Viva Vegan!: 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers (38 page)

1. Clean and remove any eyes or skin discoloration from the potatoes, then chop into bite-size chunks. In a large soup pot, combine the potatoes, onions, garlic, thyme, oregano, and water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to low. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are extremely tender and easy to mash when pressed with a spoon.

2. Turn off the heat and use a potato masher or a wooden spoon to break up and lightly mash the potato chunks; leave some chunks intact. Turn on the heat to medium again. Stir a handful of kale into the soup at a time, allowing it to wilt, until all of the kale has been incorporated into the soup. Stir and cook until the kale is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes. Add the olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and a few dashes of white wine vinegar to taste. Turn off the heat, cover, and let the soup sit for 15 minutes prior to serving, to allow the flavors to meld.

3. While the soup is resting, heat the Annatto-Infused Oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Slice the Seitan Chorizo links in half lengthwise, then chop each piece into bite-size pieces. Sauté the chorizo until hot and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Ladle the soup into large soup bowls. Top each serving of soup with pieces of hot chorizo and a drizzle of a little bit of the annatto oil. Serve the soup with hot sauce and crusty bread, if desired.

•
Makes eight 5- to 6-inch
pupusas
, serves 4 generously

•
Time: About 45 minutes, not including making the
curdito
or tomato sauce

•
Gluten Free, Soy Free

 

2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 fresh green chile (mild or hot, your
choice), seeded and diced
1 cup cooked black beans (if using canned,
drain and rinse)
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 ripe, cooked plantain, baked or fried
(see page 117 for how to bake ripe
plantains)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 cup shredded mozzarella-style vegan
cheese (optional)

 

2 cups instant Mexican-style masa harina
1¾ cups or more warm water
¼ teaspoon salt

 

 

 

Salvadorian Marinated Slaw (page 79)
Simple Latin Tomato Sauce (page 46)

 

1. Prepare the filling first: In a heavy skillet, combine the garlic and olive oil and fry over medium heat until sizzling and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chiles, black beans, water, cumin, and oregano, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed but the beans are still moist. Turn off the heat, season with salt and pepper, if desired, and let the beans cool enough to be handled. Meanwhile, dice the cooked plantain into ¼-inch chunks and toss with the lime juice. Set the fillings (and shredded vegan cheese, if using) aside in small bowls near your work surface.

2. Prepare the masa: In a large bowl, stir together the masa harina, warm water, and salt. The dough should be moist and firm but not too sticky; if too dry, drizzle in a little more warm water; if too wet, sprinkle with a tablespoon or two of additional masa harina. I like my dough to be a little on the moist side, as it may dry somewhat while forming the
pupusas
. Divide the dough into eight equal portions and roll into balls. Cover with a damp, clean kitchen towel to keep moist while shaping the
pupusas
.

3. To form a
pupusa
, cup a ball of dough in your palm and use the fingers of your other hand to form it into a little bowl, taking care to pat the sides and bottom to more or less the same thickness. It’s a little like making those little ashtray pot things out of clay when you were in first grade. You want to create a hole about the size of a large walnut. Firmly press 1½ to 2 tablespoons of filling into the indentation, plus about a heaping tablespoon of beans and a few chunks of plantain. Fold over the sides of your “bowl” on top of the filling and firmly press down.

4. Now comes the shaping part. Moisten your hands a little. With gentle yet firm patting motions, begin pressing your
pupusa
down and out. Use your palms to occasionally flatten the entire
pupusa
a little, then use the pads of your fingers to shape and press outward the edges of your
pupusa
. The traditional way of forming it is to do a little of this motion all at once, while incrementally turning the
pupusa
in your palms a little bit at a time to work on the edges.

5. At this point the
pupusa
masa may crack, or some of the filling may poke out here or there. Two ways remedy this: Moisten up your fingers just a little and smear a bit of dough over the offending crack. Or, locate the former bottom of your masa “pot”; the dough tends to  

 

Pupusa Filling Explosion!

 

P
upusas
are ready and waiting to take on any filling you challenge them with, so let the filling fiesta begin! You don’t need a lot; about 1½ cups of filling total should be plenty for this recipe. Part of the fun of learning to make good
pupusas
is playing with any number of fillings . . . so be sure to have a steady supply of leftovers (and
curdito
) on hand!

 

Bean and Tofu Chicharrones:
Use about half a recipe each of Home-style Refried Beans (page 86) and Tofu Chicharrones (page 101) for a batch of
pupusas
. This is a vegan adaptation of a very popular Salvadorean
pupusa
filling.

 

Bean and Chorizo:
Use equal parts Home-style Refried Beans (page 86) and two links of Seitan Chorizo Sausages (page 36), chopped finely.

 

Roasted Zucchini and Vegan Cheese:
Slice ½ pound of zucchini or yellow summer squash into ½-inch-thick pieces, toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and chile powder to taste. Roast at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until the squash is browned and tender. Stuff each
pupusa
with zucchini and a tablespoon of shredded meltable mozzarella-style vegan cheese.

 

Zucchini Blossom and Vegan Cheese:
A traditional Salvadorian filling is an edible jungle flower called
loroco
. Maybe wild loroco isn’t growing in your backyard, but always-abundant zucchini blossoms from the garden are possibly threatening a takeover. Lightly sauté 6 to 8 fresh blossoms with 1 tablespoon of olive oil until wilted and sprinkle with salt to taste; chop into bite-size pieces. Pair up with shredded vegan cheese, as directed for the Roasted Zucchini filling. Also look for canned Mexican-style zucchini blossoms, or if the
pupusa
gods smile upon you, perhaps your local Central American market carries pickled loroco flowers.

 

Squash and Bean:
Steam or bake less than ½ pound of winter squash (pumpkin, calabaza, butternut, etc.) until tender. Mash and season with salt, cracked pepper, and lime juice. Use equal parts mashed squash and refried beans.

 

Shredded Seitan and Bean:
Use less than half a recipe of Latin Shredded Seitan (page 106, original recipe or Mexican chile) plus refried beans. Good with a bit of vegan cheese, too.

 

Veggie Suprema:
Sauté with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, plus ⅓ cup each of two or more of the following: fresh corn kernels, minced red onion, seeded and chopped red bell pepper, seeded and roasted red peppers, green onions, cremini mushrooms, and/or sliced green olives. Add some chopped garlic, too, and a touch of shredded vegan cheese, if you like. Season to taste with salt and lime juice.

 

Pizza Pupusa:
A scandalous untraditional twist. Fill
pupusas
with shredded mozzarella-style vegan cheese, a little bit of store-bought chopped veggie pepperoni, and sliced olives or pepperoncini peppers. Absolutely serve this one with Simple Latin Tomato Sauce seasoned with plenty of dried oregano!

 

 

be thicker on this end. Carefully pinch off a small piece of this excess dough and smooth the area you took it from. Use this dough to patch up any cracks. Ultimately, you may still have some thin spots and cracks, but as long as your
pupusa
is holding its shape, no worries. You’re on your way to
pupusa
mastery.