Post by Okwes on Jan 31, 2006 10:24:56 GMT -5
Inca Potato Salad
1 pound purple potatoes*
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 to 1 teaspoons chili powder
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash ground pepper
3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed
* Native Peruvian purple potatoes can be found in many specialty and
health food markets, if you can not find use russet potato.
Wash potatoes; do not pare. Dice into 1/2-inch pieces.
Sauté potatoes, onions, garlic and chili powder in oil until onions are
tender. Add broth and mix well, bring to a boil. Stir in quinoa, salt and
pepper; return to boil. Stir, cover and reduce heat, simmer 15 minutes.
Turn off heat, add corn and let stand covered, 5 minutes. Mix gently to
fluff. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.
Variation: Add 1/2 cup dried chopped pineapple with corn
Yield: 6 servings
History of the Potato:
A high plateau in the Andean Mountains of South America is the
birthplace of the 'Irish' white potato that we eat today. The plateau,
known today as the Titicaca Plateau, stretches across part of the
countries of Peru and Bolivia. The Aymara Indians developed more than
two hundred varieties of the potato at elevations greater than 10,000
feet. Potatoes formed the basis of the Aymara Indian and Incan diet.
Potatoes also were an important influence on Incan culture.
Potato-shaped pottery complete with eyes is commonly found at
excavated sites, sometimes having tiny heads growing out of the little
eyes. Incan units of time correlated to the length of time it took for
a potato to cook to various consistencies. Potatoes were even used to
divine the truth and predict weather.
From the Andes to Europe:
When the Spanish Conquistadors didn't find the gold and silver they
were looking for in the late 1400s and early 1500s, they quickly
cornered the local potato market. Potatoes were soon a standard supply
item on their ships. The Spanish noticed that the sailors who ate
papas (potatoes) did not suffer from scurvy. Scurvy is a disease
associated with too little vitamin C in the diet. Potatoes have a lot
of vitamin C, easily preventing scurvy.
No one knows exactly when potatoes were first planted in European
soil. For many reasons, the potato was slow to become popular. At the
time, only seed crops were grown in Europe, and this vegetable was
planted by cutting it into pieces to put in the ground. The potato
plant was also recognized to be a member of the nightshade family, a
group of plants that are generally very poisonous. Amid fears of black
magic and poisoning, it is thought that the first to cultivate
potatoes were probably the families of the sailors who brought them
back. By the late 1500s, historical records show that the potato began
to be used as a common provision in some parts of Spain.
Potato cultivation slowly spread to the low countries and
Switzerland. When introduced into Germany in the 1620s, the
nutritional properties of the potato were finally acknowledged.
Frederick the Great, the Prussian ruler, ordered his people to plant
and eat them as a deterrent to famine, a common and recurrent problem
of that period. People's fear of poisoning led him to enforce his
orders by threatening to cut off the nose and ears of those who
refused. Not surprisingly, this was effective and by the time of the
Seven Years War (1756-1763), potatoes were a basic part of the
Prussian diet.
A similar story occurred in France. A young French agriculturist
and chemist, Antoine Augustin Parmentier, made it his mission to
popularize the potato after his experience as prisoner of war in
Prussia. With some clever marketing to King Louis XVI and Marie
Antoinette, and subtle scheming to convert the thinking of the
populace, Parmentier achieved his goals. Potato dishes were created in
great variety and the potato became a delicacy enjoyed by the
nobility. The French populace soon coveted potatoes for themselves.
More Native American recipes, food information, restaurants, history
and even humour can be found at nativechefs.com
1 pound purple potatoes*
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 to 1 teaspoons chili powder
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash ground pepper
3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed
* Native Peruvian purple potatoes can be found in many specialty and
health food markets, if you can not find use russet potato.
Wash potatoes; do not pare. Dice into 1/2-inch pieces.
Sauté potatoes, onions, garlic and chili powder in oil until onions are
tender. Add broth and mix well, bring to a boil. Stir in quinoa, salt and
pepper; return to boil. Stir, cover and reduce heat, simmer 15 minutes.
Turn off heat, add corn and let stand covered, 5 minutes. Mix gently to
fluff. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.
Variation: Add 1/2 cup dried chopped pineapple with corn
Yield: 6 servings
History of the Potato:
A high plateau in the Andean Mountains of South America is the
birthplace of the 'Irish' white potato that we eat today. The plateau,
known today as the Titicaca Plateau, stretches across part of the
countries of Peru and Bolivia. The Aymara Indians developed more than
two hundred varieties of the potato at elevations greater than 10,000
feet. Potatoes formed the basis of the Aymara Indian and Incan diet.
Potatoes also were an important influence on Incan culture.
Potato-shaped pottery complete with eyes is commonly found at
excavated sites, sometimes having tiny heads growing out of the little
eyes. Incan units of time correlated to the length of time it took for
a potato to cook to various consistencies. Potatoes were even used to
divine the truth and predict weather.
From the Andes to Europe:
When the Spanish Conquistadors didn't find the gold and silver they
were looking for in the late 1400s and early 1500s, they quickly
cornered the local potato market. Potatoes were soon a standard supply
item on their ships. The Spanish noticed that the sailors who ate
papas (potatoes) did not suffer from scurvy. Scurvy is a disease
associated with too little vitamin C in the diet. Potatoes have a lot
of vitamin C, easily preventing scurvy.
No one knows exactly when potatoes were first planted in European
soil. For many reasons, the potato was slow to become popular. At the
time, only seed crops were grown in Europe, and this vegetable was
planted by cutting it into pieces to put in the ground. The potato
plant was also recognized to be a member of the nightshade family, a
group of plants that are generally very poisonous. Amid fears of black
magic and poisoning, it is thought that the first to cultivate
potatoes were probably the families of the sailors who brought them
back. By the late 1500s, historical records show that the potato began
to be used as a common provision in some parts of Spain.
Potato cultivation slowly spread to the low countries and
Switzerland. When introduced into Germany in the 1620s, the
nutritional properties of the potato were finally acknowledged.
Frederick the Great, the Prussian ruler, ordered his people to plant
and eat them as a deterrent to famine, a common and recurrent problem
of that period. People's fear of poisoning led him to enforce his
orders by threatening to cut off the nose and ears of those who
refused. Not surprisingly, this was effective and by the time of the
Seven Years War (1756-1763), potatoes were a basic part of the
Prussian diet.
A similar story occurred in France. A young French agriculturist
and chemist, Antoine Augustin Parmentier, made it his mission to
popularize the potato after his experience as prisoner of war in
Prussia. With some clever marketing to King Louis XVI and Marie
Antoinette, and subtle scheming to convert the thinking of the
populace, Parmentier achieved his goals. Potato dishes were created in
great variety and the potato became a delicacy enjoyed by the
nobility. The French populace soon coveted potatoes for themselves.
More Native American recipes, food information, restaurants, history
and even humour can be found at nativechefs.com