I was so excited when I headed over to Jimmy and Rachel Alvarado's house and couldn't wait to see what he had prepared for this month's “In the Kitchen with…” story. I wasn't disappointed. Jimmy was making causa, a Peruvian dish made by layering mashed potatoes with a variety of favorite ingredients, including chicken, tuna, and lobster. The main ingredients of Peruvian causa are potatoes and aji amarillo, or yellow chili paste.
“I do fusion cooking, and today I'm making a New England-Peruvian causa with tuna,” Alvarado says, “This is New England, and seafood is very popular, so I think tuna is a fish that represents New England very well.”
Jimmy's wife, Rachel, also joined them. The couple owns Tiger Hawk Restaurant in Oak Bluffs, where they are celebrating their fourth season. Tiger Hawk is a family-owned sandwich shop that serves Peruvian fusion cuisine, including artisanal sandwiches, fried chicken sandwiches, ramen, and bao buns. The Alvarados also own a catering company called On Time Catering, and they make their own hot sauce, which is served at many local establishments, including Alias Coffee and Edgartown Meat and Fish Market.
Jimmy isn't the only one who cooks in the house; Rachel does too. “I cook in restaurants, but I never thought I'd cook,” Rachel says. “I've always loved baking. I'm good at following recipes, but Jimmy says, 'Cooking is about emotion – it's about love,' and he follows his instincts.”
Born in Peru, Jimmy came to the United States when he was 10 years old. He's been living on the island for 15 years. He grew up surrounded by a family of chefs. “I've been cooking since I was 5 or 6 years old,” he says. “I cooked as a hobby until I was 25, when I started doing it professionally. My family is full of chefs. My dad and brother are chefs in Peru, my uncles are chefs, and all my cousins in Florida are chefs.”
The ingredients for New England Peruvian Tuna Causa are Yukon gold potatoes, tuna, red onion, beets, green onions, avocado, lime, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro. Alvarado starts by boiling the potatoes. “Peel them and cook them on low heat with a little bit of sea salt until they're tender,” Jimmy says. Once they're done, Jimmy puts them through a ricer and slices them thinly like hash browns. He then mashes the potatoes with lime juice and a teaspoon of aji amarillo.
Jimmy placed the tuna in a small bowl and poured on some nuoc cham sauce. “Nuoc cham sauce is a Vietnamese dressing,” he said. “I make my own version with two tablespoons of lime juice, one tablespoon of fish sauce, and one teaspoon of aji amarillo paste.”
Now comes the fun part: layering. Jimmy placed a ring mold on a plate and scooped potato mash into the ring. He sliced an avocado and prepared some garnishes: beets, cherry tomatoes, red onion, green onion, and cilantro. He placed the sliced avocado on top of the potatoes, followed by tuna, tomatoes, red onion, green onion, and beets.
“Beets are earthy, so they add flavor, and they're colorful, so this dish has yellow, green, red and purple,” Alvarado says. “I like to play with garnishes.”
Once the mold was all layered, he removed it and all the layers were revealed. It was a colorful work of art. “The colors remind me of Peru's Rainbow Mountain,” Rachel said. And she was right! Peru's Rainbow Mountain is considered one of the most beautiful natural wonders in South America, and Jimmy's New England and Peruvian Causas were becoming more and more natural wonders to my palate. I was eager to try it.
Jimmy ate it in three separate sittings. We accompanied the meal with a delicious Peruvian soda, Inca Cola. Amazing! The causa was light, refreshing, spicy but not too hot, and a joy to eat. Of course it's not as tasty as Jimmy's, but I think I'll try making it too. I can't wait.
Causa and tuna from New England and Peru
Makes a generous portion for four people.
8 oz tuna (small diced)
3-4 Yukon Gold potatoes
10 limes
Aji Amarillo Paste (sold at Cash & Carry)
Small bunch of green onions (diced)
Fish sauce
Potato ricer
2 avocados (sliced)
Garnish:
1/2 red onion, diced
Cherry tomatoes cut in half
Boiled beets, diced
Coriander (chopped)
Causa (potato mash)
3-4 medium to large peeled Yukon Gold potatoes
1 tablespoon aji amarillo
Squeeze 10 limes to juice, reserving 4 for the potatoes.
Add about 1/2 tablespoon of salt to taste.
Add 2 tablespoons salt to a medium saucepan and enough water to cover the peeled potatoes. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat and immediately pass them through a ricer. Transfer directly to a mixing bowl. Add the juice of 4 limes and the aji amarillo paste and mix with a rubber spatula. Place in the refrigerator to chill.
Nuk Cham
6 limes (squeezed)
1 tablespoon aji amarillo
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
Fish sauce (same amount as lime juice)
Place in a bowl and mix with a whisk.
Place the ring mould in the centre of the plate. Spread some of the mashed potatoes into the mould, leaving 2/3 of the space for additional items. Place the sliced avocado so that it covers all sides. Mix the tuna with the nuoc cham dressing, reserving a little for garnishing. Place the tuna on top of the avocado. In the same bowl, add the garnishings like beetroot, tomato, onion and spring onion. Mix with the remaining nuoc cham. Place this on top of the tuna. Remove from the mould and serve.
