Pollo a la Brasa in Berkeley

Pollo a la Brasa is Peruvian Rotisserie chicken and it’s fantastic. It’s one of the Peruvian foods I miss most.  The other day I was walking around Berkeley with some friends and I walked past this place called “Brasa”. I did a double take at the name and quickly realized it was a Peruvian restaurant.
I went in to investigate and at one look at their menu I knew it was a legit Peruvian place. Of course they had Pollo a la Brasa but they also had Chicha Morada, a purple corn drink and Cusquena, the beer of choice in Cusco, Peru. I was so excited.

I ordered the chicken sandwich and the Chicha Morada. It was just like I was back in Peru! I highly recommend this place for anyone in the bay area, and if you find a Pollo a la Brasa place anywhere else let me know!

List it Up!

Do you have a list? A list of everything you want to make? A list of everything you crave right now? I do. It helps me organize the zillion food related thoughts that go through my head each day. My list was started in January and now has roughly 300 items on it, all just waiting to be cooked and photographed and put on the blog. To some this may seem obsessive but anyone who has passion for something knows how I feel. If you have ever truly felt love, whether for an activity, hobby, interest or person, you know what I’m talking about. You just can’t stop thinking, dreaming, visualizing, and imagining the person/activity/whatever. You obsessively try to improve, reach new heights, do your research. I am constantly on Pinterest and Punchfork and multiple food blogs always looking for inspiration, new flavor combinations, old flavors with new flair, etc.
Above are the cookbooks I'm in love with right now. I just recently got Martha Stewart's Pies and Tarts and the Joy the Baker Cookbook. Both are amazing. They have so many new and exciting takes on classic baked goods, everything in them just looks awesome. I've gone nuts with the list making and bookmarking lately. Here are some abbreviated lists of mine:

Top Ten Things I Want to Make:

1) Bruleed Lemon Tart
2) Black Tea Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting
3) Homemade Lasagna
4) Swedish Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes and Lingonberry
5) Grapefruit Ginger Curd
6) My Nana’s Waffles
7) Blackberry Red Wine Chocolate Cake
8) Strawberry Lemonade Pie
9) Bagels with Cream Cheese
10) Pizza with Artichokes

Current Flavor Obsessions:

1) Lemon/Lime
2) Apple (unseasonal I know but the apples I’ve eat recently have been absolutely sensational)
3) Goat Cheese
4) Eggplant (aka Aubergine*)
5) Bell Pepper (aka Capsicum**)

Oh man I can just taste those things right now. Guess this means more kitchen time for me in the near future! Thank goodness my oven is finally working and I can bake again! I thought I was going to go crazy there for a moment.

*Isn’t aubergine a cuter word for eggplant? I think it is, don’t ask me why, I just like the way it rolls off my tongue.

**I think capsicum is a cuter word too, and it’s way less confusing to read “capsicum” in a recipe than “pepper” or even “bell pepper”. In my mind peppers are hot, capsicum, on the other hand, is not. I don’t know,  it just makes more sense in my head. Also I just recently learned to like this food so I’m a little obsessed with it right now, I can only assume I’m trying to catch up on the previous 18 years I spent absolutely hating the stuff.

Eggplant, Goat Cheese and Bell Pepper Tapas.

Let me tell you about these tapas. They are freakin’ fantastic. As soon as I had my first bite they jumped to the top of my list of favorite foods. They consist of simple ingredients that taste absolutely god-tier together. I first tried them at Ciccolina a Peruvian-Italian Tapas Restaurant in Cusco, Peru. If you are ever in Cusco go to Ciccolina. It is seriously worth it. I’ve been waiting for a while to try and make these, however, I simply couldn’t wait any longer, so here they are!

½ of a large eggplant or a whole medium one

1 Bell Pepper, preferably red though it really doesn’t matter

Goat Cheese

A baguette

Olive Oil

Basil, for garnish

First cut the eggplant into 1/3 inch slices. Sprinkle salt liberally on both sides and allow to sweat for at least an hour.  

Cut the baguette into slices about ½ inch thick. Toast them until they are dry and just starting to turn golden. You don’t want to actually get toast, just dry out the bread a bit so it’s easier to bite into and provides a better texture juxtaposition.

Roast the pepper over an open flame or under the broiler until the skin bubbles and blackens slightly. Peel the skin off then cut into pieces approximately the size of one of your baguette slices. 

Take a frying pan and pour in some olive oil and fry the pepper slices until they are warm through and have some brownish spots on both sides.

Wash your eggplant so that it is free of salt then dry thoroughly with some paper towel. Either fry in a pan with some olive oil or grill it, both ways are tasty. Cook until nicely browned. Because they are fairly thin the pieces will be a little delicate, take care not to rip them as you take them out of the pan or move them around.

After the pepper and eggplant have been cooked and cooled you can either leave them in the fridge and assemble later or assemble them right away. If you plan to eat these the next day it is better to assemble the day off. 

To assemble take a piece of bread and put a piece of pepper on it. Next take a scant tablespoon of goat cheese and put it in the middle of a piece of eggplant. Roll the eggplant around the goat cheese then place on top of the pepper. When you have assembled them all roughly chop some basil and sprinkle a bit over each one.

Eat and enjoy!