Papas Arrugadas & Callaloo Recipes
By: Tristan Guilbeault
Instagram: @tristangcooks
A relative of the famous Patatas Bravas, these little boiled potatoes will make for the perfect snack, appetizer or side dish! “Arrugada” means wrinkled in Spanish and describes the skin of the potatoes after being boiled in seawater. Amaranth carries these lovely yellow potatoes that are the perfect size for this recipe. Served with a red or green mojo sauce, this recipe is simple, easy and comes together in less than 1 hour!
This recipe hails from the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the coast of Morocco owned by Spain. In the 16th century after Columbus’s voyage, “Papas” were introduced to the islands. Using the Latin American name and not the Spanish. These small potatoes are boiled in heavily salted water until cooked, once drained the salt left on the skin will cause wrinkles! The potatoes are fully seasoned from the water and then served with a red and green sauce. Served as an appetizer or a side dish to meat dishes, this recipe is a great one to have up your sleeve!
Papas Arrugadas
Recipe from Tristan Guilbeault
Dietary restrictions: Paleo, dairy-free, vegan, nut-free
Total Time: 50 minutes | (Preparation): 20 minutes | (Cooking): 30 minutes
Yields: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
Papas Arrugadas
● 2lbs Baby, Nuggets or Fingerling Potatoes
● Water to cover
● 1⁄4 cup Coarse Sea Salt (we recommend Vancouver Island or Eden Foods)
Mojo Rojo
● 2 Red Peppers; roasted
● 3 cloves Garlic; roasted
● 1 tbsp Paprika (smoked or regular)
● 1 tsp Cumin
● 2 tbsp Red, White Wine or Apple Cider Vinegar (we recommend Maison Orphee or Bragg)
● 1⁄4 cup Olive Oil (we recommend Dante Organic, San Remo or Earth’s Choice)
● 1 slice Old Bread
● Salt to taste
Mojo Verde
● 2 Jalapenos, or 1 Green Bell Pepper
● 1 bundle Cilantro or Parsley (whichever you prefer more)
● 2 cloves Garlic
● 2 tbsp White Wine Vinegar (we recommend Maison Orphee)
● 1 tsp Cumin
● 1⁄4 cup Olive Oil (we recommend Dante Organic, San Remo or Earth’s Choice)
● 1 slice Old Bread
● 1 tbsp Water
● Salt to taste
Instructions
1. Scrub the potatoes under cool water if they appear dirty. Add to a medium-sized pot, cover with water and add the salt. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce to medium-high. Boil for 30 minutes or until the water is almost completely evaporated. Turn off the heat.
2. While the potatoes are boiling the sauces can be made. For the Mojo Rojo, place the red pepper and garlic on a small tray in the oven and set it to a low broil around 450 degrees. Let them gain some colour on each side then rotate. They should be done after 10-15 minutes. Add the pepper and garlic into a plastic bag and seal, let this steam. Once cool, take them out and peel, discard the skins as well as the seeds and stems. Now add the rest of the ingredients into a blender and blend for 1 minute or until smooth. Season to taste with salt.
3. For the Mojo Verde, remove the stems of the peppers, chop and add all ingredients into the blender. Blend for 1 minute or until smooth—season with salt.
4. Once the sauces are ready, drain the potatoes and add to a bowl. Arrange with the two sauces and serve. Enjoy this delicious appetizer!
*To make this dish into the more famous Spanish Patatas Bravas, cool the boiled potatoes and then slice them in half. Set a pan on medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil or beef tallow. Add the potatoes face side down and cook until crispy around 10 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side for another 5 minutes.
TIPS
The sauces for this recipe can be made ahead of time and the potatoes may be boiled the day of for an easy hands-off appetizer. The potatoes are boiled with salt to provide a crust and fully season them. Try one, if they are too salty rinse them before serving. The Mojo Verde can be on the spicy side because of the raw garlic, if this flavour is too intense only use one clove of garlic. The Mojo Rojo is a mild sauce but if more spice is wanted, use a teaspoon of chili flakes or for authenticity, two Desiam dried red chilis.
STORAGE
The sauces may be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks and the potatoes may be stored in the fridge for up to one week.
It's Children’s Health Month at Amaranth and nothing is more nutritious for the growing young ones than greens! Most children scoff at the sight of greens but this dish brings a lot of flavour and serves as a delicious nutrient-dense meal. Callaloo is a West African dish that has spread to the Caribbean and Latin America. Using local leafy greens that are stewed to break down the fibres, Callaloo can be served alongside stews, soups, rice and seafood. This dish is all about the colours!
The original recipe uses leaves like pumpkin, while other varieties use taro leaves, collards, sweet potato leaves, kale, swiss chard, water spinach and even Amaranth leaves! Popular in Africa, Jamaica, Trinidad, the United States and many other countries. Each has their regional variety, for example, the south of the U.S. has the famous collard greens, while Jamaica has Callaloo and Nigeria has Efo Riro. I have taken inspiration from Jamaica and the States in this recipe. Pairing salty bacon with red peppers, sweet potatoes and coconut milk. This recipe is a great way to serve greens for everyone to enjoy!
Callaloo
Recipe from Tristan Guilbeault
Dietary Restrictions: Keto, paleo, nut-free, dairy-free, can be made vegan
Total Time: 1 hour 15 min | (Preparation): 15 minutes | (Cooking): 1 hour
Yields: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
● 4 pieces Bacon (we recommend Old Country, Platinum Alberta Boar Bacon or Irvings Farm)
● 2 bunch Collards, Kale or Swiss Chard
● 1⁄2 cup Chicken Broth or Veggie Broth
● 1 white Onion, finely diced
● 2 cloves Garlic, minced
● 2 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
● 1 Red Pepper, chopped
● 2 medium-sized Sweet Potatoes, peeled and diced in cubes (orange, purple or white-fleshed)
● 1 tsp Thyme
● 1 can or 400ml Coconut Milk (we recommend Earths Choice, Cha’s Organics, Everland, or Thai Kitchen)
● Salt and Pepper
Garnish
● Sliced Green Onion or Chives
Instructions
1. Begin by cleaning the collards, kale or swiss chard, trim the greens off the stems and add to a bowl of cold water. Save the stems for broth. Soak the leaves for 5 minutes then discard the water and repeat the process until the water is clean. Dry your leafy greens. Then grab a couple of pieces and roll, cut into strips and add to a bowl.
2. Get a medium-sized saucepan or pot on medium heat. Dice the bacon into small pieces and add to the pan. Cook until crispy, around 5 minutes, then take out using a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. Add the diced onion, garlic and red peppers to the bacon fat. Reduce heat to medium-low and saute for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and thyme. After another 5 minutes add sweet potatoes and the coconut milk. After 2 minutes add the collards and 1⁄2 cup broth or water. Let this mixture cook down for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. The collard greens should be tender and the broth very flavourful. Season with salt and pepper, add back in the bacon and serve. Enjoy with rice as a main dish or eat it as a side!
SUBSTITUTIONS
This recipe is all about the colours, using leafy greens, sweet potatoes and vegetables like red peppers and onion. It serves as a great base for children to eat vegetables without hiding them in any way; kids also love bacon. Amaranth carries many different varieties of vegetables that would work in this recipe. Including white, purple and orange sweet potatoes, green, yellow and red bell peppers, carrots, parsnips and potatoes. As for greens, Amaranth carries collards, rainbow chard, and kale. Extra meat may be added as well, another seasonal suggestion would be Mclean Meats Organic Ham (though it’s not available year round) which can be diced and added to this recipe for a nice smoky flavour, traditional in many southern versions of collards. Chicken would be another welcome addition. On the other hand, this recipe can be made vegan by substituting the bacon with something like beyond-meat breakfast sausages or omitted altogether. This recipe only uses thyme as a spice but other spices could be added like cumin, ginger, chili powder, paprika and allspice.
NUTRITIONAL CONTENT
Collards are a member of the Brassica (cabbage) family of vegetables. The dark green leaves mean the presence of antioxidants. Brassica are very low in carbs, calories, fat and protein. They are very high in vitamin K, 1 cup yields nearly 8x the daily requirement! They are also high in other nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin C, folate and beta-carotene. The Brassica family is known for its health benefits, including, lowering the risk of prostate, breast and lung cancer. Collards are high in fibre which helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure, while also lowering the risk of diabetes, stroke, obesity and some gastrointestinal diseases. They reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by reducing atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). They also contain the antioxidant lutein, a compound related to vitamin A, that is known for contributing to eye health; especially age degeneration and diseases. The stems which I have separated in the recipe; are especially high in fibre, micronutrients and vitamins!
How to Use Collards
Collards are a very versatile green and can be used in many recipes. Use them as you would kale or any other fibrous greens. Once stewed down like this recipe they may be used with other foods. For example, they can be eaten alongside scrambled eggs and potatoes or stuffed in puff pastries for a lovely snack. I have noted in this recipe to save the stems for broth because of how fibrous they are, well after some research they may be used in this recipe, just finely chop them lengthwise and saute them with the onions and garlic. They will add a crunchy texture to the final dish and certainly should not be thrown away!
Storage
The callaloo may be stored in the fridge for up to 10 days and kept in the freezer for up to two months. Just keep in mind the vegetables may lose some of their texture after freezing.