Tag Archives: potatoes

Fish and Seafood

Chupe de Camarones

Chilean shrimp stew

1-1/2 lbs jumbo shrimp in shells
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 lb. whitefish heads and trimmings
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large tomato, chopped
1 tsp. chopped chiles
1/2 tsp oregano
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 quarts water
2 large potatoes, cubed
2 potatoes, halved lengthwise
1 lb. green peas
1/2 cup long grain rice
2 ears of corn, cut in thirds
3 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Clean the shrimp, saving shells. In a casserole, heat the oil. Add onion, shrimp shells, fish trimmings, and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 6 minutes.

Stir in tomato, chile, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook 3 minutes. Add water and diced potatoes. Cover and simmer 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Pour into a sieve over a bowl and force through with a spoon. Discard the pulp. Return puree to casserole, bring to a boil and add potato halves and rice. Simmer for 25 minutes.

Add peas and corn. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Drop in shrimp and cook 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat eggs. Pour eggs slowly into the stew. Add milk and simmer to heat through. Season and sprinkle with parsley.

Vegetables and Salads

Scalloped Potatoes

Potatoes, layered with onions and milk, baked tender and crusty…

  • 4 cups potatoes, peeled and sliced
  • 2 cups onion, chopped or sliced
  • Salt, pepper, thyme, and paprika
  • Flour
  • Butter
  • 1-1/2 cups milk
  • 2 cups buttered bread crumbs

Grease a 2 quart casserole and place in a layer of sliced potatoes. Top with a layer of chopped onion. Season layer and sprinkle with a little flour and dot with a little butter. Repeat layers, ending with a layer of potatoes. Scald the milk and pour into casserole. Top with buttered bread crumbs. Bake, covered, for 50 minutes at 350F, then uncover and continue baking for another 20 minutes until golden.

Breads and Pancakes

Potato Pancakes

Potato pancakes, a staple in many European cuisines, are so simple yet so comforting.

Some synonyms and variants: Latkes (Jewish), Boxties (Irish), Raggmunka (Swedish), Bramborak (Czech).

  • 1 large potato, grated
  • 1 egg
  • 1 garlic clove, mashed
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 T flour
  • 2 t oil

Combine all ingredients. Fry the potato pancakes in oil till golden. Serve with sour cream.

Soups and Stews

Russian Borscht

  • Soup bones
  • 1/4 lb. cubed beef
  • 1 onion, whole, stuck with cloves
  • salt
  • 1 large beet
  • 2-3 large cabbage leaves, coarsely grated
  • 3-4 small potatoes, cubed
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 T sugar
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup milk, lukewarm
  • Sour cream

Make a stock with the soup bones, beef, clove-studded onion and salt, enough to render 1 quart. When meat is tender, add beet and cook until tender. Remove the beet and grate coarsely or cut into cubes.

Return to pot and bring to boil. Add cabbage leaves and potatoes. When they are almost tender, add lemon juice, sugar and seasonings.

Beat the egg, add lukewarm milk and a little hot soup, beating with a fork. Slowly blend in more of the hot soup as you beat, until all is added. Serve with sour cream.

Vegetables and Salads

Potato Saute

A María Teresa recipe

  • 4 potatoes, cooked, peeled and quartered
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 green peppers, thinly sliced
  • Oil
  • Salt and pepper

Heat oil and sauté onions and green peppers slowly until very limp. They need constant stirring so they do not burn. Season. Add the quartered potatoes and continue frying until potatoes get crisp brown on the outside. Season.

Soups and Stews

Leek and Potato Soup

  • 3 leeks, sliced (white part only)
  • 3 stalks celery, sliced
  • 3 T butter
  • 1 cup water
  • 2-1/2 cups diced potatoes
  • 3 cups milk
  • Salt, pepper, paprika

Cook leeks and celery in butter for 3 minutes. Add water. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add potatoes and extra water to cover, if necessary. Cook 10 minutes. Add milk and simmer until tender. Season.

This soup can be served chunky or can be run through a blender or food processor for a thick, creamier soup.

Soups and Stews

Slovensky Gulas

Slovakian Goulash (Beef stew)

  • 1 lb. stewing beef
  • 2 T vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup onion, chopped
  • 1-1/4 lb potatoes
  • 1 tsp caraway seeds
  • salt to taste
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1-1/2 cups water, or more
  • 3/4 tsp seasoned salt

Cube the meat. Brown the meat in oil, add chopped onion, pressed garlic, salt, caraway seeds, paprika and salt. Add water and slowly simmer until the meat begins to get tender. Cube the potatoes and add them, continuing to simmer until both the potatoes and meat are tender.

Appetizers

Potato Mushroom Croquettes

Croquettes are popular appetizers, bite-sized and easy to handle in party situations. They’re usually made with mashed potatoes or some other starchy base combined with other ingredients such as fish, mushrooms, herbs, meat, etc., that impart flavor. Egg or a white sauce is often added as a binder. Croquettes are breaded or rolled in breadcrumbs or cracker meal and then deep fried until golden.

In Spain, croquetas are found on all tapas menus, many times flavored with Spanish Serrano ham (jamón Serrano, cod, mackerel, or shrimp.

Potato Mushroom croquettes

Ingredients for Potato-Mushroom Croquettes

  • 1-1/2 lb. potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 5 cups water
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 t oil
  • 1 T water
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup Matzo or cracker meal

Boil potatoes in water until tender. Drain and mash.

In a separate pan, saute onions and mushrooms in oil and water over medium heat for three minutes.

In a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes, sauteed onions and mushrooms, seasonings and matzo meal.

Form into 10 croquettes.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and fry croquettes for 8 minutes on each side.


Vegetables and Salads

Dilled Mashed Potatoes

Dill is an herb of the celery family and is best known as a flavoring for pickles and many typical Central and Eastern European dishes.

A bit of fresh chopped dill weed in mashed potatoes gives a savory boost to this old favorite.

Ingredients for Dilled Mashed Potatoes

  • 8 large potatoes
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 T butter
  • 2 tsp fresh chopped dill
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper

Boil potatoes and mash with rest of ingredients. For thinner mashed potatoes, add more milk.