¡Me Encanta Perú! - Ceviche and Papas Rellenas - The Daring Cooks March 2011Challenge

(Note to my bulgarian readers - the BG version of the text will be posted soon!
Бележка към българските ми читатели - БГ версията на текста ще бъде качена възможно най-скоро)

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.

As an enthusiastic noob, I made both. I post the recipes as they were given by the host, just skipping the ingredients that I have omitted and adding those that I've added. Hope you like it!

Cheviche de Pescado (Fish Ceviche):

0.5kg firm white fish (scallops or other seafood may be substituted - I used tiger shrimps)
2 garlic cloves, mashed
1 chili pepper, minced - recommended Aji if you can find it, but Jalapeno or other peppers can sub
120ml freshly squeezed lime juice
Fresh juice only, no bottled. Can use lemons or limes.
1 tablespoon fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped (I skipped this)
1 red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Garnish:

small canned corns, cut
Lettuce leaves



Wash and trim your fish. Slice into pieces between ½ inch (15 mm) cubes to 2 inch (50mm) pieces, depending on taste.
Place fish in a non-reactive, shallow pan in a thin layer. Season with salt and pepper.
Combine lime juice, chili pepper, coriander and garlic. Pour mixture over fish. Stir lightly to expose all the fish to some of the lime juice mixture.
Put sliced onion on top of fish as it “cooks”
Let fish stand for 10 minutes, or for some hours, if you want it more cooked. Lift fish out of the lime juice and plate individual portions, garnishing with lettuce, slices of sweet potato if using and slices or kernels of corn.




Papas Rellenas

For the dough:
1 kg potatoes
1 large egg

For the filling:(I made the filling Mediterranean style)
2 tablespoon of a light flavored oil
250 grams minced beef
6 black olives, pitted and chopped (use more if you love olives)
1 small onion, finely diced
1 carrot, shredded
1 stalk celery, finely cut
1 finely diced aji pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced or passed through a press (if you love garlic, add more)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (use more if you like cumin)
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
¼ c. white wine, water or beef stock for deglazing
Salt and pepper to taste

For the final preparation:
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup flour
Dash cayenne pepper
Dash salt
1 cup dry bread crumbs
Oil for frying (enough for 2” (50 mm) in a heavy pan like a medium sized dutch oven)



Directions:
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:

Gently brown onion, carrot, celery and garlic in oil (about 5 minutes). Add the chili pepper and sauté for a couple more minutes. Add ground beef and brown. Add cumin and paprika and cook briefly (a few seconds). Deglaze the pan with white wine. Add olives and cook for a few moments longer. Allow filling to cool before forming “papas.”



Forming and frying the papas:
Use three small bowls to prepare the papas. In one, combine flour, cayenne and salt. In the second, a beaten egg with a tiny bit of water. Put bread crumbs in the third.
Flour your hands and scoop up 1/6 of the total dough to make a round pancake with your hands. Make a slight indentation in the middle for the filling. Spoon a generous amount of filling into the center and then roll the potato closed, forming a smooth, potato-shaped casing around the filling. Repeat with all dough (you should have about 6 papas). Heat 4 – 5 cm of oil in a pan to about 175 - 190°C.
Dip each papa in the three bowls to coat: first roll in flour, then dip in egg, then roll in bread crumbs. Fry the papas about 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Flip once in the middle of frying to brown both sides. Drain on paper towel and store in a 95ºC oven if frying in batches. Serve with salsa criolla (or other sauce of preference) immediately.