Food 52

Milk Street's Peruvian Quinoa and Corn Chowder

Ají amarillo, an orange-yellow chili with a fruity yet earthy flavor, is ubiquitous in Peruvian cuisine. The fresh chilies are difficult to find in the U.S., but ají amarillo paste, sold in jars, is available at well-stocked markets and specialty stores. The paste is key to the deep, spicy flavor of this quinoa chowder. If you can’t find it, use 1 or 2 minced jalapeños instead (if you like, seed the jalapeños for milder heat). The soup is especially good made with fresh in-season corn but, in a pinch, substitute frozen corn kernels. Serve with a simple salad of shredded cabbage, sliced avocado and crumbled queso fresco. Don’t forget to rinse the quinoa to remove the naturally occurring saponin that gives quinoa a bitter flavor. But check the packaging first, as some quinoa is sold prewashed; if so, there’s no need to rinse. Excerpted from MILK STREET: Tuesday Nights. Copyright 2018 by Christopher Kimball, photographs by Connie Miller of CB Creatives. Used with permission of Little, Brown and Company, New York. All rights reserved.