|
| |
Seasoned Mashed Potatoes With Fish And Vegetables
(Causa A La Chiclayana)
|
|
|
|
Before using hot chilies, please read "How to Handle Hot Chilies" article.
|
| What You Need: |
|
|
3 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
THE SAUCE
¼ cup finely chopped onions
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of Cayenne pepper
1 cup olive oil
THE TOPPING
3 large onions, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
½ cup olive oil
½ cup distilled white vinegar
3 fresh hot red or green chilies, about 3½ inches long, seeded, deribbed and cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch strips
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
THE VEGETABLE GARNISH
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced crosswise into ¼-inch rounds
1 pound fresh yuca, peeled and sliced crosswise into ¼-inch rounds
2 ears of fresh corn, shucked and cut into 1½-inch rounds
THE FISH
2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds sea bass fillets, cut crosswise into 2-inch serving pieces, or substitute any firm white fish
Salt
½ cup flour
8 to 12 large lettuce leaves, washed and dried
16 pitted ripe black olives
½ pound "queso blanco", sliced ¼ inch thick and cut into triangles 2 inches long and 1 inch wide, or substitute fresh "mozzarella" or Munster cheese
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| How To Cook: |
|
|
|
THE SAUCE:
|
1. Preheat the oven to 250°F. Drop the quartered baking potatoes into a large pot with enough lightly salted boiling water to cover them, and boil briskly until they are tender but not falling apart.
|
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining the chopped onions, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper and Cayenne pepper, and beat them together with a whisk or fork. Then beat in 1 cup of the oil.
|
3. Drain the potatoes and mash them to a smooth puree either with a fork, a potato ricer or an electric mixer. Beat in the sauce a tablespoon or so at a time and taste for seasoning.
|
4. Transfer the potatoes to a large heatproof serving platter, mound them in the center, and cover the platter loosely with foil. Keep the potatoes warm in the oven while you prepare the other ingredients.
|
|
THE TOPPING:
|
1. In a small saucepan, combine the sliced onions and chili strips and add sufficient salted water to cover them completely.
|
2. Bring to a boil over high heat, then drain off all the water, and in its place pour in the ½ cup of olive oil, the vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
|
3. Bring this to a boil, then cover the pan and simmer the mixture over moderate heat for about 5 minutes.
|
4. Turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep it warm.
|
|
THE VEGETABLE GARNISH:
|
1. Fill two 3- to 4-quart saucepans with about 2 quarts of water each. Bring them to a boil over high heat and drop into each the sweet potatoes and yuca.
|
2. Boil briskly, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Drain them and place them on a heatproof plate, cover with foil and keep them warm in the oven.
|
3. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil over high heat in a heavy 3-quart saucepan. Drop in the corn and boil briskly, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the tenderness of the corn.
|
|
THE FISH:
|
1. While the corn cooks, fry the fish fillets. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over moderate heat in a 10- to 12-inch skillet until a light haze forms above it.
|
2. Lightly salt the fillets and dip them in the flour. Shake off any excess flour and fry the fillets for about 2 or 3 minutes on each side, or until they are crisp and golden brown, adding more oil to the pan if necessary.
|
|
TO ASSEMBLE:
|
1. Remove the platter of sauced, mashed potatoes and the plate of sweet potatoes and yucas from the oven. Reheat the topping if it has cooled. Drain the corn.
|
2. Arrange the lettuce leaves in an overlapping ring around the mashed potatoes. Remove the fish from the skillet with a slotted spoon and place the fish, the sweet potatoes, yucas and corn rounds decoratively on the lettuce.
|
3. Pour the topping sauce over the mound of mashed potatoes and decorate it with the black olives and cheese wedges. Serve at once.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
