Causa Limeña Delicious Cold Appetizer From Peru Recipes

CAUSA LIMEñA - DELICIOUS COLD APPETIZER FROM PERU

Steps:

• Wash the potatoes with plenty of water and peel with a vegetable peeler. Cut them into four or six parts according to their size. You should get pieces of (at most) 5 cm.
• Place them in a large saucepan with 4 cups of water and a teaspoon of salt. Cook half covered for at least 15 minutes until potatoes are soft. The way to test them is to prick them with a fork. If your fork meets little resistance, they are soft enough to puree.
• Strain the potatoes, let them drain for a few minutes.
• The best Causa Limeña meat is chicken breast. A small chicken breast gives around 300 grams of shredded chicken. Roast or boil the chicken according to your taste. Remember to add a pinch of salt and a little pepper for cooking.
• Peel the onion and chop finely.
• Boil the egg in plenty of water, and remove the shell. Cut it into thin slices.
• While the potatoes are still warm, place them in a large bowl, and with a potato masher, mash them until there are no lumps left.
• Wash the chili peppers and place them on a cutting board. Remove the stem with a sharp knife, cut crosswise and remove all the veins and seeds. Cut the chili peppers into large pieces. Don't worry about size because they will liquefy later.
• Put the oil and peppers into the blender glass. Beat for about three minutes. The mixture will not be completely homogeneous.
• Pour the chili sauce over the mashed potatoes with a pinch of salt and mash again for a few minutes until the chili is fully blended into potatoes. Taste and if necessary, rectify with salt.
• In a mixing bowl place the shredded chicken. Make sure that all the chicken is finely chopped. Add mayonnaise, chopped onion, lime juice, and peas. Stir until all ingredients are well mixed.
• Remove the seed from the avocado, peel the skin away and cut the soft flesh into thin slices. Sprinkle a few drops of lime over the avocado slices to prevent it from turning brown.
• For the next step, the assembly of the causa rellena, use an empty can with the base and lid removed (using a can opener). If you wish, you can use a round mold or a square mold or even a glass container.
• Place the can on a flat plate and add two tablespoons of mashed potatoes. With a spoon or any other utensil that you consider convenient, press the mashed potatoes towards the bottom of the plate and flatten.
• Add a layer of avocado pieces.
• Then add three tablespoons of chicken with mayonnaise. Press down gently.
• Cover with a second layer of mashed potatoes and flatten once more. Very carefully remove the can by pulling it upwards. Repeat this procedure until you run out of ingredients. We make 6 Causas Limeñas with the ingredients listed above.
• On top of each Causa Limeña place an egg slice, a few black olives and some thin slices of yellow chili.
• Serve individually as a starter for dinner or a cold appetizer for lunch.

CAUSA WITH SHRIMP AND AVOCADO

Steps:

• Make the potatoes: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and prick the potatoes with a fork. Bake directly on the oven rack for 1 hour.
• Peel potatoes while still warm (hold with a fork, if necessary) and put the potatoes through a ricer 3 times.
• Put the mashed potatoes on a board and treat them like dough. Add the salt and knead it in. Add the amarillo paste and knead it in. Do the same with the lime juice and then the oil, incorporating them in slowly. Add the red chili and cilantro to give flecks of red and green. Knead some more and roll into a smooth cylinder, about 5 inches long and about 3 inches or less in diameter, depending on your mold. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. This can be done several hours or even a day ahead of time.
• Make the shrimp salad: Pat the shrimp dry. Cut each shrimp in half, crosswise, and put in a bowl. Add the garlic, salt, cumin and cayenne. Mix well.
• Put oil in a medium frying pan and set on medium-high heat. When hot, add the shrimp. Stir and fry until they just turn opaque, about 3 minutes. Remove them to a clean bowl. Add the celery, lime juice, mayonnaise and cilantro. Mix well, taste for balance of flavors, and set aside.
• Make the avocado salad: Peel the avocado, remove the pit and cut it into 1/2-inch dice. Put in a bowl. Add the lime juice and mix well. Add the salt, pepper and mayonnaise. Mix well and set aside.
• Assemble the dish: Grease 4 ring molds or clean soup cans with butter. Cut the cylinder of refrigerated mashed potatoes, crosswise, into 4 parts (about 1 1/4-inch thick each) and make them about the same diameter as your mold. Make sure the edges are clean with no cracks. Drop a patty down each mold and tamp it down gently with the bottom of a glass.
• Divide the avocado salad into 4 parts and drop a part down on the top of the mashed potato in each mold, spreading it out evenly. Press down lightly with the glass again. Divide the shrimp salad into 4 parts and drop one part each neatly over the avocados, again, spreading it out evenly. Press down lightly. Lift off the mold or can, garnish with the cilantro sprigs and serve.

PERUVIAN CAUSA RELLENA

Steps:

• Press potatoes through potato ricer, or mash until smooth. In large bowl, mix potatoes, lime juice, salt, pepper and chiles. In medium bowl, mix chicken, peas, carrots, onion and mayonnaise.
• Place half of potato mixture on large serving platter; form into rectangle shape about 11x7 inches. Spoon chicken mixture over potato mixture on platter; sprinkle with additional salt and pepper as desired. Top with remaining potato mixture, shaping into rectangle shape.
• Refrigerate 1 hour before serving. Garnish top of potato mixture with parsley, olives and chopped eggs. Arrange lettuce leaves around potato mixture. Cut into squares.

PERUVIAN POTATO-CHICKEN SALAD (CAUSA RELLENA)

Steps:

• Combine chicken, green peas, carrot, shallot, roasted red peppers, cilantro, and lime juice in a bowl. Season with salt and cayenne. Add mayonnaise and mix until combined. Cover chicken salad with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Place potatoes into a pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until very tender but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Drain well and transfer potatoes to a mixing bowl. Mash until smooth.
• Add jai amarillo, olive oil, and lime juice to the potatoes. Season with cayenne and salt. Mash together with the potato masher. Switch to a spatula and mix until completely smooth.
• Line four 6-ounce ramekins with plastic wrap. Scoop mashed potatoes evenly into ramekins; press and smooth out the tops. Cover each with a layer of avocado slices. Fill ramekin to the top with chicken salad, pressing it down and pulling up the plastic wrap to eliminate any air pockets. Cover with a final layer of mashed potatoes, going up to 1/2 inch or more over the rim.
• Seal top with a new layer of plastic wrap and fold the sides over to seal. Refrigerate salads until completely chilled, at least 1 hour.
• Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, and aji amarillo together for the sauce, adding a splash of water to adjust the thickness.
• Remove the top layer of plastic wrap from each salad. Invert each ramekin onto a serving plate; remove ramekins, then plastic wrap. Spoon some sauce around each salad.

CAUSA RELLENA(PERUVIAN LAYERED POTATO DISH)

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a large pot of cold, salted water. Bring to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are tender and cooked through. Drain and set aside to cool.
• When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them. Put the potatoes through a ricer or mash with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in the oil, pepper paste if using, lime or lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
• Line a casserole dish or baking pan with plastic wrap, pressing it down to fit the dish. Spread half the potatoes into the bottom of the dish and smooth out. Spread the desired filling evenly over the potatoes. Spread the remaining potatoes evenly over the filling. Press down gently to firm up your causa. Cover and chill thoroughly.
• Lay a serving platter upside-down over the top of the causa dish. Using both hands, flip the dish and platter over, letting the causa fall onto the platter. Remove and discard the plastic wrap.
• Garnish the causa decoratively with the hard-boiled eggs and olives and, if you like, a sauce. Cut into portions and serve.
• Causa Rellena Variations.
• •Potatoes: Peru has hundreds of varieties of potatoes. Bright yellow types are usually used for causa rellena, their color boosted by the ají peppers. Yukon gold are a good substitute in the United States. If you can find blue potatoes, give those a try too. Instead of lime or lemon juice, some cooks use bitter orange juice.
• •Fillings: Chicken or seafood salads bound together with mayonnaise are very common causa fillings. For seafood, try tuna salad, crab salad, shrimp salad, poached or fried fish or seafood, smoked trout or seafood ceviche.
• Vegetarian fillings include sliced avocados, sliced or grated cheese, sliced or chopped tomatoes, corn kernels, thinly sliced red onions.
• •Garnishes: Hard-boiled eggs and pitted black olives are the classic Peruvian garnish. You can also use shredded or whole lettuce leaves or any of the filling ingredients to garnish.
• •Sauces: Sauces are often drizzled over a finished causa. Try mixing mayonnaise a little lemon juice, ketchup or avocado puree and drizzle it decoratively over and around the causa with a squeeze bottle. Or make Salsa Huancaina: 12 ounces feta or ricotta cheese; 5 fresh, chopped ají amarillo peppers; 1/2 cup milk; 2 cloves garlic; 1/2 cup oil; salt and pepper. Put the cheese, peppers, milk and garlic into a blender and puree. With the blender still running, drizzle in the oil until the sauce has a creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
• •A popular alternative way to form the causa is rolled up like a jellyroll, or pionono. Spread the potatoes into a smooth rectangle over a layer of plastic wrap. Spread the filling over the potatoes. Lift the plastic wrap from one end of the potatoes and roll the potatoes up over the filling. Place seam-side down on a serving platter, garnish and serve in slices. Causa rellena can also be formed in a springform pan or as individual portions.
• •Causa Limeña: A causa from Lima served with a fish filling or with fried fish on the side.