Chairo Paceño
(Vegetable and meat stew)

(Serves 8)

Ingredients

8 cups of water
1/4 kilo of cow meat (with bone) cut into 8 pieces
1/4 kilo chalona (dry and salty lamb meat) cut into 8 pieces
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup of peeled Lima beans
1/2 cup of peeled green peas
1/2 cup of peeled carrots, cut into thin strips
4 cups of peeled potato, cut into thin strips
1 soaked, peeled cup of chuño (frozen potato), washed
1 cup peeled and cooked white corn
1 cup peeled and cooked wheat grains
2 spoonfuls oil
1 cup white onion, cut into thin strips (without washing)
2 spoonfuls ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crumbled oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup green onion, cut into strips
1 teaspoon minced parsley (to serve)
1/2 teaspoon crumbled oregano (to serve)
1 teaspoon of minced mint (to serve)

Note: So that chairo is not bitter, chuño must soak in water one night before, then it should be peeled, crushed and washed.

Preparation

1. Pour the water in the pot in which chairo is to be prepared. Place the pot over medium heat. As soon it is warm, add the meat and chalona. Before it begins to boil, stir and add salt. Let it cook for at least one hour. To this broth, add green beans, peas, carrots and potato. Let it boil for fifteen minutes. Then add chuño and let it boil for another five minutes. Add white corn and wheat. Let it boil until potato is cooked.
2. In a small pan put oil and heat it at a medium temperature. Sauté the onion. Then add the cayenne pepper, cumin, oregano and black pepper; let it cook for ten minutes. Finally, add these spices to the chairo stew so that all the mixture cooks for ten more minutes.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and add the green onion, parsley, oregano and mint.

Serve one piece of meat and one piece of chalona in each serving plate. Try to maintain the initial amount of broth. if necessary, add boiling water so that the stew does not get very thick.

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