went there yesterday and was in seventh heaven :).

Could hardly wait to prepare dinner today and here is how to do it:

Ingredients:

6                 chicken breast (app. 1,5 kg)
1                 large white onion,  finely chopped
2                 fresh garlic cloves, finely chopped
7 tbsp.        paste of Ají mirasol
8 slices       toast without the crust
12              black olives
500
- 800 ml      chicken stock
400 ml        evaporated milk
100 gr        Walnuts or Pecan nuts
120 gr         freshly grated Parmesan cheese
5 tbsp.        vegetable oil
4 tbsp.        olive oil
6                hard-boiled eggs
                  salt, white pepper
                  some parsley leaves

• Cook the chicken breasts in the chicken stock for about 10 minutes and let them cool in the stock. Pick apart the bread and soak in the evaporated milk. Then pass the mixture to your blender. Fry the onion in the oil until thei´re slightly browned, then add the garlic and the chili paste and fry for a while. Add the liquified bread and season with salt and pepper.
  
• Stirring constantly add the chicken stock ladle by ladle. The sauce should have a creamy, not too fluid and not too thick then add the olive oil.
  
• Finally add the frayed chicken breasts, the parmesan cheese and the chopped nuts. Serve hot with cooked potatoes and/or "Arroz a la peruana" (that recipe I will add to this post tomorrow, I´m too tired now :) ), hard-boiled egg halves, black olives and some parsley leaves.