I heart ox heart

I'm putting off leaving the house today - it is pouring down! I had my day off all planned out...a spot of gardening, coffee at Lyall Bay, perhaps a dip in the ocean and then home to prepare dinner as I'm having a couple of friends around tonight. Instead the weather's grotty, I'm getting an awful cold and am delaying going down to the shop to buy a bulb of garlic.

The garlic's the final ingredient in a marinade. The rest is already in the fridge and the beef soaking in it. It's wine vinegar, tumeric, sweet paprika (pimenton dulce) and chilli. Notice the lack of soy sauce, tomato, ginger...the usual things I'd marinate meat in. This is a Peruvian recipe for anticuchos or kebabs made from ox heart. The supermarket trimmed most of the heart up for me so it wasn't hard to dice up, dodging any arteries. Still, it's my first time cooking heart (I ate it nearly daily in Peru though) and I'm a bit nervous serving it up to friends (I don't think I'll tell them what it is until after we're done eating hehe). 

However if it doesn't taste good there's plenty of other food. Homemade walnut pate and pumpkin hummus with a cheeseboard to start; a Peruvian spread of empanadas, quinoa with vegetables, tuna stuffed potato and salad in the middle; and a giant lemon curd, strawberry and cream filled profiterole to finish. It's a bit of an odd assortment with no real theme but I'm sure it'll all taste yummy which is what matters. 

Wish me luck.