Let’s get cooking! (H)ola Barranco!

After a week of surfing in Costa Rica (sorry… but not so sorry. We all need a (short) break in life sometimes), I arrived in hot and steamy Lima last Saturday. Ready for 10 days of intense travelling, cooking and… hugging alpaca’s. A girl’s gotta love her job!

This time, the trip will be a little different than normal for me. There seems to be somewhat of a baby boom going on among my inner circle, people I love dearly and who are close not only to me but also very close to LNKnits. My lovely sister (and business partner in crime), Anneleen, and my friend & photographer, Griet Hendrickx, are both expecting a little one later this summer. I don’t need to tell you I’m very much excited for both of them! But since travelling to Peru can be very intense – and with the threat of the Zika virus – it was safer for both of them to stay home.

I’m going to miss them for sure but I’m also excited to have a whole new & very promising team by my side in Peru this year! Please let me introduce the talented Joshua D’hondt, who will capture this whole adventure for us, and freelance production talent Camille, who we also learned actually is an excellent flirter – in Spanish, yes sir – with any local Don Juan. And yes, then there’s good old me. I’m what you may call the ‘old timer’ of the group, ready to embark on my 7th Peruvian adventure, and 4th time in Ayacucho. But even for me, there’s a first on this trip: besides the production follow up of AW16/17 and SS17 – and some major Alpaca lovin’, obviously – we will be focusing on the delicious Peruvian cuisine since we are writing a third book, named #LNFairfood.

#LNFairfood will be a Peruvian inspired ‘lifestyle & cookbook’ with very easy recipes for everyone. Recipes inspired by the way Anneleen and I eat, which means 100% organic produce, tons of healthy greens and veggies, a minimum of wheat & dairy , no meat, some fish and plenty of healthy fats. And, obviously, with lots of Peruvian influences, as we consider this country to be our second home.

Just a little note on the side, we do not dare call ourselves ‘chefs’. We are active women who need decent food to get through the day. Food that is easily made and is as fresh as possible. And that’s exactly what our book will reflect. Nothing more, nothing less.

The most typical dish from Peru most definitely is ‘Ceviche’, a raw fish lime-marinated dish full of healthy proteins. Fresh, light & full of flavours… in a few words: the perfect lunch.

Ceviche is popular in several South & Central American countries but I do think the Peruvian version is (by far) the best one. And… we now have our hands on the best recipe out there! Thanks to Vincente, local Chef & Don Juan of Barranco’s best Cevicheria ‘La Cantarana & Cantaranita’. If you are ever planning on visiting Peru… Make sure to save some time for a visit here so you can go crazy on the best local Peruvian food.

The exact recipe of this delicious ceviche we cannot reveal yet… You will need to wait until mid-October for that, when our third book will be released. But, just as a teaser, here are a few happy shots of yesterday’s indulgence.

Stay posted for our next blogpost, more info and news on our #LNFairfood… straight from the Peruvian Andes in Ayacucho!

Cheers,
LN

(© Joshua D’hondt Photography)