Atol de elote is a sweet corn beverage frequently doled out warm in Guatemalan markets. Seasoned with cinnamon or vanilla, fresh corn kernels are pulverized on a grinding stone or metate to achieve the drink’s silky, creamy consistency. (In a pinch, a blender gets the job done, too.)

This recipe ran alongside Chris Bagley‘s 2017 story, “Guatemala’s Ancient Food Traditions.“

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A saltwater brine prevents fresh herbs from discoloring in this zesty chimichurri, adapted from a recipe in Argentine chef Francis Mallmann’s Seven Fires. The bright condiment pairs beautifully with steak, vegetables, and crunchy bread served straight off the grill.

This recipe first ran alongside a rib eye recipe with Shane Mitchell’s 2013 article, “The Art of the Parilla.”

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Literally “tiger’s milk,” this bright and spicy citrus-based marinade is used to cure the fish in classic Peruvian ceviche. This leche de tigre recipe makes a sizable batch; leftovers can be frozen for up to a month to be repurposed in more ceviche, marinades, or even in savory drinks, like our Hair of the Tiger cocktail.

Featured in “The Secrets of Lima’s Cutting Edge Ceviche.“

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The pisco sour was one of the first drinks to be codified during the “Golden Age of Cocktails.” In fact, the recipe emerged as a result of a confluence of factors far from the South American spirit’s birthplace. 

California boasts a history of wine and brandy production dating back to the 17th century, as well as a deep connection to South and Central American territories once controlled by the Spanish Crown. Gold Rush era San Francisco was a hotbed for cocktail culture, by virtue of the glut of unattached men looking for ways to distract themselves from their arduous work in the mining industry. While the Conquistadors invested in California wine production, spirit distillation was much less widespread; for local high rollers who wished to imbibe, high-quality options were slim. 

Pisco—a grape-based distillate whose origins are a topic of debate between Peru and Chile—was suited perfectly to the late 19th century’s emerging “fancy drinks” trend. At turns aromatic and dry, the spirit pairs nicely with various fruits and acids, and was a natural choice for the era’s elevated serves. San Francisco’s Bank Exchange and Billiard Saloon popularized pisco in the 1880s by mixing it with pineapple, lime, and syrup for the enormously popular pisco punch, inspiring imitators throughout the city. Then in the 1920s, the South American liquor garnered its international fame when Victor Vaughn Morris, an American bar owner who’d immigrated to Lima, began serving a pisco-based riff on the whisky sour.  Made luxuriously silky via the addition of egg white (like the Ramos gin fizz popularized in New Orleans shortly before), and highly aromatic courtesy of Angostura bitters, a drink this good is virtually impossible to improve upon, which explains why the recipe hasn’t changed in over a century.

*Note: It is important to point out that Chilean pisco is generally more floral, while Peruvian versions can display more earthy and vegetal notes which I find more suitable for cocktailing. There are four broad styles of Peruvian Pisco: Puro, Aromatico, Acholado, and Mosto Verde. I prefer Acholado for its drier profile, while others may prefer the sweetness of Mosto Verde. The brands Barsol, Porton, and Macchu Pisco will all work nicely in this recipe.

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Lime juice adds zing to this simple crudo from Uruguayan-born chef Ignacio Mattos. Assemble it right before serving, so the juice doesn’t cook the fish. Mattos uses sea bass, but snapper also works well. Check out our favorite raw fish recipes featuring crudo, sashimi, ceviche, and even poké.

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When picking fresh guavas for this Cuban-style casquitos de guayaba recipe, select fruit that are neither too green nor too ripe; they should have a sweet and faintly musty fragrance and be firm yet give slightly when squeezed, like a perfectly ripe avocado. “Casquitos” translates to “little helmet,” referring to the shape of the guava when its seeds have been scooped out. As the shells simmer in the vanilla syrup, the white flesh will gradually turn a vibrant red.

Featured in “The Guava Dish That Makes Cubans Nostalgic for Home.”

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When Nick Malgieri, former executive pastry chef at the World Trade Center’s Windows on the World, deems a cookie exceptional, you grab a rolling pin, stat. Malgieri’s recipe for the iconic South American sweet, which appeared in our December 2010 issue, calls for a hefty amount of cornstarch, resulting in incredibly delicate and tender wafers. Be sure to let the alfajores cool completely before sandwiching together. Check out our best cookies to bake for the holidays here.

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Tender, sweet scallops are paired with a tomato-rich chickpea stew, here spiced with merkén, a traditional Chilean red chile spice mix made from dried ajè cacho de cabra, or goat’s horn chiles. This simple stew, from chef Juan Pablo Mellado Arana of Las Cabras, a soda fountain and restaurant in Providencia, Santiago, Chile, is ideal served with a hunk of crusty bread for dunking.

Featured in: “All Eyes on Santiago.”

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Whether in San Pedro Sula, the Bronx, or New Orleans, any local Honduran baleada spot will have a version of this pungent, Latin American condiment. Used to add bright crunch to all sorts of dishes from breakfast to dinner, the thinly sliced vegetable medley may be either quick-pickled in vinegar (as in this recipe from writer Bryan Ford) or lactofermented over a longer period of time. Encurtido is not just a celebration of sweet and spicy flavor; it’s also a triumph of visually appealing shapes, textures, and colors. This combination heightens the senses, complementing each bite and serving as a reminder of the beauty of Honduran cuisine.

Featured in “O Glorious Encurtido“

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This preparation of carne asada is quite a departure from the grilled beef you might find at a Mexican taco stand. In this Nicaraguan-inspired version, the bitter-sour flavor of Seville orange complements and amplifies the rich, charred meat. Find Seville oranges (also known as sour or bitter oranges) for sale at well-stocked Latin and Caribbean grocery stores, or online from Chef’s Collective.

Carne asada is a particularly popular dish at informal Nicaraguan eateries called fritangas, which have also become late-night dining institutions in Miami, home to the largest Nicaraguan community in the United States. Skirt steak—cut from around the diaphragm of the cow, just under the ribs—is the most commonly used cut for this dish, but the marinade is excellent on just about any meat.

At more formal Nicaraguan steakhouses, carne asada is often grilled and plated in large pieces, but at more casual fritangas, the meat is often cut into strips for speedier cooking. When grilling these smaller pieces, be sure to lay the strips on the grill perpendicular to the grates to avoid losing your feast in the fire. Nicaraguan-style carne asada is fantastic on its own, but if you like a little sauce with your meat, drizzle on a few spoonfuls of homemade chimichurri, which Nicaragua claims as its own, as does Argentina.

Featured in: The Magic, Elemental Ingredient in My Latin American Pantry

Equipment

• Large Bowls
• Plastic Wrap
• Grill or Grill Pan
• Paper Towels
• Tongs
• Large Plate
• Aluminum Foil

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