Taste Of Peru 2012, Miami, Fla, Highlights

The Taste of Peru, Miami, Florida, was entertaining and delicious. Public Relations Coordinator Nikol Seitner said, "We are trying to reach out to all communities. We want it to be the most important gastronomic show in Miami." Organized by the Peruvian American Chamber of Commerce of South Florida this lively event did exactly that.

Chef Javier Angeles Beron of P.A.CH.A and Chef
Jacques Benoit at Taste of Peru 2012, Miami, Fla.

Chefs were there from all over Florida and Peru. Some were famous, like Lima, Peru, based Manifiesto Restaurant owner Chef Giacomo Bocchio. And some belonged to the Peruvian American Chefs Association (P.A.CH.A) like Chef Javier Angeles Beron. They came to participate in chef and pisco competitions, put on cooking demonstrations, and act as judges for the culinary competitors.


Traditional Peruvian dances performed at Taste Of
Peru 2012, Miami, Fla.

There were also many happy yet homesick Peruvians, inquisitive non-Peruvians, restaurant owners, models, musicians, and dancers.

Paternal twin sisters, Melissa and Mariella, modeled traditional Peruvian dancing outfits supplied by Miss US Nation Pageants. They also wore sparkly, crystal jewelry made by Peruvian designer Maritza Guevara Sanchez of Angelica's Jewelry Designs.

The food was overflowing at this year's event with some refreshing new takes on the cuisine. Tira D. Toss a Peruvian-Japanese fusion restaurant in Doral served traditional Japanese food with a twist. They had a salmon sushi made Causa (Peruvian-style yellow mashed potato) instead of rice. It was quite tasty.

The restaurant opened just over two months ago but according to Sushi Chef Miguel Lopez, "We're doing really well. People like our concept."

Nelly Salinas serves up Rocoto Relleno at Taste
of Peru, Miami, Fla.

Nelly Salinas has been cooking traditional food in her Lince, Peru, based restaurant El Rinconcito Arequipen͂o, for 44 years. She served a traditional Areguipa, Peru, dish called Rocoto Relleno. It was made with mozzarella topped--meat, raisin, onion, and cheese stuffed sweet peppers. The dish was alive with flavor and spicy too. It was accompanied by a cream sauce sautéed yellow potato, also topped with mozzarella.

There were also many booths with ornately decorated plates of ceviche. Mochika restaurant made theirs' with sweet potato, Peruvian yellow corn, lime marinated fish, and red onions.

And some, like Miami based, El Chalán Restaurant had more expected dishes like causa con camaron y quinoa tricolor, lomo saltado, arroz con mariscos, and ceviche.

Chef Javier Florez of Aromas Del Perú Restaurant, based in Coral Gables, had a very colorful and interactive booth with multiple styles of ceviche.

Peruvian desserts finished off the gastronomic tour. There were Alfajores cookies, Pionono (rolled sponge cake with sweetened condensed milk), and Picarones (deep fried pumpkin and sweet potato rings served with a honey syrup).

 

To find out more about the Peruvian American Chamber of Commerce of South Florida events, you can go to their Spanish language site www.peruchamberusa.org
 

My Locally Sourced Steak & Mushroom Dish: Fla Style

I spent my summer drinking lots of brands of fresh beer from Southern breweries. This experience inspired me to incorporate as many Florida beers as I can into this season's Locally Sourced dishes.

Southbound Brown Ale slow cooked grass-fed Sirloin with
 sauteed Oyster Island Mushrooms, 7-greens
salad, and baked red yam.

I used Southbound Brown Ale from Due South Brewing Co. in Boynton Beach, Florida, to marinate the grass-fed beef. The beef and other ingredients came from the Wellington GreenMarket, the West Palm Beach GreenMarket, and a local grocery store.  

 

The Arrowhead Beef, Grass-Fed Sirloin, was bought from Farriss Farm stand at the West Palm Beach GreenMarket. It was topped with sautéed yellow oyster mushrooms bought from Oyster Island Mushrooms LLC (also at West Palm Beach GreenMarket).

Florida sourced ingredients: yellow oyster mushrooms,
grass-fed steak, edible marigold flowers, broccoli
micro-greens, and cucumbers.

I accompanied this with a fresh six-green and one-flower salad. The Florida sources were: Swank Specialty Produce (Marigolds), Black Fork Specialty Produce (micro-greens), Fong Farm (cucumber), Green Cay Produce (baby spinach and arugula), and my backyard (Thai basil). A Californian farm grew the endive.

The sirloin was infused with the sweet caramel flavors of the Southbound Brown Ale's. It was also extremely tender for grass-fed beef. The mushrooms, sautéed with garlic and shallots, tasted like roasted chestnuts.

And the fresh salad, made of both bitter and sweet greens, balanced out the richness of the meat and mushrooms.
 

Terra Verde Farm Club Lunch, Clewiston, Fla.

What's better than dinner and a movie? How about lunch on a Florida farm with Francesca's Terra Verde Farm Club. This past summer I got to tour C & B Farm, and taste some delicious Florida sourced food made by club co-owner R. Francesca Golub.

Florida sourced lunch put on by Francesca's Terra Verde
Farm Club owners, C & B Farm, Clewiston, Fla.
Copyright 2012 by Helen A Lockey

I and a handful of club members climbed into a small minivan, rented by Terra Verde staff, on a warm summer morning in May. Then we drove out, past green fields of corn and canals filled with alligators, to C & B's 600-acre property, just south of Lake Okeechobee.

Farmer Charles during tour of C & B Farm, Clewiston, Fla.
Copyright 2012 by Helen A Lockey

We were greeted by farmer Charles Overn who invited us to gather around him so he could tell us the story of farming in his part of Florida. He talked of the challenges NAFTA's free-trade agreement put on his farm especially when it came to tomato prices. The imported ones were so inexpensive this year he could not sell his Florida grown ones.

Francesca Golum shows off fennel plant at C & B Farm,
Clewiston, Fla. Copyright 2012 by Helen A Lockey

Then it was time to see more of the farm. So we piled back into the minivan and drove deeper into the property past manicured rows of fresh herbs. At one stop, members were encouraged to pick as many herbs as they wanted to take home. Francesca showed us how, pulling a large fennel plant from the sandy soil.

Francesca's Terra Verde Farm Club lunch at C & B
Farm, Clewiston, Fla. Copyright 2012 by Helen A Lockey

Soon the tour came to an end. We walked quickly into the break room where Francesca had a gourmet Florida sourced lunch waiting for us. It included sour orange flavored pork, grass-fed beef, sweet white yams, watermelon, tomatoes, lettuce and other vegetables.

The only items that were not produced in Florida were the condiments, burger buns, and spices. Francesca said that someday she hopes to get many more of these types of items from Florida and offer them to her members.

Francesca's Terra Verde Farm Club also has pastured eggs, tropical fruit (sometimes including ginger), ethically-raised meat, citrus, and berries. These items are grown on 20 Florida farms and ranches.

UPDATE 2016: Francesca's Terra Verde Farm Club has now closed.