Ají Amarillo: Peruvian Chili Pepper

[Joseph]

The "ají amarillo" is one of the most important peppers in Peruvian cuisine. Before serving, the veins and seeds are removed. It is added to many, many different dishes and is remarkable for its distinctive, spicy yet almost fruity flavor. When cooked into "un ahogado", a kind of paste, the spice is often softened, with the flavor remaining robust and unique.

[Joseph]

This is a classic scene from the Peruvian kitchen: a mixture of "ají amarillo" blended and cooking slowly in a little bit of oil with red onion and garlic; and on the back burner yellow potatoes boiling away, to be peeled after they are boiled, as is the custom. Eggs are usually added to be hard-boiled at some point and then are set aside before potatoes finish cooking.