LemonVinaigrette

Mixiotes are traditionally cooked in the thin skin of the maguey leaves and feature meat as the main ingredient.  I love rustic dishes like this one, and I can never resist the urge to make them vegan.  Parchment paper is soaked in water to make it pliable and used to wrap the veggies and sauce into a perfect little present. I chose cauliflower and potatoes, but I imagine this would be good with other veggie combinations too. Now, let’s see what the big deal is all about!

Ingredients

• 10 guajillo chiles
• 8 arbol chiles
• 3 large garlic cloves unpeeled
• 1 piece of onion about 1/4 of a small onion
• 2 roma tomatoes
• 4 cups chopped cauliflower
• 8 small red potatoes cut into fourths or 3 russets chopped
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp sugar
• 8 fresh epasote leaves
• lemons
• parchment paper and kitchen string

For the pickled onions

• 1 red onion
• 2 habanero peppers
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3 limes
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• pinch of pepper

Preparation

Step 1 – set oven to 325 degrees; cut 4 pieces of parchment paper about 15 inches long, fill a baking dish with enough water to cover the parchment and soak it in the water for 15 minutes; make the pickled onions; slice the onion into thin half moons, add to a small bowl; de seed the habanero and mince finely, add to the onions; add the juice from 3 limes, the white vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper mix well, set aside to marinate.

Step 2 – make the sauce; heat a comal or skillet and dry roast the onion and the garlic cloves until soft and charred in spots, remove from heat and set aside when done; remove the stems and seeds from the guajillo chiles and place in a pot of boiling water along with the tomatoes, boil for 5 minutes, let rest 5 minutes; add them to a blender along with the peeled garlic cloves, onion, cumin, oregano, sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper; blend until very smooth; strain sauce into a bowl; heat 2 tbsp oil in a pot and pour in the sauce, cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally; turn off heat, stir in the cauliflower and set aside.

Step 3 – take a piece of the soaked parchment paper, place about 1 cup of the cauliflower and guajillo mix in the center pour about 1/3 cup of the sauce over, add some potaotes and top with 2 epasote leaves; gather the ends together and tie with the kithen string, that’s your mixiote! You should have a total of 4 packets, place them on a baking dish, sheet or pan, place in a hot oven and cook for 45 minutes.

To serve place a mixiote onto a plate and cut string, squeeze some lemon juice, top with pickled onions and serve with warm tortillas and avocado slices. The broth that is created during the cooking process is part of the charm of this dish. Enjoy!

-Mia