This recipe I did during my first week at San Sebastián, to remember old times. In Spain one eats pickled mussels a lot, usually in a bar or at home and as a tapa; we serve the mussel over a potato chip with its juice and that’s it! Delicious!

A technique that I want to tell you about in this occasion is how to treat the mussel. Due to the fact that when we cook the “escabeche” we will be giving heat to the mussel, what we do in the previous step is only blanching the mussel. We open them with the help of a paring knife almost as if they were oysters. This allows us to get very big mussels and very tasty mussels as well.

So, in this recipe we work how to cook in acids, managing seafood and also a delicious recipe to enjoy with friends! Very complete!!

Preparation and handling of the mussels.

• First, filaments need to be removed, this is accomplished by cleaning with a pairing knife under running water. They should not be kept under water because they will open.
• Our aim is just to kill the mussels, not cook them, this is because we will cook them afterwards once we start with the escabeche. In order to this, we place them in boiling salt water (30% salt – their same medium of life, this way they don’t loose any taste) for 6-8 seconds. And then directly to an inverted ice bath (they should not touch the water so we can keep the juice).
• Go through the inside of the shell with a very sharp and thin knife, and cut the muscle once you reach it. You will see the mussel is almost the same size of the shell, much much bigger than when one does steaming preparations.
• Usually when we cook them for longer, the shell opens on its own because the mussel stops contracting.
• KEEP THE WATER –> we use it for the same escabeche or for other creative preparations we can think of. Even a leche de tigre for a cebiche. It is very tasty!!
• If you want to keep them for a day or two, keep them on their same water with some oil on top so they don’t oxidize and always at a very low temperature to keep the cold chain going.

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Important: the potatoes are cooked slowly in oil at low temperature. They are neither fried or cooked first in water, or anything like that. Patience always adds flavour!!

Clovis, that also makes a real good one by the way, ate this one with me in Berlin for lunch and a series

The post Spanish tortilla de patatas first appeared on Monitouille.

Always when I go out for tapas, we order patatas bravas. Sometimes they are really dissapointing, but sometimes they turn out to be spectacular. That’s when you know your coming back to the bar. Believe me, if you make them right your a winner!! So here is my version of a winning recipe!!

Delicious!

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So, of course I bought 4 of them and decided to prepare this delicious pâté for the weekend. Friday night with Franzis and Clovis (my roomates) we had 2 with some nice wine and Sunday we had more friends over and we had the rest as an appetizer before the delicious cebiche I prepared, because I had Peruvian lemons with me!! So, getting back to the pâté, gourmet and delicious. You will surprise anyone with it, believe me!!

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Lecker!! mmmmm

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They were delicious!! I leave you also the pictures from Clovis’ tortilla and some of the spanish things we had. Soon the delicious tosta!!

Clovis’ delicious tortilla de patatas:

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The name says it all. A perfect match of flavours and aromas. Simple as roasting peppers adding some garlic, rosemary and olive oil and melting some camembert on the pan. I remember when I made it it was completely improvised, had surprise guests, had the roasted peppers, did the mix and voilà. About the wine I know that creamy camembert goes well with Malbec, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

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For the ones who haven’t tried it yet and don’t know what it is: imagine a cold lasagna made of potato puree (with lemon and chilli) filled with whatever you like. In Perú we make it of chicken, octopus, tuna, crab, asparagus, whatever you like!! Be creative!!! Perfect for summer time, do it on a Monday and to the fridge. You’ve made yourself an excellent afternoon ‘snack’ for children after school, surprise for friends, light lunch. I love it. I am in love with my peruvian Causa. Let’s start with the menu then.

I have to thank infinitely to Sandra Gajate Benavides for the beautiful pictures she took

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When I was in Lima a couple of months ago, my Mom and I got together to cook. She’s always been a great cook and I’ve learned many tricks and recipes from her. My Mom says that the passion for cooking that I have, I’ve inherited from my great-grandmother (her grandmother). That’s why that day we cooked Mamitas’ Ester great Humitas.

I promised my Mom that I wouldn’t tell the secret ingredient of this recipe, so you’ll see listed in ingredients a “secret touch“. Let me tell you though that you can play with the Humitas all the time. You can add raisins and more sugar and they’ll be more for dessert, some cilantro and chili and they’ll be more ‘criollas’, other flours, another corn, both, purple corn, plenty of ideas. Imagine the “secret ingredient” as an “imagination ingredient” where you can add whatever you like to make a different recipe.

So today this goes to my mother with love and hoping she’ll have a great Mother’s Day with my two brothers and family. I hope that next time we meet we cook again. Happy Mother’s Day!!

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Nikkei style tuna tartar.

Breaded shrimp with passion fruit and ‘aji’ sauce.

Smoked salmon with dill mayonnaise.

The recipes:

Nikkei style tuna tartar.

In Perú, Nikkei cuisine is known as the breeding between japanese food and peruvian food. The fusion between ingredients and cooking types.

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