Solterito Arequipeño
(sol-teh-ree-toh ah-reh-kee-pen-yoh)
Para Picar y Empezar (The Front Porch Snacks & Starters)
In Arequipa, they call this the 'little single man'—a bright, vegetable-forward punch of a salad historically meant to keep courting bachelors light on their feet. The soul of this dish isn't born from complex technique, but from the brutal uniformity of the chop and one brilliant grandmother’s trick: boiling the giant starchy choclo with a pinch of anise and sugar. It gives the corn an aromatic depth that offsets the sharp, bruising acidity of the vinaigrette. If you can't find fresh fava beans, don't panic. Frozen lima beans and frozen choclo from the local Latin market will get you exactly where you need to be on a Tuesday night.
Ingredients
- frozen choclo1 1/2 cup
- frozen fava beans or lima beans1 1/2 cup
- granulated sugar1 tsp
- whole anise seeds1/2 tsp
- red onion1 med
- Roma tomatoes2 med
- queso fresco8 oz
- black olives1/2 cup
- fresh flat-leaf parsley1/4 cup
- rocoto pepper or jalapeño1 tbsp
- red wine vinegar3 tbsp
- extra virgin olive oil3 tbsp
- salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
Method
- 01
Aromatize and boil the starches.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil with the sugar and anise seeds. Drop in the frozen choclo and boil for about 5 minutes until tender but chewy, then remove it with a slotted spoon to cool. Blanch the frozen beans in the same water for 3 minutes, drain, and run them under cold water.
- 02
Master the art of the chop.
The visual and textural secret of a true Solterito is uniformity. Take your time to dice the red onion, deseeded tomatoes, cheese, and olives into small cubes roughly the same size as the choclo kernels.
- 03
Toss the salad gently.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled choclo, beans, red onion, tomatoes, cheese, olives, parsley, and minced pepper. Toss lightly from the bottom to ensure the delicate cubes of queso fresco remain completely intact.
- 04
Dress and exercise patience.
Drizzle the red wine vinegar and olive oil over the bowl, and season generously with salt and pepper. Give it one final fold, then let the salad sit untouched on the counter for at least five minutes so the porous corn and cheese can absorb the sharp vinaigrette before serving.
Notes
Finding the right corn is non-negotiable.
Do not attempt to make this with American sweet corn; it completely ruins the savory profile of the dish. If frozen Peruvian choclo is unavailable, thoroughly rinsed canned white hominy provides a decent starchy substitute.
From Cook Peruvian in America.