Caroline Crossing: Marmitako

Today I made a recipe called Marmitako with Javi's mother, who is also called Pili. Have you ever tried Hungarian goulash? Well, let's just say that Marmitako is a very similar dish, but instead of beef, it uses fresh tuna as its protein element. It may sound strange, tuna stew...but it's really quite tasty, so don't hesitate to give it a try!

Ingredients: (for 6-7 people)

Olive Oil

2 cloves garlic

1 small white onion

3 carrots

1/2 big red pepper

3 smallish green peppers

1 tablespoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 bay leaf

5-6 potatoes

Water

3 Heaping tablespoons tomato sauce

8 small pieces of fresh tuna (albacore is preferable)

Add your olive oil (about 1 cup, or so that you have an inch layer at the bottom of your pot), and let it heat up on medium high heat.

Chop up your onion and add it to the olive oil.

Let it "poach" a bit.

After having peeled and chopped your carrots, add them to the pot.

Now, slice up your peppers, and roughly mince your garlic.

Cover up your carrots and onions, and add a large pinch of salt.

Keep chopping your peppers.

Should look like this...love the colors!

Let your carrots and onions cook for about 10-15 minutes, until the onion is nice and carmelized, and your carrots are almost tender. Keep the cover on the pot, but stir every few minutes to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot.

It should have this yellowy color, and smell sweet and salty from the onion and carrot.

Yummy!

Now the fun part! Add your peppers and garlic, mixing them in with the carrots and onions.

Look how pretty!

Now, add your wee bit of paprika, to add some more color and a little kick of spicy flavor. Well, for the Spanish this is spicy...not for us Californians who live off Mexican food (me).

Mix in your paprika, add a bit more if you'd like and extra boost. The thing I love about stews and goulashes is that you can add to your taste...of salt, veggies, onions, garlic (if you like more...add more!).

As your veggies steam in their pot (on medium heat for about 20 minutes...stirring every so often), peel and wash your potatoes. Let them soak in the sink until your ready to chop 'em up and put 'em in the pot.

20 minutes later...time to "chop" your potatoes. Take them out of their tub, and now...this is something I learned today. I love potatoes, and as a good American, use them in a lot of my dishes (at Thanksgiving...this is why I say good American), but I had never heard of Pili's technique for chopping potatoes. You take the potato and cut a little slice into it (without cutting an entire slice all the way through). Halfway through the slice, use your knife to break the slice off the potato. Continue this step until you've "chopped" all your potatoes. I'm not clear on why this is supposed to be better, but the way I understood is that it allows the potato to absorb the liquids and flavors in the stew more thoroughly.

Add your potatoes to the pot.

Mix them in nice and good!

Now, add your water. You should add just enough to cover the potatoes (not too much!).

Let your potatoes boil and absorb the flavors of all those good veggies!

Add your heaping tablespoons of tomato sauce.

Now, add one bay leaf, and leave it resting on the top of the stew for just 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, fish out your bay leaf.

Let your potatoes cook on medium heat (boiling) with the top on until the potatoes are nice and tender and can easily be poked through with a fork.

After having washed and dried your tuna...

Thoroughly salt both sides of the tuna.

Are your potatoes nice and soft? Well, then it's time to add the fish!

Add the fish, mix it in to the stew.

Leave the top on the pot for no more than 2 minutes and then take the pot off the heat, and you're all done! It's important not to cook the tuna for too long because it can easily dry out, so be sure to take the pot off the heat.