Viva Vegan!: 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers (43 page)

1. In a large saucepan with a lid, bring to a boil 1½ quarts of water. Add the tempeh and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the tempeh completely, sprinkle with the soy sauce, and set aside until it’s cool enough to handle. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lime juice, and ground pepper until smooth. Fold in the green onions, jicama, and cooled tempeh and turn to coat completely with the mayonnaise mixture. Cover the bowl and chill for 30 minutes so that flavors blend.

2. Peel the avocado, remove the pit, and slice the flesh into ¼-inch slices. To assemble, slice the hot arepas three-quarters of the way through horizontally, leaving one end intact, so that you create a pocket (a little bit like a pita bread). If you prefer, you may scoop out a little bit of the doughy insides to create more room for the fillings. Layer some avocado slices into the arepa, then generously pack in as much of the tempeh filling as possible.

3. Serve immediately. Stuffed arepas are completely messy eating, but that’s part of the fun! If desired, serve with your favorite hot sauce.

•
Makes about eight 6-inch pancakes

•
Time: About 45 minutes

 

3 generous cups fresh or frozen
corn kernels (thawed and drained,
if frozen)
½ cup soy or other nondairy milk
⅓ cup Venezuelan- or Colombian-style
masarepa
(don’t use Mexican
masa harina)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed,
preferably golden
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Peanut or corn oil, or
high-smoking-point nonstick
cooking spray, for frying
Shredded, meltable mozzarella-style
vegan cheese (optional)

 

1. In a blender jar, combine the corn, soy milk,
masarepa
, flour, flaxseed, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse everything until a thick chunky batter is formed with a consistency similar to that of creamed corn. If necessary, stir the ingredients with a rubber spatula (not while the blender is running, of course) to make sure everything is blended together. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes and stir a few times before using.

2. While the batter is resting, heat a large, well-seasoned cast-iron pan or griddle over medium heat. It’s ready to use when a few drops of water flicked on its surface sizzle immediately. Generously oil the surface of pan with the oil or cooking spray.

3. Scoop ⅓ cup of batter and spread on the cooking surface, using a circular motion to evenly distribute the batter. Keep your
cachapa
less than ⅜ inch thick. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until most of the pancake’s surface is no longer shiny wet and the edges appear solid. Slide a wide, thin spatula underneath the pancake and carefully flip it over. The cooked side of the
cachapa
should be golden brown. Cook on the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes and lift it off the pan with a spatula.

4. To serve with vegan cheese, sprinkle the shredded cheese over the cooked top of the
cachapa
after you’ve flipped it the first time. After the bottom has cooked for 2 minutes, fold the pancake over the cheese like an omelet. Cook for another minute or so to allow cheese to melt, flip one more time, and serve.

5. Serve immediately or stack on a serving plate.

• If your
cachapas
fall apart when flipping, try making them slightly smaller. Use ¼ cup of batter.

• An evenly heated cooking surface is key for well-browned
cachapas
. If your kitchen range isn’t the most even surface in the world, occasionally move your pan around to help distribute the heat. It’s easy to tell things are a little lopsided if your pancakes are scorched on one side and pale on the other.

• Dark brown scorch marks are completely acceptable, even desired on a cachapa’s surface.

• Cast iron is superior for
cachapa
cooking, as it conducts high heat ideally. Nonstick surfaces may lead to pale, an emic-looking pancakes.

1. Prepare and soak the corn husks: at least 24 for the savory tamales, 2 to 3 for tearing into strips to tie them with, plus 6 or more for lining the steamer basket.

2. Prepare the filling, as it will cool enough to handle while you’re making the masa and doing other things.

3. Set up the actual tamale assembly space, such as a large, clean cutting board and extra-large plates for stacking the finished tamales.

4. Set up steaming basket including filling steaming pot with 3 to 4 inches of water and lining the steaming basket with a few extra soaked corn husks.

5. Make the tamale dough. I like to make it right before I’m ready to start the filling, and use it warm. If you can’t use your tamale dough right away, place in a mixing bowl, cover the top very tightly with plastic wrap, and chill. Use within a day and allow the dough to warm to room temperature before using.

6. Assemble the tamales by spreading the dough onto the soaked husks, then filling, wrapping, and tying. About halfway through making the batch of tamales, I like to put a lid on the steaming pot and try to get the water boiling over high heat by the time I finish the last tamale.

7. Place the tamales in the steamer basket. The easiest way to do this is by leaning the tamales against the sides of the basket, overlapping them slightly in a spiraling pattern. If you have too much space in the center (enough that tamales are falling over), fill the space with a crumpled ball of foil or a small cup or bowl. Don’t pack the tamales too snugly; leave a little room to allow them to expand while cooking. Place the basket into the preheated pot, cover, and steam the tamales for at least 50 minutes, up to 1 hour 15 minutes.