I decided to do a Peruvian theme for a recent dinner party, since I had some aji panca paste I’ve been itching to use. Arroz Tapado (ground beef layered with rice, peas, and carrots) is one of the traditional dishes that uses aji panca, but one of my dinner guests doesn’t eat rice, so I decided to take inspiration from the flavors of Arroz Tapado but turn it into a savory pie. As I was cooking I decided to add in some leftover Madeira wine, which ended up giving the filling a perfect touch of sweetness and body. Definitely not a traditional Peruvian dish, but it was a dinner party hit!

Guessipe

• oil for sautéing
• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 12 oz ground beef
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1/4 cup aji panca paste
• 1/4 cup madeira wine
• 8 oz frozen peas
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pie crust

Saute the onion and garlic in oil over medium-high heat until the onion begins to soften.

Add the ground beef and cook until the beef browns.

Add the carrots, aji panca, and madeira. Cook until the carrots just begin to soften.

Stir in the peas, garlic powder, and parsley. Salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer the filling to a pie dish. Top with pie crust and bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes.