Monday, March 14, 2011

Daring Cooks: Papas Rellenas



¡Me Encanta Perú! - that was the name of this past months challenge Daring Cooks challenge - and it means I love Peru. The challenge actually included four separate recipes - we had to make at least one of the main recipes and the rest were optional. We could make Papas Rellenas and/or Ceviche.

The timing of this challenge was perfect. I have been taking a Spanish class for the last few months - don't ask me to say anything in Spanish - my old brain is not picking it up very quickly. Anyway, the class was having a food night this past week where everyone brought a Latin American dish. I asked my Puerto Rican teacher if they have Papas Rellenas in Puerto Rico and she was very excited at the idea of me making them for class.

I pretty much stuck to the recipe in the challenge except I added butter and a little bit of flour to the potatoes - and I left the raisins out of the filling. The recipe was pretty straight-forward. It does take a while to complete because the different components all need time to cool - but everything could be made ahead of time and assembled when it comes time to cook it.

For my class I made a small version of the Rellenas. The small version only took a teaspoon or two of filling. I also made the Salsa Criolla in the challenge. They were a big hit at our dinner. Everyone was asking about them. The real test was my teacher. It passed with flying colors - my teacher went back for seconds, took one home for her husband, and asked for the recipe. She said she had not been able to get a crispy crust like this recipe. One interesting thing she told me was that in Puerto Rico it is common to have some of them made of beef - and some with corned beef. I would really like to try a corned beef version.

I did make a large version a few days later with the left over filling. I was able to put a lot more filling in these. The main thing I noticed with these was - the Salsa Criolla was much better after sitting a few days. The flavors really had time to meld - and they even turned a little pink and looked nicer on the plate.

This was a great first challenge for the Daring Cooks. I look forward to many more. Thanks to Kathlyn of Bake Like A Ninja. Love the name of the blog and her slogan. I need a cool slogan like that - any ideas? The recipes are all included in the pdf challenge here.


5 comments:

Renata said...

So cool to make Papas for a dinner with your Spanish class. I was going to comment on your very pink onions, but read the explanation :o)

Anonymous said...

I love that you were able to make this for your class. I totally agree about the salsa criolla. I made mine two days ahead of time and it turned out beautiful! Great job!!!

shelley c. said...

That is so great that you made this for your class - how fun!! You did a really great job.

Audax said...

Welcome and hello to the Daring Cooks and congratulations on your first very very successful challenge I hope you have many happy experiences with us.

You really are DARING to make it for your Spanish class and so glad to hear that they went down so well and that the teacher wanted seconds and one for home and the recipe that is high praise. Yes the red onion salsa is best a couple of days to get the max flavour and texture. Super work on this challenge.

Cheers from Audax in Sydney Australia.

suzyhomemaker said...

Wow, those look fantastic. You did a great job for your first challenge!