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| My new friend, chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino at his hot restaurant, AmaZ in Lima, Peru |
Peruvian born, Pedro Miguel Schiaffino is a graduate of the
Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. He is now a top chef in Lima,
Peru and has 2 of the hottest restaurants:
Malabar and AmaZ.
In addition, he hosts a weekly TV show “Desde el Jardin” in Lima which
focuses on local ingredients and works directly with producers. Lucky me, I had the pleasure of interviewing
this talented chef.
JB: Your newest restaurant, AmaZ, utilizes all local ingredients
from the Amazon rainforest. What was your motivation for opening this type of
restaurant and what are some of the ingredients used in Amazon cooking?
PM: The
motivation was to communicate and conceptualize a cuisine that had so much
identity and power. We had a need.
Amazonian cuisine owns
the richest forest in the world; the amount of ingredients to use are huge. I
can give you some facts. For example, with fish, there are over 3000 species and
40 % are catfish. Catfish is the most popular fish and the tiger catfish is the most popular
one. Some catfish can grow and weight up to 400 pounds. Catfish is not the
biggest fish in the amazon, however. The
paiche or arapaima gigas, is the biggest and also the second largest fresh
water fish in the world. It can grow 4m long and weigh 800 pounds. Paiche
represents the future for fish farming in the world.
JB: Do you have locavore wine pairing with your
dishes and, if so, what type of wine would you serve? Do you have a favorite
wine?
PM: The bar
is very important in our concept and the experience is driven towards spirits
and fruit cocktails. We have wines too and we offer new and different wines to
our customers all the time. We have suggestions every week, “The wines of the
week” and try different origins and grapes.
We feel that
sparkling, whites and rosés work well with AmaZ
foods. We look for whites with acidity and freshness that follows the freshness
of our cold dishes that are full, sour, spicy, fruity and always with fresh
herbs. The salinity of rosés goes very well with all dishes that are made with
plantains. For me, a good French rosé is a good wine to drink from the
beginning to the end of the meal.
JB: Today’s travelers are more concerned with
environment. Besides using local ingredients, what other methods are
implemented at AmaZ to decrease the
carbon footprint?
PM: We
don’t measure our food print, but Amazonian cuisine does have a natural
responsibility with the Amazon culture and territory.
We know where almost
every single ingredient comes from, we know the producers, fisherman,
purveyors, farmers, etc. We have been
doing this for the last 12 years.
AmaZ works with 7
indigenous communities and we source directly from them. Most of them have
never sold a single product to a restaurant before. We give value to native
communities and sustain their culture.
We don’t work with
ingredients that are endangered or from dubious origin.
AmaZ promotes sustainable
practices like gathering, artisanal fishing, reforestation, sustainable fish
farming, etc.
It’s not only the
produce that we use, but we also we learn from them, from the way they live in
balance with nature.
Instead of
compensating for the damage that we, do we try not to do damage in the first
place.
JB: Where do you like to travel when you go on
vacation?
PM: We are
a big family, 5 girls and myself, so when we go on vacation we try to go
somewhere that all of us enjoy. Usually any trip that incorporates nature is
what we prefer.
JB: Other than in Peru, do you have any favorite
restaurants?
PM: I like
Brazilian cuisine-- Mocoto and Tordesilhas are my favorite in Sao Paulo.
Also Gustu in La Paz, Bolivia.
JB: What’s in store for the future of AmaZ? Do you see other restaurants
following your lead?
PM: The
second Amaz in Lima is coming soon-
maybe at the end of next year. Our dream is to have an Amaz in every capital city in most of the countries that share the
amazon basin. We think that this is possible if we share the importance of this
cuisine.
We will love to see
more restaurants like Amaz;
actually, we need that more cooks and customers get involved in Amazonian
cuisine since that’s the only way to make it sustainable
JB: Can you share one of your authentic Amazon
recipes with our readers?
PM: This
recipe is easy to cook and reflects how this cuisine belongs to Central and
South America, its pan Amazonian.
(See recipe below)
JB: Since
AmaZ is an Amazon rainforest restaurant, do people need an umbrella when
they eat??
PM: Hahahaha,
the rain is the only thing you will miss from the amazon when you dine in AmaZ Lima!!!
AmaZ
Avenue la Paz
1079 Miraflores, Peru 15074
Refried plantains and wild tomato salsa
For 10 portions
Ingredients:
2 Ripe
plantains, peeled and cut in 2 inch pieces
Oil for
deep frying
For the wild tomato and smoked pork salsa
Cecina (Smoked pork), diced 120
gr 4 1/4
oz
Cucumber, diced 120
gr 4 1/4
oz
Ripe tomatoes(pealed,seeded &chopped) 60
gr 2 1/8
oz
Cocona (wild Amazonian tomato), diced* 200
gr 7 oz
Sweet chili peppers, diced 50
gr 1 3/4 oz
Red onions, diced and rinsed 200
gr 4 1/4 oz
Wild cilantro or cilantro, chopped 20
gr 1/2
oz
Lime juice, fresh 100 gr 3 1/2 oz
Hot chili pepper t.t.
Salt and
pepper t.t.
(*substitute more tomato for cocona)
Method:
1)
Deep fry plantains in 180 C
(350⁰ F) until soft. Dry over paper
towel and cool down slightly. Place them between a metal lime squeezer and press
to give a basket shape. Let cool.
2)
Slightly cook the smoke
pork until golden brown. Cool down
3)
Mix all vegetables of the
salsa, add salt and pepper. Add lime juice and herbs and mix well.
4)
Refried the plantains in
190 C (375⁰ F) oil until dark brown. Dry over paper towel and add salt. Cool
slightly
5)
For service place the salsa
in the plantains basket and top with diced smoked pork
Buen Provecho!
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