Daring Cooks March 2011: Papas Rellenas

One day this past summer, my older sister called me to rave about this fantastic new dish she had tried.

My mother had thrown a housewarming party for her new house and the guests brought some dishes to the party.

One of the dishes was ceviche.

My older sister told me how delicious this dish was. It was light and fresh. Citrusy from the lime juice with the perfect amount of heat from the jalapeno. It was soft and delicious served atop a crunchy tortilla chip.

The whole family loved it and made it several times over the course of the summer...calling me each time to tell me that I needed to make this as soon as possible.

I drug my feet. I asked them to send me the recipe. I never got around to making it.

Then comes this month's Daring Cooks challenge:

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.

Sounds great right??? The perfect opportunity to make the dish that had been on my "to make" list for at least 6 months.

Unfortunately, my dreams of ceviche came to a screeching halt when I remembered that whole 'being pregnant' thing.

I posted on the Daring Cooks site asking if it would be safe for me to eat. After all...it's "cooked" right??

I held my breath when I read the researched response to my query. The answer I received was that it is safe as long as you have a reputable fish source. Great right??

Wrong! I live in the Middle of Nowhere Midwest. Where am I supposed to find a reputable fish monger?

Yeah...I'm not.

Fortunately, Kathlyn thought ahead and offered up an alternative Peruvian recipe for the vegetarian and vegans in the Daring Kitchen. This recipe allowed me to actually participate this month. Woohoo!

That being said, The Hubble would never allow a meatless meal in our home (while he's around anyway) so I put my own spin on the recipe provided to us.

I did a "Southwest" themed papa. And let me tell you...these were awesome! They were relatively easy to make (just a bit time consuming) and super delicious. I can totally see how these would make a wonderful handheld street food to Peruvians.

I love texture, so the crunch of the outer shell followed by the tenderness of the potato and meat filling was out of this world.

As we sat around the table eating these handheld delights, we talked about the different fillings we could stuff these with. Needless to say, we WILL be making these again.

Thanks for the fantastic challenge Kathlyn! These will be a staple in our house from now on!!

And now you can make this treat in your own home. Let's get cooking:

You will need: potatoes, ground turkey, minced garlic, onion, jalapeno, green bell pepper, Southwestern corn, chili powder, paprika, ground cumin, cornstarch, bread crumbs, eggs, all purpose flour, salt, pepper and seasoned salt.

Boil the potatoes, whole and unpeeled, until tender when poked with a fork. Drain and allow to cool.

While the potatoes are cooling, we can start on our filling. Heat some oil in a large skillet. Toss in the onions and caramelize them for about 5 minutes.

Toss in the jalapeno, bell pepper and garlic. Cook until the bell pepper and jalapenos are tender, about 3 minutes more.

Now toss in the ground turkey. Cook that bad boy up until it's not longer pink and it is totally cooked through.

Now add the corn, paprika, chili powder and ground cumin. Mix it all in until well combined.

Stir in the cheese until it is melted. Take the mixture off the heat and set it aside to cool.

Now let's head back to our potatoes. They should be cool by now so peel them and toss them back into the pot you cooked them in. Mash them up then add the cornstarch, salt and pepper. Knead and mix it all until the seasonings are thoroughly mixed through. Don't be afraid to taste it to make sure the potatoes are seasoned to your liking.

Now that we have our filling and 'dough' made we are ready to start preparing. Throw some oil in a pot to heat to about 350-375 degrees F.

You need three shallow bowls. One with flour, seasoned salt and chili powder. One with the eggs mixed with water. And the third with the bread crumbs mixed with salt (I know it seems like a lot of salt but you want these things seasoned well or they will be bland).

Take about 1/12th of the potato mixture and flatten it into your hand. Make an indention in the center.

Spoon a generous portion of the filling into the indention.

Close up the potato around the filling.

And roll them into potato shaped forms.

Now take them and roll them in the flour...

Then the egg...

Then the breadcrumbs.

And fry them up until they are golden brown. This took me about 2-3 minutes on each side.

When they are all fried up, drain them on paper towels and keep warm while frying the rest.

Serve and enjoy!!! We enjoyed our with salsa and sour cream.

Papas Rellenas de Carne
Adapted from The Daring Kitchen

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Ingredients:

For the dough

• 5 pound bag russet potatoes
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the filling

• 2 Tablespoons oil (I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium green bell pepper
• 1-2 jalapenos (depending on preferred heat)
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 (14 ounce) can Southwestern corn
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese

For the final preparation

• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• salt (to taste)
• chili powder (to taste)
• seasoned salt (to taste)
• oil for frying (2 inches worth)

Directions:

For the dough

1. Boil unpeeled potatoes whole until tender when poked with a fork. Drain and let cool.
2. When potatoes are cooled, peel and mash them (or force them through a potato ricer).
3. Add cornstarch, salt and pepper. 'Knead' dough until all ingredients are mixed through and evenly distributed.

For the filling (best prepared while potatoes are cooling)

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Caramelize diced onion for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add garlic, diced jalapeno and diced bell pepper. Cook until jalapeno and bell pepper are tender, about 3 minutes.
3. Add ground turkey. Cook until thoroughly cooked through.
4. Add corn, ground cumin, paprika and chili powder. Mix until well combined.
5. Mix in cheese until melted.
6. Set aside to cool.

Final preparation

1. Use three small bowls (or shallow containers) to prepare the papas. In one, combine flour, seasoned salt and chili powder. In the second, combine egg and water. In the third, combine bread crumbs and salt.
2. Heat oil to about 350-375 degrees F.
3. Flour your hands and scoop up 1/12th of the potato mixture. Flatten the mixture in your hand like a pancake and make an indentation in the middle for the filling.
4. Spoon a generous amount of filling into the center and roll the potato closed, forming a smooth, potato shaped casing around the filling. Continue with the rest of the potato and filling (you should have 12 papas).
5.  Dip each papa in the three bowls to coat: first the flour, then the egg and finally the bread crumbs.
6. Fry the papas (in batches) until golden, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
7. Drain on paper towels and keep warm while frying the remaining papas.
8. Serve with salsa and sour cream. Enjoy!!

Loaded Potato Soup

Okay people! It's cold!!

Not just cold...no...it's freaking COLD!

I thought I escaped the cold and the crazy blizzards when I moved away from Upstate New York.

Apparently I was wrong.

I don't think the Midwest should be this cold.

I mean...today's high is -2.

Did you get that??? NEGATIVE TWO!

LOL! What can you do??

Actually, the blizzard wasn't that bad for what I'm used to.

It's just that this place doesn't know how to handle this type of weather like Upstate New York did.

When we first arrived in New York it was mid February. We were driving through town and I grabbed The Hubble's arm and said "what's that?!?!!" as this huge monstrosity of a vehicle passed by. He looked at it, then turned to me and told me it was a plow.

A plow???? That's not like any plow I'd ever seen!!! That thing was huge!

Regular civilian pick up trucks had plow attachments for the winter months. People owned snowblowers before they owned lawn mowers. It was a different world up there.

Here, when there is a light dusting of snow, they shut down post. Insanity!

It's kind of cute though.

Until we get 6 inches of snow in a day and we are "snowed in" for 2 days. Then it gets annoying.

I enjoy staying at home and having lazy days. But when I'm forced to stay home and I can't go anywhere...then it becomes a problem.

But now, the sun is shining, the cute little plow came through my neighborhood and post is open once again. The Hubble went to work out. And I have the ability to leave if I so choose.

But now, I don't want to go! It's cold!!!

So, what better to warm up a soul than a hot, steaming bowl of soup.

And why not take it one step further and make it a thick, hearty potato soup.

And not only that! But it's healthy!

Crazy!

But no less real than the weather we've had here in the last few days.

Are you ready to warm up and fill your belly at the same time??

Let's get going!

Grab your ingredients: red potatoes, low-sodium chicken broth, low fat sour cream, prechopped onion, olive oil, bacon, flour, low fat shredded cheddar cheese, salt, pepper and chives.

Scrub and clean the potatoes. Pierce them with a fork. Then toss them in the microwave on high for 13 minutes of until they are tender. When fully cooked, remove from microwave and cut in half to cool.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute for 3 minutes.

Add in the chicken broth.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and 1/2 a cup of milk.

Add the flour/milk mixture, along with another 1 1/2 cups of milk, to the skillet. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, let cook 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Coarsely mash the potatoes into the milk/broth mixture. (I tried to remove the skin but decided against it. We like the skins in. If you don't, go and and discard the skins).

Separate the soup into bowls. Top with cheese, bacon and chives.

Serve and enjoy!!

Loaded Potato Soup
Adapted from Cooking Light

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Ingredients:

• 4 (6 ounce) red potatoes
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion (prechopped if desired)
• 1 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 cups fat free milk
• 1/4 cup low fat sour cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 bacon slices, halved
• 1/3 cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 teaspoons chives

Directions:

1. Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave on high 13 minutes, or until tender. Cut in half; cool slightly.
2. While potatoes cook, heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute 3 minutes.
3. Mix in chicken broth.
4. Whisk together four and half cup milk in separate bowl. Add to pan with an addition 1 1/2 cups milk. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Cook 1 minute.
5. Remove from and stir in sour cream, salt and pepper.
6. Arrange bacon on paper towel on a microwave safe plate. Cover with a paper towel; microwave on high for 4 minutes. Let cool then crumble.
7. Coarsely mash potatoes into soup. 
8. Separate into bowls, top with cheese, chives and bacon.
9. Serve and enjoy!

New England Pot Roast

The school The Hubble is in has several foreign students in it. Within his group is a student from Poland. With us being so interested in different cultures and enjoying diversity amongst the people we associate with, The Hubble was more than willing to volunteer to be the Polish student's sponsor for the duration of the program.

Of course to me, that meant that I got to introduce the Polish student to American cuisine! Woohoo!! My dilemma was: what to make???

Naturally, I went with pot roast! What says "American cuisine" like pot roast?? But not just any pot roast, no. I was going to make him New England pot roast! And for dessert?? Congo Bars! The Hubble says the Polish student loved dinner. Now I just have to get him to give me some Polish recipes!

On to the recipe!

Ingredients: beef roast, potatoes, onions, carrots, horseradish sauce, salt, pepper, and water.

Generously salt...

And pepper both sides of the pot roast.

Place in a large Dutch oven and brown all sides.

I know this wasn't listed in the ingredients but once the top is brown I like to sprinkle it with Montreal Steak seasoning. Yum!

See how pretty...and yummy?!?!

After all the sides are browned and you've properly seasoned your roast, dump your horseradish sauce on that bad boy.

And just smear it all over the meat.

Now pour in some water. And pay no attention to the fact that I have two roasts in there. I couldn't find one big enough at our grocery store so I got two small ones. But you don't see that second one!

Bring the water to a boil while still ignoring my second roast. Unless you had the same small roast dilemma. Then you can look at my second one because you have a second one as well.

At this point we cover the roast, lower the heat, and let everything simmer for 2 and a half hours. You can now go take a bath, do the dishes, color your hair, read a book...heck, you can even watch a movie during this time!

When the house starts to smell so delicious you can hardly stand it anymore (about half an hour before the 2 and a half hours is up) you want to go start prepping your veggies. Wash your potatoes...

Cut them in half...

And place them in a large bowl.

Peel your carrots...

Chop off the tops...

And the bottoms...

Cut them into four pieces.

Toss them into the bowl with the potatoes.

Take your onion and chop off the top...

And the bottom...

And peel.

Cut it in half one way...

Then rotate it 45 degrees and cut in half the other way...

Yay! We just quartered an onion! Now do this several more times until all your onions are quartered.

Toss those in with the carrots and potatoes.

When the 2 and a half hours are up (oh man that looks good!)...

Dump your veggies in the pot with the meat.

Try to get all the potatoes as covered as possible. Then cover and cook another hour or so until the potatoes are cooked through.

When the potatoes are done remove everything to a platter. If you don't work very fast, cover it with foil to keep it warm.

Now at this point people started arriving so I don't have pictures of this part. But, you want to take about half a cup of the juice out of the pot and put it in a bowl. Whisk in a quarter cup of flour (like with did with the chicken with 20 cloves of garlic). When the flour dissolves, whisk that mixture back into the pot. Bring to a boil for a minute or two to thicken. Now you have a nice gravy to go over your post roast. Serve it up and enjoy!!

New England Pot Roast
Adapted from Betty Crocker BigRed Cookbook

Ingredients: 

• 4 pound beef pot roast
• salt
• pepper
• 1 jar (12-16 oz) horseradish sauce
• 1 cup water
• 8-10 small red potatoes, cut in half
• 8-10 medium carrots, cut in fourths
• 6-8 small onions, quartered
• 1/4 cup flour (for gravy)
• Montreal Steak Seasoning (optional)

 Directions:

1. Generously salt and pepper both sides of meat.
2. Place in large Dutch oven and brown all sides.
3. Sprinkle with Montreal Steak seasoning (if desired).
4. Spread horseradish all over meat.
5. Add water, heat to boiling.
6. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
7. Add potatoes, carrots and onions, cover and simmer another hour to an hour and 15 minutes, until potatoes are cooked through.
8. Transfer meat and veggies to platter, cover with foil to keep warm.
9. Remove 1/2 a cup of broth from pot. Whisk in flour. Whisk mixture back into pot. Allow to boil for 1 to 2 minutes until thick. Serve over roast and veggies. Enjoy!