Carmelo’s goodness.

We have talked to you about Carmelo before and since we really enjoyed him we decided to change our route to stop and see him again along with his family who were now with him…
This episode is dedicated to him and his family and it is composed of three parts: before, during and after the accident Brian had in Huaraz Peru where he broke both of his arms.

By October 17^th we arrived in Asia to visit with Carmelo and his family and later on Annette and Kai showed up and stayed with us also. Good times. During these days we learned a lot about the family as well as Peruvian food.

Here are some of the things I was able to capture (BEFORE THE ACCIDENT):

**Manjar blanco: sweet cream to eat with bread or just by the spoon, main ingredients: milk and sugar.



**Natilla: dark sweet cream also to eat with bread or simply a spoon full of delicious caramelized product.



**Arroz con mariscos (Rice with seafood) & Ceviche Mixto: for Brian’s Birthday Carmelo organized a feast, we had lots of seafood and cake. Brian really enjoys ceviche which is basically raw fish seasoned with lemon and some spices. Carmelo spent about 155 Soles for 8 people. This is one of the best birthdays Brian has had… more than anything the company was special.







**Pacay: this is a fruit and even though it looks sort of tasteless, it is actually quite delicious, sweet and healthy. You can get about 3-5 of those in the picture for 2 Soles and the good thing is that they do not go bad easily, a good travelling partner. Mara, Carmelo’s granddaughter gave Brian some as his birthday present… Sweet sweet girl.



**Juices: we were in Mala, a little town near Asia and got a nice juice for 3 Soles, an entire jar of juice!!! You can get any kind of juice from fresh squeezed orange to mango plus banana, any combination… just imagine that.



**Lomo saltado: this is a tasty beef dish with onions, cilantro, tomatoes, aji and soya sauce besides Carmelo’s love… Very tasty and typical from Peru.
Clarification: soya sauce is not part of the recipe but it went well in it.



**Cua-cua: typical chocolate for kids, 1 Sol each. Mara shared with us her chocolates!!!



**Tequeños: this is a super nice idea for a snack. It is basically Wantan wraps (Wonton wraps) with fresh cheese inside, fried. The first picture is just to introduce you to Olivia, a sweet strong girl, daughter of Carmelo… She made this snack.
This goes well with a creamy avocado sauce; it can be made with avocados, lemon and salt.





We left Carmelo by October 21, 2011 and few days later (October 23, 2011) Brian had an accident (described in his blog: www.andthenweweregone.blogspot.com).

While in the hospital he had some tasty meals with spicy peppers that we ordered, otherwise the cook would not give us the peppers because apparently they are not good for you when you have broken bones, where did they hear that? I feel sorry for them but we got them.

He received three meals a day: breakfast by 8 am, lunch by 12 pm and dinner by 6 pm.
Breakfast- two sandwiches or sanduches (as they called them in Peru), natural fruit juice and a warm drink.
Lunch- broccoli soup, beef dish with veggies and a pear.
Dinner- soup, fish with veggies and rice and a sweet dessert…
Brian always shared his meals with me, so I can tell you they can cook very well in the hospital “Clinica San Pablo, Huaraz”, better than they can change a band-aid.








We left Huaraz on October 26^th and arrived in Asia October 27^th, where Carmelo and his family would provide us with shelter and excellent food. They are full of goodness and believe me in situations like this, a safe shelter, good people and good food make life different and better.

**Best Ribs: I started to ask for prices now. This dish is approximately 60 Soles for 8 people. The secret here is to steam or to boil the ribs before adding Hunt’s honey mustard barbeque sauce and baking.
Carmelo’s friends were debating about who makes the best ribs and I have to say the discussion was unnecessary because when it comes to BBQ ribs I can guarantee Carmelo makes the best among all of them!!! Why? For two reasons: because he cooks with passion and in a simple way, and two because I tried them (we have tried a lot of food in the entire continent by now)…



**Fricassee chicken: it is an excellent way to have veggies and chicken together… for those who don’t like veggies; it feels like a nourishing meal. It brings comfort and it is quite light.
This dish is made with chicken, chicken broth, yellow potatoes, peas, onions, garlic, butter, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Served with rice.
With 32 Soles you can feed 8 people.



**Fresh figs: what a discovery. I never imagined you can eat them fresh. You can buy a box for 7 Soles and if you place them in the fridge after peeling them you will have a fantastic healthy delicious fruit.



**Camotillo: a sweet dessert made with sweet potatoes mainly, the cinnamon taste is evident. A box is about 5-6 Soles. Delicious.



**Turron de Doña Pepa: it is a dessert made with flour and all kinds of sweet fruits and sugar. I love it!!! Seriously I love it. Carmelo does not remember the price but I can say this is so far my favourite sweet discovery in Peru because it can be eaten slowly… and it is super enjoyable.



**Picarones: they are fried donuts made with yucca flour and covered with a Peruvian sugar cane caramel and spices. From the restaurant Costa del Sol which is a convenient place in the neighbourhood, they cost 5.5 Soles for 4 of them… expensive in comparison to other places.



**Chocolates for Halloween: we spent Halloween with the family and it was fun to see the kids dressing up. I discovered two delicious chocolates from Peru: Sublime and Princesa… A box of those cost about 12 Soles for 44 pieces.
Olivia’s daughters, Mara & Ana, are able to share with people their candies and we appreciated that…
Thanks Girls!!! You rock!!!