l never thought of eating cold mashed potatoes flavored with various citrus juices and hot peppers as a salad or appetizer until I discovered la causa rellena (literally translated as “the stuffed cause”) in Cusco, Peru’s imperial city high in the Andes Mountains.
Until I traveled in Peru, I was dismissive of leftover mashed potatoes. I find comfort in hot, buttery and creamy mashed potatoes — plain or flavored as a side to meats, but reheated mashed potatoes leave me cold. They never taste the same reheated, and often I pitch them out. When I feel particularly frugal or when a recipe calls for cold mashed potatoes, I use them as an ingredient in other dishes. Over the years, I’ve mixed cold mashed potatoes into a dough for rolls or bread, topped shepherds and other savory pies, formed croquettes, stuffed varenyky (Ukrainian dumplings), kneaded into gnocchi, used as a thickening agent in sauces and soups or combined them with a little flour and eggs into pancakes. But Peru changed my mind.
La causa rellena, a renowned dish of Peruvian cuisine, is often prepared with mashed yellow potatoes (papa amarilla), spicy yellow pepper (aji amarillo) and lime juice, embellished with various salads and sauces. Different causa versions are called by the name of the place where they are more commonly prepared, such as causa a la limeña (from Lima) or causa puno (from Puno) or by included ingredients such as causa rellena de camarón (shrimp causa) or causa rellena de pollo (chicken causa), or simply causa or causa peruana (Peruvian causa).
It is not surprising that Peruvians developed tasty recipes for cold mashed potatoes. Agronomists assert that the high Andes Mountains which snake through Peru, Bolivia and Chile are the birthplace of the potato. Peru claims potato’s origin with over 4,000 potato varieties in all shapes and sizes.
Selling potatoes at San Pedro Market, Cusco, Peru
Historically, the Inca treasured the potato and stored dried potatoes in high-elevation storehouses after bountiful harvests as protection against starvation when harvests failed.
High-altitude potato storehouses near Ollantaytambo, Peru
Today’s Peruvian markets are filled with a staggering assortment of potatoes of every imaginable color, including red, orange and purple, shape and size. Peruvian cooks boil, fry, mash, dehydrate and recook this extensive variety of potatoes in their daily meals. But how did cold mashed potatoes become la causa rellena?
Some Peruvian food historians believe that causa is a pre-Columbian dish and the word causa comes from the Quechua, the indigenous Peruvian language’s word kausay which means “that which gives life” or “sustenance for life.” It is presumed that the Incas simply boiled potatoes and ate them with spicy pepper — aji.
Other historians claim that la causa originated in Lima after the Spanish conquest of Peru during the Viceroyalty period of 1542-1643. Spanish cooks adapted the Incan dish kausay, by adding new ingredients such as lime or lemon juice, fish, seafood, meat, black olives, eggs and avocado.
Still other food historians claim that la causa was born during the 1879-1884 War of the Pacific (Guerra del Pacífico) over Chile’s border claims of coastal Bolivian and Peruvian territory. As the story goes, the Peruvian army was starving and facing defeat. Patriotic women wanting to help the heroic army collected food from citizens nationwide. Citizens contributed what grew best and was within reach: potatoes, lemons, carrots, peas, yellow pepper and chickens and seafood. These politically-aware women created la causa rellena from donated ingredients and raised money door to door selling this dish repeating the phrase Por la causa! (For the cause!). Although Peru lost the war and Chile gained resource-rich territory from Peru and Bolivia, this grassroots war effort of Peruvian women is memorialized in la causa rellena.
Whatever its origins, la causa rellena has survived centuries and has become an iconic dish in Peruvian homes and restaurants, always served cold as an appetizer or sometimes as a salad. Fresh seafood causa is often found in Lima or other coastal towns. Chicken and canned tuna causa are prepared in Peru’s interior.
Fresh tuna on yellow potato causa
Barbecued octopus causa on potatoes colored with squid ink aju
The beauty of la causa rellena is its versatility. It is a readily adaptable dish, limited only by the cook’s imagination. Numerous causa variations are possible:
Potatoes: The key to la causa rellena is the quality of the potato. In Peru, la causa is usually prepared with the queen of potatoes, papa amarilla, whose drier and sandy pulp crumbles very easily and has a distinctive buttery-melt-in your-mouth taste and appetizing yellow color. But la causa also can be prepared with other good-for-mashing yellow potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, white or colored potatoes which are baked, not boiled producing a drier pulp. Innovative chefs experiment with other potatoes and flavorings. Lime or lemon juice are usually used as flavorings, although some cooks also use bitter orange juice. Pastes of native Peruvian peppers, aji amarillo and aji rocoto, provide the heat.
Aji amarillo and aji rocoto (red)
Fillings: Chicken or seafood salads bound together with mayonnaise are common causa fillings. The usual seafood choices are tuna salad, crab salad, shrimp salad, poached or fried fish or seafood, smoked trout or seafood ceviche. Vegetarian fillings include sliced avocados, sliced or chopped tomatoes, corn kernels, carrots, hot and sweet peppers, chopped olives, zucchini and red onions.
Garnishes: Hard-boiled eggs and pitted black olives are the classic Peruvian garnish and parsley or cilantro, whole leaves or minced, sliced chilis or peppers or peppers or spoonfuls of the filling ingredients.
Sauces: Squiggles of plain mayonnaise drizzled decoratively over and around a finished causa from a squeeze bottle often embellish other garnishes. Quick sauces mixing mayonnaise with a little lemon juice or avocado purée or one of the pepper pastes can add spice and color.
La causa rellena may be prepared plain or fancy, small or large. Peruvian restaurants prepare large round or rectangular, ornately decorated causa for buffet spreads, which are cut into slices like a cake and individual serving-size causa formed in tart rings. A popular alternative is to form la causa into a jellyroll (pionono) and serve in sushi-like portions.
I prepared two causa rellena to discuss in this post, Causa de pollo with yellow potatoes, aji amarillo and chicken salad and Causa de camarón with purple potatoes, avocado and shrimp ceviche, using 2- inch-high-3-inch diameter tart rings (but no special equipment is needed as empty flat cans, such as from water chestnuts, bamboo shoots or tuna, with bottoms carefully removed can be used as well).
The combination of flavors and textures in these two causas closely resemble those I enjoyed in Peru. Their creaminess and colorful, mouth-watering appearance is enticing. The yellow mashed potatoes are silky smooth and pleasantly tart. The layered creamy chicken and vegetable salad and avocado slices are a calming complement to the spicy potato purée. Although the purple mashed potatoes are firmer and drier, they are moistened by shrimp ceviche, creating a refreshing dish. Layering the filling into the purple potatoes would make an even moister causa. Both causas are spicy, but the heat can be reduced by using less of the pepper pastes.
These two causas are large enough to be shared as a wonderful luncheon salad or as an opening to a summer dinner of grilled meats and vegetables.
Causa rellena with chicken – Causa de pollo
For mashed potatoes:
2 pounds (907g) unpeeled Yukon gold potatoes (or red skinned potato)
2-3 limes, more if small and more acidity is needed
2 tablespoons aji amarillo paste* (OR substitute with 1 large yellow pepper with half red chili)
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
For chicken filling:
1 carrot
3½ ounces (100g) frozen peas
1 chicken breast, cooked, homemade or purchased
½ cup red onion, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ lime, juiced
For avocado filling:
1 large avocado or 2 avocados
juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
For garnish:
2 eggs, hard-boiled, sliced
Black olives
Parsley or cilantro leaves
Heat oven to 350°F (180°C).
Brush unpeeled potatoes with oil. Place in a baking dish, cover with foil and bake until soft, about one hour. Test for doneness halfway through baking.
Skip this step if using purchased aji amarillo paste. While potatoes are baking, remove seeds from the peppers, cut into large pieces and set aside.
Sauté aji amarillo paste (or prepared peppers) with garlic in vegetable oil until softened. Place in food processor or blender bowl along with juice of one lime. Process until smooth. Set pepper purée aside.
Remove potatoes from oven and, when warm enough to handle, peel and pass through a potato ricer into a bowl. Add lime juice and pepper purée little by little, testing the degree of acidity and spiciness. Add salt and black pepper to potato mixture. Mix well until smooth and firm, adding a few drops of oil if the mixture is too dry. (The mashed potatoes should have a creamy consistency that is stiff enough to be shaped. You should have about 2 cups.) Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for several hours or overnight.
Peel and dice carrots into ¼ inch pieces. Place into small pan, cover with water and cook until tender. Place peas in a microwave-safe bowl with ¼ cup water. Cover with plastic wrap and cook for 2 minutes on high power. Empty peas into a small bowl of iced water to stop the cooking and drain when cold. Chop and add onions. Combine vegetables and chill until ready to use.
Skip this step if using purchased ready-cooked chicken. Gently simmer chicken in water with 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, half sliced onion and 1 bay leaf for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool chicken in poaching liquid to room temperature.
Dice cooked chicken in small pieces. Mix chicken with vegetables and mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a few drops of lime juice. Chill until ready to assemble. Just before assembly, peel and slice avocado thinly and season slices with lemon juice and salt.
Assembly: Oil a tart ring (or empty tuna can) and place on serving plate. Place 2 tablespoons of mashed potato in the mold, flattening into an even layer firmly against the plate and walls of the ring. (I use a flat bottomed-glass to make an even surface.) Then add an even layer of avocado slices, fitting snuggly against the wall of the ring. Then add 2 tablespoons of chicken salad, again evening layer out. Cover chicken salad with another layer of potato. If ring is filled, smooth top potato layer level.
Decorate causa to your liking with sliced eggs, olives, parsley, or cilantro leaves. and gently remove ring. Repeat for other 3 portions. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Add a spoon of leftover filling to each plate as garnish.
Makes 4 servings
Causa rellena with shrimp — Causa de camarón, adapted from Causa puno in Martin Morales, Andina: The Heart of Peruvian Food
For purple mashed potatoes:
2 pounds (907g) purple potatoes
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
For aji amarillo chili paste:
2 tablespoons aji amarillo paste* (OR substitute with 2 medium-heat red chilies and ½ large yellow pepper, deseeded and finely chopped)
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
For rocoto tiger’s milk (makes around ½ cup [100ml]):
1 slice fresh ginger, ⅛ inch (3mm) thick
½ garlic clove, crushed
2 sprigs cilantro
6 limes, juiced
½ tablespoon aji rocoto paste* (OR substitute with 1 medium-heat red chili, deseeded and chopped)
¼ teaspoon salt
For shrimp ceviche:
10 large shrimp
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
For avocado purée:
1 avocado, large and ripe
Lime, a squeeze of juice
For garnish:
Purple basil leaves
Heat oven to 350°F (180°C).
Brush unpeeled potatoes with oil and bake in an oven in a baking dish covered with foil for ½ to 1 hour until soft. (Monitor baking carefully. Purple potatoes are usually small. Cooking time depends on the size of the potato. Test for doneness halfway through baking time.)
While baking potatoes, make aji amarillo chili paste: Heat remaining oil in a small frying pan over a low–medium heat. Fry onion for 7–8 minutes until soft, but not browned, then add garlic and purchased aji amarillo paste (or chilis and peppers) and fry for an additional 2–3 minutes to soften. Season with salt to taste, then allow to cool completely. When cool, transfer mixture to food processor or blender and blitz to a smooth paste, then set aside until needed. (You can store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.)
Remove potatoes from oven. Peel when warm enough to handle and pass potatoes through a potato ricer into a bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of aji amarillo chili paste, purchased or homemade, and lime juice gradually testing the degree of acidity and spiciness. Then add olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. (The potatoes should have a creamy consistency that is stiff enough to be shaped. You should have about 2 cups.) Cover the bowl and chill for several hours or overnight.
Next make the rocoto tiger’s milk. Place ginger, garlic, cilantro and lime juice in a food processor bowl and allow to infuse for 5 minutes. Then add 1-2 tablespoons of aji rocoto pepper paste (or red chili) and salt. Transfer mixture to a food processor and blitz until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and lime juice as necessary.
To make the shrimp ceviche, cut shrimp into ¼ inch long chunks and place in bowl. Whisk together 2 ounces (50ml) of rocoto tiger’s milk and mayonnaise, then season with salt and pepper. Add to shrimp and stir to combine. Then cover and place ceviche to chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
To make the avocado purée, halve the avocado, remove the stone and peel. Place avocado flesh with a squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of salt in a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth.
Assembly: Chill 4 plates. Place oiled tart ring on plate and divide potato mixture into 4 equal portions, layering into the tart ring for shape. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Then, spoon 2 tablespoons of the avocado purée on top of each patty, followed by equal portions of shrimp ceviche. Drizzle with additional rocoto tiger’s milk for added spiciness, if you wish. Decorate with basil leaves and extra ceviche and avocado. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
- Aji amarillo and aji rocoto pastes can be found online at Amazon.
One year ago: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/labneh-savory-sweet-versatility/
Two years ago: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/jeweled-buckwheat-salad-everyone/
Three years ago: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/firemens-chicken/