Culture in Cusco

I'm not sure how or why, but we seem to have a talent for happening upon unexpected cultural events when we travel.

Peruvian Cooking Class ~ Pisco Sour

Pisco sour is the national drink, and Peruvians take their Pisco seriously.  There are a hundred variations of the drink, using Pisco infused with the vast varieties of fabulous tropical fruits of the region.  Every restaurant has it's own special recipe; it's sort of like Grandma's chicken soup, everybody's Grandma makes it a little differently, and everybody thinks their Grandma's is the best.

I couldn't get past the foamy egg white, it just wasn't appealing to me.  So early in the trip I discovered the Chilcano, which was more to my liking.  I'm a gin & tonic girl, and the Chilcano is a little more similar to that, as they top off the juice with a little ginger ale.

As I've been conversing with Chef Jose by email, he always signs off with 

"Cheers!  (With Pisco!)"

Peruvian Cooking Class ~ Lomo Saltado

Peruvian Cooking Class ~ Ceviche

This was the first course in our cooking class in Cusco, Peru.  The  secret is to use a high quality, very fresh fish; and lots of fresh juicy lime. We can't get the same peppers here in the USA; so use a hot chili pepper of your liking instead.   

The next tip is rubbing the bowl with the pepper ~ this imparts a lot of flavor to the fish before marinating.

The last tip is that it only marinates for a few minutes before you stop the "cooking" process by adding the fish or chicken stock.

We had lots of wonderful ceviche during our stay in Ecuador and Peru; this was, without a doubt, among the best.

Bon Appetit!

Cookin' in Cusco

It's time for another cooking class, this is our sixth in a foreign country ~ 

and just for the record, I want a walled herb garden like this one.....

These Wonderful Weaving Women

The Indigenous people of Peru are renowned and wonderful weavers, producing beautiful textiles of all types.

She's A Very Sexy Woman

We are enjoying a few days in lovely Cusco, or Cuzco, 

depending on who you're talking to.