Cookbook Shelf: Ceviche Peruvian Kitchen by Martin Morales

Impassioned by the foods of his homeland, Martin Morales has made it his mission to share the beauty and bounty of Peruvian cuisine. In his new cookbook, Ceviche: Peruvian Kitchen: Authentic Recipes for Lomo Saltado, Anticuchos, Tiraditos, Alfajores, and Pisco Cocktails, the acclaimed chef shares recipes from his popular London restaurant Ceviche and highlights the indigenous ingredients and international influences that combine to create Peru’s rich culinary traditions.

The book is a tribute to vibrant cooking and vivid imagery. Lush, jewel-toned photographs complement the 100 recipes included within its pages, among them sizzling anticucho skewers, super food salads, and mouthwatering seafoods, as well as beverages, sweets, and small bites.

Quinoa-coated shrimp and asparagus, orange-glazed sweet potatoes, pork ribs with elderberry sauce, and spiced caramel with port meringue pudding – to name only a few – are all beautifully rendered and simply explained. It is fuss-free cooking with flair that captures the essence and vibrancy of Peru.

Structurally, the cookbook’s format is laid out in nine chapters (ceviches, street food, fish, meat, vegetarian, salads, desserts, drinks, the Peruvian larder) plus an introduction that features personal stories and a brief history of Peruvian politics and immigration.

For Morales the book represents a celebration of the more than 500 years of fusion that have made Peruvian cuisine what it is today: Andean specialties made by indigenous people; street foods made popular by Afro-Peruvians and Criollos; wok-cooked meals prepared in Lima’s chifas (Chinese-Peruvian restaurants); European influences incorporated into Peruvian tradition; and of course, ceviches ranging from classic to Japanese-inspired.

The book’s key ingredients, however, are outlined on its first page, wherein Morales writes: “There is a Peruvian saying my great-aunt Carmela taught me: ‘aquí se cocina con cariño,’ which translated means ‘here we cook with loving care’…it’s what Peruvian food is all about. The other side of what we do is sazón: the quest to achieve a perfect balance of flavors. I have spent a lifetime working on this. Like most Peruvians, I am obsessed with cooking and I love sharing our amazing food.”

Thanks to Ceviche: Peruvian Kitchen, we can all enjoy the cariño and sazón that inform each of Morales’ delicious dishes.

Enter our sweepstakes to win a copy of Ceviche: Peruvian Kitchen. For recipes from the book, click here.

* Reprinted with permission from Ceviche: Peruvian Kitchen by Martin Morales (Ten Speed Press, © 2014). Photo credit: Paul Winch-Furness. Book available for purchase at amazon.com.