Veggie Skewers with Huancaina Sauce

So I recently went to Austin Texas, and I heard a lot about “keeping Austin weird,” but tbh I think I could give Austin a run for its money. Let’s dive in:

Austin: Has lots of vintage stores with a somewhat chic, but not that chic, grandma aesthetic
Teresa: Has a somewhat chic, but not that chic, grandma aesthetic (guess we’re even on this one)

Austin: Has sit-down restaurants for gourmet doughnuts, where doughnuts come on real ceramic plates and are served as the main course (as they should be)
Teresa: Has a spreadsheet of the closest doughnut shops to work, their hours, and their respective merits

Austin: Has an art gallery mostly devoted to Dr. Seuss’ work
Teresa: Has “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss memorized. TRY ME, I swear

Austin: Obsessed with barbecuing/grilling EVERYTHING smack dab in the middle of summer
Teresa: Doesn’t have a grill, and therefore decides she must fake grill veggie skewers at 450 degrees in the oven in the middle of summer

Folks, I think we have a winner. I’ll accept my prize in the form of someone cleaning up the mess I’ve made in the kitchen. Or feel free to just get me a grill.

Moving on. As I mentioned, I made these veggie skewers with huancaina sauce in the oven, but you can certainly make them on the grill if you are in possession of some sanity (and a grill). Either way, I suggest you make them because they’re easy, substantial, come with a really delectable dipping sauce.

Let’s talk about the sauce real quick. It’s a riff on huancaina sauce, a Peruvian yellow pepper sauce, also known as that delicious and mysterious condiment you get with yucca fries at Peruvian fast food places. The sauce is made with a pepper called aji amarillo, which is bright, fruity, and slightly sweet. This is an exciting pepper, even for people like me who don’t typically get excited about peppers, and it’s a great foundation for an aioli type sauce. If you like chipotle mayo or sriracha mayo, you will be tickled by the combination of a little heat and a lot of richness in this sauce. You can grab jarred aji amarillo paste online; I bought mine on Amazon on the cheap.

Even without the sauce, I set out to make these a little more substantial than your average veggies on a stick, which is why I included mushrooms and potatoes in the mix. The veggies also get tossed in olive oil and spices before their trip to the oven, which makes them crisp up very nicely. When all the carnivores are chowing on their burgers at the bbq, or whatever it is they’re eating these days, and you roll up with one of these, they’ll be so jealous. (Just kidding carnivores, you can play too!!)

Okay, I will leave you to it then.

Print Recipe

Veggie Skewers with Huancaina Sauce

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

Peruvian

Keyword

huancaina, pepper, pepper sauce, vegetable skewers, veggie skewers

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Servings

skewers

Ingredients

For the skewers:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 baby yellow potatoes or other small potatoes, about the size of an egg
• 1/2 small red onion
• 2 medium zucchini
• 6-8 large cremini mushrooms

For the huancaina:

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup 2% of full fat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp aji amarillo or 1.5 tbsp if you like it spicy
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated by you

Course Main Dish Cuisine Peruvian Keyword huancaina, pepper, pepper sauce, vegetable skewers, veggie skewers Prep Time 30 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes Servings skewers Ingredients For the skewers: 3 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp smoked paprika 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp salt 6 baby yellow potatoes or other small potatoes, about the size of an egg 1/2 small red onion 2 medium zucchini 6-8 large cremini mushrooms For the huancaina: 1 cup ricotta cheese 3/4 cup 2% of full fat Greek yogurt 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 tbsp aji amarillo or 1.5 tbsp if you like it spicy 1/2 tsp salt 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated by you

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic, and salt.
2. Now chop your veg; I’ve broken it down below so you’ll end up with about the same number of pieces of each vegetable and so that they will cook evenly.
3. Potatoes: Slice each potato in half in one direction and then the other, for a total of 4 pieces per potato. Add chopped potatoes to a large pot of salted boiling water, and parboil the potatoes for about 4 minutes, and remove from heat. While potatoes are cooling, chop other vegetables.
4. Zucchini: Slice zucchini in half hotdog-style, and then slice each zucchini half into about 6 1-inch slices.
5. Creminis: Cut creminis into three to four slices each, each about a third of an inch wide.
6. Red onion: Place the onion face down, and slice at 1-inch intervals in both directions, so that onion slices are about 1 inch by 1 inch.
7. Whisk marinade together, and then add zucchini, cremini mushrooms, potatoes, and onions. Toss lightly with a spatula or your hands; be careful so you don’t upset the mushrooms.
8. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees (I recommend waiting until this point to turn on the oven so you don’t turn your house into a hellhole for longer than necessary).
9. Skewer the vegetables, alternating them in a pretty pattern (or an ugly pattern, you’re the boss of these skewers). If you add just one slice of onion to the skewer at a time, I recommend alternating them between each other veggie to get some nice onion flavor involved.
10. Lightly grease two large baking sheets with olive oil; then distribute skewers so that none are touching one another.
11. Cook for 10 minutes, then rotate skewers to the opposite side, and cook for another 10 minutes.
12. While the veggies are cooking, assemble your Huancaina sauce. Throw all of the ingredients in a blender—a Nutribullet or other smoothie blender works especially well for achieving a silky texture. Blend for a minute or so until all ingredients come together.
13. That’s it! You’re done. Enjoy your handiwork.

Recipe Notes

If you are making these on the grill, place the assembled skewers on greased aluminum foil and cook on low heat near the edge of the grill. Flip when they're starting to brown.