Peruvian Causa Rellena 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.

PERUVIAN CAUSA

Steps:

• Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.
• Mash potatoes with a ricer or hand mixer until smooth. Gradually stir in oil until potatoes come together; add aji amarillo, salt, and pepper. Cool potato mixture in the refrigerator, about 20 minutes.
• Stir tuna, onion, and 1/4 cup mayonnaise together in a bowl.
• Line a casserole dish with plastic wrap. Spread 1/2 the potato mixture on the bottom of the dish. Spread 2 tablespoons mayonnaise over the potatoes, spread the tuna mixture over the mayonnaise, and place the avocado slices in a single layer on top of the tuna mixture. Spread the remaining 1/2 of potato mixture over the avocados, and top with remaining 2 tablespoons mayonnaise. Place sliced eggs over the top. Cover casserole dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Invert casserole dish onto a serving dish or baking sheet to remove potato casserole from dish. Remove plastic wrap and cut casserole into squares.

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.

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.