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COSTA MESA · OCT 18-19

Plantsis our new semi-regular column celebrating vegetables and vegetarian and vegan cooking.

Recipes featured here will include tricks and techniques to help home cooks make meatless meals as

satisfying as can be. We’ll be sharing recipes from chefs and creating our own.

To start, we have chilaquiles from Jocelyn Ramirez, the founder and chef of Todo Verde, a plant-

based catering company on L.A.’s Eastside. Her dishes are inspired by the traditional recipes passed
down in her family, whose roots are in Mexico and South America.

In her chilaquiles, Ramirez uses both dried and fresh mushrooms. The intense umami of dried

mushrooms gives classic salsa verde surprising depth and heightens the savory earthiness of fresh

mushrooms. (To make your own, pulse dried shiitake mushrooms in a spice grinder to a fine powder.)

When seared, the delicate petals of oyster mushrooms develop a satisfying chew to complement the

soft, saucy mess of salsa-soaked tortilla chips. To top off her double-mushroom chilaquiles, Ramirez

makes queso frescoout of tofu and crema from cashews. (Get the crema recipe at latimes.com/food.)

I first tasted Ramirez’s chilaquiles at a backyard brunch with food-loving friends, and everyone —

herbivores and omnivores alike — went crazy over them. She brought them out in the big skillet she

cooked them in for us all to dig into, and we wiped the pan clean. Your friends will do the same.

Mushrooms

make it meatier

Dried mushrooms

deliver the satisfying

umami flavor you get

from meat. Using

dried mushroom

powder in plant-

based dishes gives

them a delicious

savory depth. To

make it, pulse dried

shiitake mushrooms

in a spice grinder to a

fine powder.

Ren FullerFor The Times

Let new meals sprout

By Genevieve Ko

PLANTS

F8 THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019 LATIMES.COM/FOOD

Charred Salsa Verde

30 minutes. Makes about 4 cups.

(^2) pounds tomatillos, husked and
rinsed
2 large jalapeños
(^1) tablespoon ground cumin
(^1) tablespoon dried shiitake
mushroom powder
(^1) ⁄ 3 cup fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
(^1) small bunch cilantro (3
ounces), chopped (2 cups)
1 Set up a charcoal grill for direct
heat or heat a gas grill to medium.
Alternatively, heat a large skillet or
grill pan over medium-high heat.
2 Arrange the tomatillos and
jalapeños on the grill in a single
layer and cook, turning to evenly
blacken, until tender and charred,
about 20 minutes.
3 Transfer the tomatillos to a
blender and the jalapeños to a
cutting board. Cut the stems off
the jalapeños and discard; cut out
the seeds and ribs and reserve.
Add the jalapeños’ flesh to the
blender, along with the cumin,
mushroom powder, lemon juice
and one teaspoon salt. Blend until
slightly chunky yet smooth. Taste
and add more salt if needed, and
add the reserved jalapeño seeds
and ribs if you want a hotter salsa.
Add the cilantro and blend, leav-
ing small pieces of cilantro.
Make Ahead: The salsa verde can be
refrigerated in an airtight container
for up to one week.
Vegan Chilaquiles
20 minutes. Serves 6 to 8.
(^7) tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
(^1) pound oyster mushrooms,
trimmed, large pieces halved
lengthwise
(^1) teaspoon ground cumin
(^1) teaspoon dried shiitake
mushroom powder
Kosher salt
Charred Salsa Verde
1 bag (14-ounce) thick tortilla
chips
Vegan Queso Fresco
Cilantro sprigs, for serving
1 Heat three tablespoons olive oil
in a large, wide skillet or enameled
Dutch oven (don’t use regular cast
iron) over medium-high heat until
hot and shimmering but not
smoking. Add the oyster mush-
rooms and spread evenly. Sear
until the bottoms are browned,
about two minutes, then sprinkle
with the cumin, mushroom pow-
der and a big pinch of salt. Stir well
and continue cooking, stirring
occasionally, until just tender,
about three minutes longer.
Transfer to a plate.
2 Add the remaining four table-
spoons olive oil and reduce the
heat to medium-low. Add the salsa
verde and bring to a boil, stirring
occasionally. Fold in the tortilla
chips, a handful at a time, until the
chips are evenly coated and the
sauce absorbed, about five min-
utes. Spread in an even layer and
remove from the heat.
3 Drizzle the chips with chipotle
vegan crema (recipe at la
times.com/food), scatter the
mushrooms all over and crumble
queso fresco on top. Garnish with
cilantro and serve immediately.
Vegan Queso Fresco
1 ½ hours, largely unattended. Makes about 1 cup.
1 container (14-ounce) firm tofu
2 tablespoons apple cider
vinegar
(^2) tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
1 Drain the tofu and pat very dry.
Cut into one -inch cubes, transfer
to a large piece of cheesecloth,
wrap tightly and wring as much
liquid as possible out of the tofu.
(Alternately, line a fine-mesh
metal sieve with large coffee filters
or layers of heavy-duty paper
towels. Set over a bowl and let
stand while liquid drips out.)
2 Transfer to a large bowl and
crumble into small pieces. Stir in
the vinegar, lemon juice and one
tablespoon salt. The mixture
should taste quite salty. If it
doesn’t, add more salt.
3 Return the mixture to the
cheesecloth and wrap tightly to
form into a block of cheese. (Again,
the filter-lined sieve will work here
too.) Put in a small bowl. Cover
with plastic wrap and refrigerate
until firm, at least one hour. When
ready to use, discard excess liquid
and crumble the tofu into bits.
Make ahead:The queso fresco can be
refrigerated in an airtight container
for up to one week.