Peruvian food

Quinoa
Ingredients:
-1/2 cup of quinoa
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 medium sized tomatoes
- 2 red potatoes
- pinch of salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 red onion
- 4 tablespoons of Avocado oil (can be any oil)
- 3 cups of water
Directions:
1) In a small pot put the oil. Chop the garlic and the onions and fry the in the pot together.
2) Then chop the tomatoes and add them to the pan.
3) Let it cook for about five minutes
4) Then add the 1/2 cup of quinoa to the pot where you fried the garlic, onion, and tomatoes.
5) Cut the potatoes into square pieces then add to the pot
6) Add the 3 cups of water
7) Cover the pot
8) Let it cook at a low temperature for about ten minutes
9) Every few minutes stir the quinoa so it won't stick to the pot

Fried Plantain
Ingredients:
- Oil (can be any kind)
- plantains
Directions:
1) Cut the plantains in kind of a thick way and slanted
2) In a pan put some oil in and fry the plantains.

Empanadas
Ingredients:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups shortening
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup cold water
-powdered sugar (optional on top)
Meat filling
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium onions , finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 lbs ground beef
- Aji Colorado Chile pod paste or one small can of tomato paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil, parsley or oregano
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of cumin.
Aji Colorado paste
- 10 dry California red chili pods
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1/2 cup of water

To make the pastry: In a large bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, curry, and salt. Cut or add in the butter and shortening until the mix resembles fine crumbs. Pour water in and make a soft dough. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic. Chill for 1 hour.

To make the filling: In a large pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the onions and garlic until soft. Place in a small bowl and set aside. Increase the heat to high. In the same pan, cook the beef until it is no longer pink. Drain the fat and stir in the onion mix, red chili pod paste, salt, oregano, black peppers. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.

Divide pastry in half and roll 2 long sausage shapes. Slice each roll crosswise into roughly 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece out into a 6" circle. Spoon some filling into the circle. Wet the edges of the circle with a little egg yolk and fold in half, making sure the edges meet. Trim into a neat half moon shape and imprint the edges with fork prongs.


Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 28 minutes or until the pastry is lightly brown. You can also rub egg yolk on top of each empanada before the go in the oven to make it more toasted.