LIMA DAY 3: Just One Meal. One Loooong Meal

***I got a new phone with a pretty good camera. Unfortunately, there's a learning curve involved, so I am missing a bunch of photos. This wasn't the best day for this to happen.***

Sunday, March 6

My friends Bertha's family has someone who cooks for them, Wendy. We were chatting one day (me & Bertha, not Wendy), and I said something like, "I want a cook that works for me." Bertha told me that Wendy is an Excellent Cook, and further, she would be happy to work for me on her day off -- all I have to do is make a menu, buy the food, and invite people.

Well, I really wasn't happy about the 'inviting people' part -- I just wanted to lie around the house and shout out names of food -- but once I understood, It Was On. Bertha, Wendy and I went back and forth with the menu, I invited seven other people, and all I could do was annoy my friends in the States about the Lunch Party I was going to throw in Lima.

So we finalize the Menu, and I get a shopping list (with pictures!), and Ed and I spend large parts of Friday night and Saturday in the daytime getting everything except the Meats and Fish for the Lunch.

From the top, there's Ed interviewing the Tamale Ladies, The Causa Stand, Ed interviewing the Spice Lady, the Nut Shop, the Vegetable Lady (she was fun), and much of the stuff unloaded in the apartment. Yes, those are Hurricanes drinking cups -- I brought them from home.

Here's the list that Bertha created:

We had decided that -- for the amount of time and effort that they would take -- it would be easier to purchase the Tamales and the Causa. Wendy would handle everything else.

So Sunday morning rolls around. Wendy shows up with Bertha and Lucia. We go through everything that's there, figure out what else we are missing and break up into teams -- Sandra ran the Command Center at home, Ed & Lucia head out to get the Tamales, the Causa, Bread and some other stuff, and Bertha and I have the Fish, Seafood, and Poultry on our list, along with some incidentals.

Our first stop is the Seafood Lady, Rosa. She is great, and she has the most photogenic booth in the city. And I don't know how to work my new Camera. I thought I was taking a bunch of photos, but no. The only thing that came out was a shot of some Scallops. I like Scallops, so that wasn't the worst thing ever.

None of the pictures came out from our Duck purchases. It was pretty cool when he hacked it up with his hatchet. At the Fish Lady, we selected Flounder (Lenguado) for the Cebiche, and Corvina for the Fried Fish we had planned to cook. After a fury of discussion with the Fish Lady (I couldn't have been as successful without Bertha there to do the negotiating), she went to work on our Fish. I would have never thought of it, but Bertha had her cut the Lenguado into pieces for the Cebiche. With her knife, this took no time at all. The first video has her cutting the chunks for Frying, and the second
and third have her doing the filleting of the Lenguado, and making Cebiche-sized pieces.

By the way, I bought Way Too Much Food.

OK, so we get home, and preparations are under way. At the same time as Wendy is making the Cebiche, we marvel over and put out the Causa and Tamales.

Here's some Cebiche prep, including some Shrimp cutting:

So we started in on the First Course, which consisted of three courses.

Because my kitchen wasn't as well-equipped as many others, and because of the Too Much Food thing, Wendy and I decided to cancel the Parihuela (Seafood Soup) course.

The Main Courses were: Aji de Gallina, Arroz con Pato (Rice with Duck), and Jalea (Fried Mixed Seafood). Aji de Gallina is shredded Chicken in a not-spicy, but very flavorful Sauce that is served on top of Potatoes, and along side of Rice. Rice with Duck is, well, Rice with Duck. It's my favorite, and we bought plenty of Duck. And the Jalea started out as just Fried Fish Chunks, but we had the Seafood from the Soup that we didn't use, so she fried up some of that, too. It is served with Yucca and Chifles (sliced and fried Plantains).

I learned a lot watching Wendy cook, so that was worth the price of admission alone. At one point, she started cracking Eggs and putting them in the blender. I asked what she was doing (she was VERY patient with me), and she told me, "Making Mayonnaise." Seriously, like how would anyone get Mayo any other way. Go figure. She also made some Chicha Morada (Purple Corn Juice), and it was much, much better than the store-bought stuff I usually get.

And yes, even though I never considered it before, there are Duck Necks. And they are every bit as wonderful as you would imagine!

So, we were all stuffed, and Bertha said, "Well, I don't know what to do with the Carrot Cake."

Fernando: "Did I hear 'Carrot Cake'?"

Bertha: "Yes, my Aunt made it. It's her specialty."

So we ate most of the Carrot Cake. It was wonderful. I don't like Carrot Cake, and I thought it was wonderful.

Here's Lucia modeling the Carrot Cake (Ed was giving free Blog Photo lessons). The icing was served on the side.

That was it for Lunch. Everyone took some food, most of the unopened wine bottles went away, my doormen ate like kings, and I still have a house full of food. It was a great afternoon/evening (we talked and ate for six hours), and I was thrilled that it went as well as I hoped. I'm glad that Sandra suggested that I buy a couple of dozen to-go boxes.

After everyone left, Ed and I walked around Miraflores and wound up at Parque Central, where we had Rice Pudding.

Later, we split up and I went to Casino Hacienda, where -- in a miracle of events -- they wound up paying for most of the Luncheon. If only that happened more often.

When I got home, I decided that there was still too much Causa left, so I had some more before I went to sleep.