Atascaburras (garlicky potato spread)

Atascaburras is a garlicky potato spread that is typical from Albacete (Spain). I used tofu and seaweed stock to veganise the original recipe.


Hola!

Today I bring you a garlicky potato spread called atascaburras that is typical from Albacete (Spain), my mother's side of the family. We used to eat a mountain of this simply with bread, but you can use it as a side (mash potato) or on toast.

It used to be eaten in the winter, when the harvest was scarce and they had to make ends meet with whatever the food they had: potatoes, dried salted cod and eggs. The original name literally means “it clogs/gets stuck female donkeys”. I have to laugh every time I think about it. According to Wikipedia, the origin of the name could be: 1. Two shepherds spent the night in the mountain due to snow, and they mixed the little food they had and mashed it to crush the fish bones. They said that the result was so filling that it could even make a donkey full or clogged (you know, potatoes). 2. It might also refer to the sound that you make while mashing it, since it sounds like a donkey being stuck in the mud. I’m set on version one because it’s so funny. Wiki also says that this recipe comes from the Jewish people that used to live in Spain. I love learning about the origin of recipes!

PLANT POWER, MAKE UP!

The original recipe includes raw eggs, so I replaced them by Silken tofu. This is the softest tofu and it brings the moisture we need for a soft spread. The tofu and the seaweed stock I made both help replacing the cod from this traditional recipe.


ATASCABURRAS (GARLICKY POTATO SPREAD)


Makes: a medium tub
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes


INGREDIENTS

500g potatoes
2 cups vegetable stock
1 nori seaweed sheet
2 garlic cloves, peeled
300g Silken tofu
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil


INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Boil the potatoes, skin on, in the veggie stock, with the nori and a bit of salt until very soft (around 30 minutes if thick) and let them cool down. Keep the stock for later.
  2. In the meantime, pestle the garlic cloves with a pinch of salt. 
  3. Peel and cut in chunks the potatoes, put them in a bowl and start mashing. Add the tofu, then the oil and a cup of the seaweed stock. Adjust with more stock or salt to taste (bear in mind it will harden when cold), and keep mixing until combined.
  4. Let it cool down and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. It is eaten cold.

You can keep it in an airtight contained in the fridge for a week.

Bon profit!