Al Pastor Stuffed Mushrooms with Elote Popcorn
Al Pastor Stuffed Mushrooms with Elote Popcorn
1/2 cup of uncooked rice
2 portobello mushrooms, cleaned with stems and gills removed
1/2 of an onion, diced fine
1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced fine
6 oz of al pastor
1 can of chipotles in adobo sauce
1/2 tablespoon ancho Chile powder
1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
2 tablespoons of homemade ketchup
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
3-4 sprigs of fresh oregano, chopped fine
2 oz queso fresco, crumbled
2 oz popcorn
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
3 oz of cotija cheese, finely crumbled
2 teaspoons of Tajin Classico seasoning
A handful of fresh cilantro
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook rice as directed on packaging, but leave slightly undercooked. While rice cooks, drizzle mushrooms with 1-2 teaspoons of oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 10-12 minutes.
As mushrooms cook, heat a sautee pan over medium low heat with a 1-2 teaspoons of oil. Add onion and bell pepper, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cook 3-4 minutes or until vegetables have softened slightly.
Add al pastor and cook another 2-3 minutes. Dice 1 pepper from the chipotles in adobo can and add to pan along with the Chile powder and paprika. Add mixture to rice and stir to combine.
Remove mushrooms from oven and add stuffing to the caps. Return to oven and cook 10 minutes.
As mushrooms cook, combine ketchup, cumin, oregano, and 1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce, from the can of chipotles in adobo, in a small bowl. Season to taste.
Remove mushrooms from oven and drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with queso fresco.
Return to oven, change oven to broil and broil 2-4 minutes or until cheese has melted and slightly browned, sauce begins to bubble, and the stuffing and mushrooms have cooked throughout.
If cheese is browning too quickly, move oven rack lower away from the broiler. Remove mushrooms from oven and let cool 3-5 minutes. While mushrooms cool, toss popcorn with butter, cotija cheese and Tajin seasoning in a very large bowl.
Chop cilantro fine and add all but 2 pinches to the popcorn. Toss to combine. To plate, garnish mushrooms with a pinch of cilantro and serve with elote popcorn.
Serves 2-4
Alex Marslek
Recipes are unedited