Tenerife has many things that make it attractive to the tourist and to the locals, food being one of the lesser known but definitely much appreciated. One of the most famous items of Canarian Cuisine which even the most unadventurous tourist would have noticed is the 'papas arrugadas con mojo'.

In the Canary Islands the queen of the vegetables is the potato. The soil is particularly suited to growing this hardy vegetable and the Canary Islands have produced many varieties that are exported all over the world. Each island has its own speciality and in Tenerife that is the " papa bonita ".

This is a small sized potato that is boiled and eaten with its skin. The traditional Guanche way of cooking these potatoes was in sea water, which makes the potato skin shrivel and earned it its name "papas arrugadas" (wrinkly potatoes)

Mojo sauces are the very essence of canarian gastronomy. The ingredients used to prepare them (olive oil, vinegar, garlic, herbs, cumin, paprika, pepper, fresh herbs, parsley, coriander) are all natural, making them a healthy and tasty treat that you will find accompanies many of the local dishes.

Mojos come in all colours and tastes but the most well known and most common ones found in restaurants are the mojo picante (spicy red mojo) and the mojo verde (coriander green mojo).
The red mojo is made with spicy peppers, garlic, vinegar, oil, paprika, cumin and cooking salt. While the green mojos basic ingredients are coriander, garlic, green paper, vinegar, oil, cumin. In some select restaurants you might also be able to try mojo cheese, almond or pine-seed mojo or saffron mojo.

 

Papas Arrugadas

(Wrinkled Potatoes)
2Kg (5lbs) small to medium potatoes unpeeled
200 gram (7 1/4 oz.) Sea salt

Drain and steam dry over low heat (a white salt layer should form on the potatoes and they should be slightly wrinkled)

Red Mojo Sauce

Peel and section one whole, small clove of garlic
Add 1 large table-spoon of cumin powder
Add 1 large table-spoon of paprika
Add 1 large table-spoon of sea-salt
Add a little olive-oil and grind all of it into a paste (make sure you grind out all the lumps of garlic!)
Scrape the mixture into a blender. Use more olive-oil to get all the mixture out.
Add to the blender 1/2 a red pepper, finely chopped and blend.
add another 1/2 chopped, red pepper and blend
add another 1/2 chopped, red pepper and blend
add another 1/2 chopped, red pepper and blend (so 2 whole red peppers in the end)

add more olive oil to dilute as required or leave it as above for nice and spicy.

When finished, coat potatoes with a layer of mojo sauce and you have Canarian "Papas Arrugadas con Mojo Picante"

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