Dish of Solterito Salad
(click to enlarge)

Soltarito Salad


Peru   -   Solterito
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2 #
**
40 min
Part		 This is the "national salad" of Peru. Originating from Arequipa, it is now made all over Peru - best made fresh. See also Comments.

7
1
1
4
1
1/2
-----
3
3
1/2
1/4
-----
1/4
2
oz
c
c
oz
c

---
T
T
t
t
---
c
T
Tomatoes, Plum
Fava Beans (1)
Giant Corn (2)
Onion, red
Queso Fresco (3)
Chili (4)
-- Dressing
Wine Vinegar, white  
Olive Oil, ExtV
Salt
Pepper
-- Garnish
Olives, black (5)
Parsley (6)
Do-Ahead   -   (11 hrs - 15 min work)
  1. Soak 1/2 cup dried GIANT CORN overnight with plenty of water. Drain.
  2. Pinch off the little dark point. This is done so the corn opens "like a flower", but is not necessary for edibility.
  3. Cook Giant Corn with plenty of water to cover and bring to a fast simmer. It is done when about half the kernels have opened (if you pinched in step 2). This may take as much as 2-1/2 hours depending on age of your corn.
Make   -   (40 min + chill)
  1. Cut TOMATOES into dice about 1/2 inch on a side. Place in a bowl to drain. Plum Tomatoes won't drain much but others will.
  2. Cut the ONIONS in half lengthwise. Trim the stem end, then with cut side down, make 3 to 4 cuts (depending on size) lengthwise, but not through the root end. Slice crosswise about 3/16 inch wide. Break layers apart. Place in a mixing bowl along with Giant Corn.
  3. Cut Queso Fresco into about 1/2 inch cubes. Add to the Giant Corn.
  4. Chop CHILI very fine and add to the Giant Corn.
  5. Drain Tomatoes and add to the Giant Corn. Give the whole salad a gentle tossing to mix.
  6. In a jar, mix all Dressing items. Pour over Salad and toss it all gently to coat.
  7. Chill the Salad.
  8. Pit OLIVES if needed. Slice crosswise.
  9. Pull PARSLEY leaves from stems and chop small.
  10. Serve chilled. garnished with Olives and Parsley. If serving as a buffet dish, just stir those into the salad.
NOTES:

  1. Fava Beans:

      Measure is for "double peeled" frozen fava beans, as preparing from fresh is expensive and time consuming.

  2. Giant Corn:

     Weight is for fully cooked. 1/2 cup dried makes 1 cup cooked. This corn is popular in the Andes Mountain region, and is available here in Los Angeles. If you don't have it, use Mexican Style white Hominy from a can, already cooked. It's smaller, but otherwise, the same thing.

  3. Queso Fresco:

      This soft white unaged cheese can be found in refrigerator cases in any market that serves a Latin American community. It is invariably made in USA, because cheese is not imported from Mexico. Queso Blanco would also work fine. For details see our Mexican Cheese page.

  4. Chili:

      The correct Chili for this salad is 1/4 to 1/2 of an Aji Rocoto, but these are imperfectly available even here in Los Angeles. I use 1/2 to 1 Serrano, seeds and all, but some recipes call for 1 to 2 teaspoons of Rocoto paste. For details see our South American Chilis page.

  5. Olives, Black:

      The correct Olive is the Alfonso, which is actually purple, not black. My usual store was out of them so I had to use Colossal Greek Black Olives (not quite as colossal as Alfonsos).

  6. Parsley:

      Most authentic recipes call for Parsley, but some call for Cilantro.

  7. Comments:

      The referenced cookbook says this salad is made in many variations, but all three of my Peruvian cookbooks, and at least a half dozen Web sites, give exactly the same recipe, which I repeat here. We do, however, also have a rather different version, our recipe Fava Bean & Cheese Salad.
  8. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
agv_chile1 220529 bpcb59   -   www.clovegarden.com
©Andrew Grygus - agryg@aaxnet.com - Linking to and non-commercial use of this page is permitted.