Sweetbread stew. José del Castillo at Isolina
Isolina Vargas, José del Castillo's mother, lent her name and memory to Isolina, her son's restaurant, which quickly became an emblem of Creole cuisine. A style of cooking that barely twenty years ago was almost a daily staple in family kitchens is now one of the cornerstones of modern Peruvian cuisine.
Chicken gizzards and hearts are a favorite delicacy in Lima's Creole cuisine, where they are used in hearty, home-style stews. This particular dish uses chicha, which can be substituted with beer, and loche (Cucurbita moschata), a vegetable that until recently was often associated with squash, although it has its own distinct characteristics.
Ingredients for stewed gizzards
- 2 kilos of chicken gizzards.
- 1 onion.
- 2 tablespoons of garlic.
- 1 cup of yellow chili paste.
- ½ liter of chicha de jora.
- ½ bunch of cilantro.
- 3 tablespoons of grated squash.
- 1 pepper.
- 1 pan baguette.
Preparation of stewed gizzards
- Cut the gizzards in half and set aside.
- Make a dressing with the garlic, the onion cut into very thin strips, the yellow chili paste and the grated loche.
- When it is well cooked, add the raw gizzards, the chicha de jora, the diced pepper and half of the chopped cilantro.
- Add some chicken broth or water and let it simmer for 2 hours.
- Finish with more freshly chopped cilantro and serve with slices of warm baguette bread.
