Viva Vegan!: 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers (14 page)

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Makes about eight 3-inch pancakes

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Time: About 45 minutes

•
Soy Free

 

1½ pounds red- or yellow-skinned waxy
potatoes
1 small yellow onion, minced
1 clove garlic, crushed
• cup all-purpose flour, plus additional
flour for coating
¼
teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional,
but adds a touch of cheeselike flavor)
1 tablespoon lime juice
½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper
Peanut or vegetable oil for shallow frying

 

1. Wash the potatoes, peel if desired (I leave red-skinned potato jackets on, for color), and dice them into large chunks. Place in a large pot, cover with cold water, cover the pot, and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to medium and cook the potatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender.

Drain the water and pour the potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add the minced onion and garlic and mash to form a chunky paste. Let the mashed potatoes cool to the touch and add the flour, baking soda, nutritional yeast (if using), lime juice, salt, and freshly ground pepper.

 

2. Pour the additional flour (use a little less than ¼ cup) into a shallow bowl. Using your hands, knead the flour and other ingredients into the mashed potato mixture. Knead for about 3 minutes to stimulate the gluten in the flour, then separate the potato dough into eight equal pieces and roll into balls. Shape the
llapingachos
by lightly dusting your hands with flour and gently patting a ball of mashed potatoes into a small cake about ¾ to 1 inch thick and about 3 inches in diameter. Dredge all the sides of the potato cake in flour. Repeat with the remaining dough and dredge each in flour.

3. Heat about ½ inch of peanut oil in a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium heat. The oil is ready when a pinch of potato sizzles when dropped in the oil. Carefully slide two or three cakes into the hot oil and cook for 2½ to 3 minutes per side, occasionally pushing the cakes toward the sides of the skillet to help evenly cook their edges. Carefully flip the cakes once—they may be delicate during cooking—and cook for another 2½ to 3 minutes. Well-cooked
llapingachos
should be golden on both sides. Slide the cooked cakes onto crumpled brown paper or paper towels to drain and cool for 1 to 2 minutes. Serve hot with Peanut Sauce (page 41), Pickled Red Onions (page 43), or any other salsa you like.

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Serves 3 to 4 as an appetizer or 2

•
as an entrée

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Time: About 30 minutes, not including

•
marinating time

•
Gluten Free, Soy Free

 

 

½ generous pound mixture of light-
colored mushrooms such as oyster,
white cremini, enoki, white button,
or king trumpet mushroom
1 small red onion, cut in half, then sliced
into thin shreds
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime
1 to 2 small fresh hot chiles, seeded
and finely minced, or 2 teaspoons
ají amarillo
paste (or both!)
3 tablespoons finely minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
A pinch of sugar
Freshly ground pepper

 

1½ cups white corn kernels, preferably
fresh, or use frozen
1 pound orange-fleshed sweet potato
2 tablespoons lime juice
½ teaspoon salt
Lettuce leaves or tomato wedges,
for garnish

 

1. With a clean kitchen towel, gently brush the mushrooms free of any debris and dirt. Use a sharp knife to remove and discard any tough stems. Slice very large mushrooms into strips no thicker than ½ inch. Leave very small mushrooms intact and slice medium-size mushrooms in half. The idea is to have a variety of shapes and sizes easy to eat in one or two bites.

2. Place the mushrooms in a large glass bowl and sprinkle the shredded onion on top. In a measuring cup, whisk together the lime juice, minced hot chiles, and/or
ají amarillo
paste, cilantro, salt, and freshly ground pepper. Pour over the mushrooms and onions and gently toss with tongs. Cover the container tightly and chill for 3 to 4 hours, occasionally stirring or gently shaking the container to redistribute the juices. The mushrooms are ready to eat when they are soft and juicy to the bite and have reduced in bulk by nearly half. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired, before serving.

3. About 45 minutes before serving time, peel the sweet potato, place in a large saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook the potato until tender and easily pierced with a fork, 35 to 40 minutes. During the final 10 minutes of cooking the potato, boil the corn kernels in a separate pan, cooking until the corn is tender but not mushy, 3 to 5 minutes, and drain. Drain the potato, slice into ½-inch-thick rounds, and sprinkle with half the lime juice and salt to taste. Sprinkle the corn with the remaining lime juice and season with salt.

Serve the ceviche in either an oval serving dish or shallow bowls. Arrange lettuce leaves and warm sweet potato slices on one end of the dish and mound the warm corn kernels on the other end. In the center, mound the chilled mushroom ceviche. Serve immediately. As you eat, nibble on alternate bites of mushrooms, sweet potato, and corn.

 

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Serves 4 as a side or appetizer

•
Time: About 30 minutes, not including marinating time

•
Gluten Free, Soy Free

 

1 (14-ounce) jar or can of hearts of palm,
drained and rinsed
1 large ripe red tomato (½ pound),
seeded and diced finely
1 small red onion, peeled and diced finely
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or more
lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh
cilantro
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
1 large ripe avocado
4 green unripe large plantains prepared as
tostones
(page 118)

 

1. Slice each palm heart down the center vertically, then slice into ½-inch pieces and place in a mixing bowl. Add the tomato and onion. Pour the lime juice, white wine vinegar, olive oil, chopped cilantro, oregano, and salt on top and mix well. Chill for 30 minutes to blend the flavor.