Anticuchos (Grilled Beef Heart Skewers with Rocoto Sauce)
Inspired by techniques from Gastón Acurio.
Peru's street-grill favourite as Gastón Acurio makes it: thin pieces of beef heart soaked in a dark ají panca, garlic, cumin and vinegar marinade, threaded three to a skewer and seared hard on a ridged grill, then served with browned potato, corn and a fiery rocoto sauce.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Make the marinade. Whisk the ají panca paste, garlic, vinegar, cumin, oregano, pepper and salt in the bowl, then whisk in the oil until it looks glossy and thick. Spoon 4 tbsp into a small bowl, cover and chill: this is for basting and never touches raw meat.
- 2
Marinate. Add the heart pieces to the rest of the marinade and turn until every piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.
- 3
Cook the potatoes and make the sauce. Boil the whole potatoes in salted water for 20-25 minutes until a knife slides in easily, drain, cool slightly and cut into 1 cm slices. Stir the rocoto paste, spring onion and pinch of salt together in a small bowl.
- 4
Skewer. Lift the heart out of the marinade (discard what is left in the bowl) and thread 3 pieces onto each skewer, flat side out, so you have 8 skewers.
- 5
Grill. Heat the grill pan or barbecue until smoking hot. Grill the skewers for 2-3 minutes a side, brushing with the reserved marinade, until well charred outside and the centre of a piece reads 71 °C. The pieces are thin, so they get there quickly: take them off straight away so they stay juicy.
- 6
Brown the potatoes and serve. Brown the potato slices in the same hot pan for 2 minutes a side. Serve 2 skewers per person with the potatoes, half a corn cob each and the rocoto sauce on the side.
Storage
Best eaten straight off the grill. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours. Keep for up to 2 days and reheat until piping hot (74 °C).
Why this label?
46.3 g protein for 592 kcal = 7.8 g per 100 kcal, so protein gives about 31% of the energy. High Protein needs at least 20% (5 g per 100 kcal), the condition in the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
EU nutrition claims
- Low sugars: 3.4 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 204 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
0 g per serving
0 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 0 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- large non-metallic bowl
- 8 skewers (soak bamboo ones in water for 30 min)
- ridged grill pan or barbecue
- saucepan
- pastry brush
- small bowl
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 592 kcal |
| Protein | 46.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 40.6 g |
| of which sugars | 7 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 27.8 g |
| of which saturates | 4.2 g |
| Fibre | 5.8 g |
| Salt | 2.31 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
7.8 g meets High Protein (≥ 5 g, 20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
