If not for the native people of the Americas, we might all be eating mostly gruel.

Before Columbus landed in the New World, European diets consisted of lots of grain-based gruels, said Char McLaughlin, of Bismarck, whose three-year Peace Corps stint in Peru was spent teaching home economics and picking up traditional cooking from the communities she lived in.

So if you like any of the following - tomatoes, potatoes, vanilla, chocolate, squash, peppers, bananas, pineapples and corn - say "thank you" to the Incas and other South and North American peoples who cultivated them.

Cooking techniques in Peru were passed down from grandmothers and aunts and mothers, she said. Produce was abundant and varied, but because of the high elevations in portions of the country, a pressure cooker was a must, she said; some foods such as beans could be boiled forever in the low-oxygen heights and never cook through. The time required for chopping and grinding foods meant that the first thing families bought when electricity arrived was a food processor and a rice cooker, she said.

McLaughlin's most recent Peruvian cooking class at Bismarck State College on April 21 consisted of some traditional basics: A fresh and tangy lime-and-peppers salsa, a starter base for many soups and sauces called "aderezo," combining onion, tomato and peppers, a picadillo filling for stuffing mini-empanadas and deep-fried potato balls, and a chard (or spinach) pie.

The following salsa is called Salsa Criolla in tribute to the Spanish-African influence that has been incorporated into the native South American cuisine. This delicious lime-infused salsa can be used as a dip for chips or bread or as a garnish on empanadas, potatoes, fish or egg dishes.

Peruvian Salsa Criolla

1 onion

2 or 3 yellow, orange or red banana peppers (also called hot or sweet Hungarian peppers)

¼ cup fresh lime juice or lemon-lime juice mixture

3 tablespoons each fresh oregano, cilantro and parsley (or 1 teaspoon each, dried)

Salt to taste (McLaughlin prefers kosher or coarse sea salt)

1 tablespoon salad oil, such as canola or corn oil

Thinly slice the onion and rinse well with hot water, rubbing gently. Chop coarsely. Wash, seed and de-vein the peppers under running water (to avoid breathing in the fumes) and coarsely chop them as well. Combine the onions, peppers, citrus juice and herbs in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Process in short pulses, leaving it chunky. Season to taste with salt and add the oil just before serving. Best when served immediately.

This can also be prepared without a blender by finely mincing the onions, peppers and herbs, them mixing them with the lime juice and adding the oil just before serving.

The starter base for many Peruvian sauces, soups and stews is called aderezo.

Aderezo

½ onion, finely chopped

½ tomato, peeled and chopped (dip a tomato whole in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then under cold water to make the skin slip right off)

3 to 4 cloves fresh minced garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic paste

1 banana pepper (also called sweet Hungarian pepper), de-veined, seeded and finely minced (jalapenos may also be substituted)

2 tablespoons oil

Saute the above ingredients in the oil over medium heat until translucent and starting to mush. This can be done in any size pot or frying pan. Double or triple the recipe if desired.

The following picadillo, or meat filling, uses aderezo as a starter and can be used to stuff empanadas or potato balls, or incorporated into a traditional two-crust pie. The combination of ingredients gives the filling a delightful mixture of salty, vinegary and sweet flavors.

Picadillo

¾ cup aderezo (from recipe above)

1 pound ground beef

1 tablespoon each fresh oregano and parsley (or 1 teaspoon each, dried)

½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds or ¼ teaspoon ground cumin

½ cup raisins

½ cup roasted peanuts (dry roasted or regular)

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

¼ cup seeded and chopped brine-cured (Greek-style) black olives

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef in a frying pan. If the meat is very lean, add a couple tablespoons of oil to prevent sticking. When cooked and crumbly, add the aderezo plus the herbs. Saute gently until most of the moisture has evaporated. Add the other ingredients (those with peanut allergies may omit the peanuts). Set aside to cool.

The picadillo above can be used as the filling for empanadas, stuffed pastries that are then baked or deep fried.

The baked version calls for a fairly stiff pie crust dough, which can be made from scratch or using a purchased ready-made pie crust. Roll out the scratch crust to about 1/8-inch thickness or unroll the premade pie crust; for mini-empanadas, cut out circles with a doughnut or cookie. Place just enough picadillo filling in the center of the circle so the dough can be folded over; moisten half the edge with water and pinch shut tightly.

Place the mini-empanadas on a nonstick, greased or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees about 25 to 40 minutes until golden brown (time depends on the size of the empanada). Brush lightly with corn syrup the last 5 minutes to give a nice caramel-colored top. Empanadas may be frozen in airtight containers for a few week.

The picadillo can also be used as filling for "Papa Rellena," deep-fried stuffed potato balls.

Potato Dough

2 pounds potatoes (firm potatoes work best; do not use instant potatoes)

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup flour (for hands and to coat the outside)

Oil for frying

Picadillo filling (from above)

Boil the potatoes in their jackets until soft; drain well and peel. Mash potatoes or force through ricer to make a smooth puree. Add beaten egg and knead until smooth. Set aside. Mashed potato mixture should be thick. Season with salt to taste.

Flour your hands and shape about ½ cup of the mashed potato mixture into a flat patty shape. Place a spoonful of picadillo filling into the center. Wrap the mashed potatoes around and over the filling, forming a oval, egg-shaped ball with the filling inside. Roll the potato oval in flour and place on a floured plate or waxed paper. Continue until the potatoes and/or filling is used up.

Fry the potato balls in hot oil deep enough to cover them until golden brown. Drain and serve hot. Top with Peruvian Salsa Criolla if desired.

(Reach Karen Herzog at 250-8267 or karen.herzog@; bismarcktribune.com.)