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Marmitako (Basque casserole)

Originally cooked on board fishing boats - and still is - but for decades now it has appeared on restaurant menus in the Basque Country, sometimes even prepared with salmon. The stew is soupy but thick, specially when the potatoes are 'cracked open' to yield more starch. You can prepare marmitako up to the point a which the tuna is added, and then reheat the stew up to a day later and add the tuna.
Serves 6 as a main course

2 dried choricero or ancho chiles
1 pound fresh tuna fillet
Coarse salt
4 russet potatoes, about 2 pounds total weight
1/3 cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and cut lengthwise into narrow strips
1 tablespoon sweet pepper or paprika

In a heatproof bowl, combine the dried chiles with boiling water to cover and let stand for 30 minutes, or until soft. Drain the chiles, slit them open, and scrape off the flesh with the edge of a knife, discarding the seeds, skins, and stems, Set the flesh aside.

Cut the tuna into small pieces. Sprinkle the pieces with coarse salt and set aside.

Peel the potatoes. To 'crack' the potatoes into chestnut-sized pieces, make a small cut in each potato and then break it open the rest of the way. Set the potato pieces aside.

In a stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper, and the flesh from the chiles, stir well, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until the onion and bell pepper have begun to soften and all the ingredients are well blended.

Add the potatoes and paprika and mix well. Season with a little coarse salt and add water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, cover, decrease the heat to medium-low, and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.

Add the tuna pieces to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the tuna is opaque. Remove from the heat and let stand for 30 minutes before serving. If the soup is very clear because the potatoes didn't release enough starch, mash a piece or two against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon and shake the pot a little.

Reheat gently to serving temperature (if your pot retains heat well, the stew may still be piping hot and you won't need to reheat it). Ladle into warmed bowls and serve at once.

Marmitako

From: S.Mancini@t-online.de (S.Mancini)
Source: Cooking in Spain by Janet Mendel-Searl. 4 Portions

1 kg tuna or bonito
50 ml olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 sweet peppers, red and/or green
500 g Tomaten
2 ts paprika
salt & pepper
1 small chili pepper
1 kg potatoes
200 ml white wine
100 ml water

Cut the tuna into chunks, discarding the bone. If using bonito, cut it first into slices, then with a knife or fork pull off chunks of the flesh from the bone. Heat the oil in a heatproof casserole and in it saute the chopped onions, garlic and peppers, cleaned of seeds and cut into strips. When they are soft, add the tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, the paprika, salt and pepper and chili. When tomatoes are somewhat reduced add the potatoes, cut in dice. Stir for a few minutes, then add the wine and water. Cover the pot and cook on a high heat until the potatoes are nearly tender, about 20 minutes. Add the fish to the casserole, cover and cook another 5 minutes, or until fish flakes easily but is still juicy. Let the casserole rest, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.