Anticuchos

Mom (Grandma Susan) remembers driving along a dark road in Lima, Peru and seeing lots of small hibachi fires along the way. Grandma Loretta insisted that Grandpa Chuck stop so that she could check it out. She bought a stick of anticuchos, and declared that they were, “Delicious!” They’ve been a celebratory meal ever since!

Ingredients:

• ¼ of a large bar of achiote paste; or 1/3 of a bar of small achiote paste
• 8 tablespoons of olive oil
• 4 large garlic cloves
• 4 medium serrano chiles, trimmed and seeded
• ¾ cup red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ lbs sirloin, cut into 1 inch cubes

Instructions:

With steel knife attachment, process garlic, chiles, red wine vinegar, and salt. Add strained, cooled oil and blend 10 seconds. Transfer half of marinade to heavy plastic bag. Add beef, seal bag and then turn several times to coat meat. Chill 4 hours or overnihgt. Refrigerate remaninng marinade separately.

Skewer meat on bamboo skewers that have been soaked in water for 2 hours. Discard marinade bag. Barbecue over mesquite coals, brushing on reserved marinade during the cooking process.