Pollo a la brasa is Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, a take-out option that is gaining popularity in the US.  Typically accompanied with a side of french fries or fried yuca, the chicken is moist, tender, seasoned with interesting flavors, and served with creamy aji chile pepper sauces. It's not too hard to create a decent pollo a la brasa in a regular oven or in a home rotisserie oven - even baked chicken breasts benefit from the delicious seasoning.

This slow cooker recipe turns chicken breasts and yellow potatoes into a seasoned, shredded chicken and potato mixture that is delicious as a filling for empanadas or sandwiches. It can even go elegant - served atop a warm arepa (corncake) and garnished with crema de aji, as in this photo.

Slow Cooker Chicken "A la Brasa"

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Flan is a rich and creamy custard dessert that is quite popular throughout Latin America. Dulce de leche is a caramel confection made from milk and sugar, and is another beloved Latin American dessert. What could be better than combining the two? This dulce de leche flan is easy to make and seriously good.
One quick flan-making tip: Resist over-baking! Flan is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees, at which point it will still be a bit "jiggly" as you take out of the oven.  No worries - it will firm up as it cools.

Dulce de Leche Flan
Traditional Caramel Flan
Venezuelan-style Flan - Quesillo
Brazilian Coconut Flan

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Researchers recently uncovered evidence that people been enjoying popcorn for almost 7,000 years!  Corncobs, husks, and stalks were found at two ancient sites in Peru dating to 4700 BC, along with fossil evidence that the corn was popped as well as ground into cornmeal.   Corn is truly an ancient crop - it was first domesticated (from a wild grass) in Mexico almost 9,000 years ago.  Apparently these civilizations were eating corn before they even had pots with which to cook it.

People in the Andean regions still enjoy popcorn.  They have their own unique version called cancha, which is made with a particular variety of corn (maiz chulpe). This corn is very starchy and "pops" into a corn nut-like crunchy snack that is often served alongside ceviche.

Prehistoric Peruvians Enjoyed Popcorn - The Environmental News Network

How to Make Cancha - Toasted Chulpe Corn
Choclo - Another Andean Corn

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This salad is healthy and refreshing, especially in the dead of North American winter. Grapefruit are delicious right now, and I just bought some beautiful avocados (perhaps from South America?). Pomegranates (granadas) are in still available this time of year too. This does not exactly qualify as eating locally, but sometimes I'm grateful for global markets.

Grapefruit and Avocado Salad with Creamy Citrus Dressing
How to Remove Seeds from a Pomegranate

More Recipes...
Hearts of Palm Salad with Passionfruit Dressing
Vegetarian Ceviche Salad
Patrón Pomegranate Cocktail
Ensalada de granada, remolacha, naranja roja y nueces caramelizadas

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