Kathlyn of Bake Like a Ninja was our Daring Cooks’ March 2011 hostess. Kathlyn challenges us to make two classic Peruvian dishes: Ceviche de Pescado from “Peruvian Cooking – Basic Recipes” by Annik Franco Barreau. And Papas Rellenas adapted from a home recipe by Kathlyn’s Spanish teacher, Mayra.
Side note: every single month I swear I’m going to do the challenge ahead of time so I have lots of time to write the post and play with the photos. Every single month I spend the 13th writing the post and editing the photos I took the day before. When will I learn? Thankfully these dishes were not too terribly complicated in addition to being really, really tasty.
Bay scallop ceviche
1.5 lbs bay scallops, rinsed well
1 C fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
0.5 medium-sized red onion, sliced very thinly (you can use more or less, as you prefer. I really think the lime-soaked onions are delicious.)
1 serrano chili, sliced (seeded if you like)
Cumin
Salt
Pepper
Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and allow to cure for 10 minutes to overnight. We did about an hour and a half.
And then we served it with tortilla chips while we made the papas rellenas.
Papas rellenas with spiced pork filling
For the dough:
2.2 lb (1 kg) potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large egg
For the filling:
½ lb ground pork
1 small onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
1 finely diced aji pepper (I used one serrano)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp each ground cumin and dried oregano
0.5 tsp sweet paprika
Oil for frying (enough for 2” in a heavy pan like a medium sized dutch oven)
In order to save time, you can boil the potatoes, and while they are cooling, you can make the filling. While that is cooling, you can make the potato “dough.” In this way, little time is spent waiting for anything to cool.
For the dough:
- Boil the potatoes until they pierce easily with a fork. Remove them from the water and cool.
- Once the potatoes have cooled, peel them and mash them with a potato masher or force them through a potato ricer (preferred).
- Add egg, salt and pepper and knead “dough” thoroughly to ensure that ingredients are well combined and uniformly distributed.
While the potatoes cool down before finishing the dough, you can make the filling:
- Brown pork in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat until about halfway cooked.
- Add onion, garlic, and sliced chili. Continue to cook until pork is cooked through. Add spices, as well as salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine.
Grab a handful of potatoes (the original recipe suggests 1/6th, we made quite a few more small ones) and flatten in your palm. Spoon a generous amount of filling into the center, and roll the potato around it to cover the filling.
Repeat until all the dough and filling are gone.
The actual recipe then suggests dipping in an egg wash and breadcrumbs, but I completely missed that part when I made these. They were still delicious but I bet they would have been better if I had done that step.
Heat oil in a pan to about 350 – 375F. Fry the papas until golden brown, about 2 – 3 minutes.
Drain on a paper towel and serve immediately.
So yummy! Thanks to Kathlyn for a great challenge!
Next month – I will write my post ahead of the deadline. Oh yes, I will.
Jeanne
curtglasford
