Ingredients:

• 1 lb.        Potatoes, about 2-3 medium, diced medium (Yukon gold, or Russets are great)

• 1 Tbsp   Oil, high temp (i.e. grapeseed, avocado, peanut)

• 2 tsp     Imperial Blackened Seasoning

• 1 Tbsp   Oil, high temp (i.e. grapeseed, avocado, peanut, etc)

• 1              Onion, small, chopped

• 1             Poblano pepper, chopped

• 2             Guajillo Chilies, seeds removed and chopped

• 4-5         Cloves Garlic, chopped

• 1 recipe Seasoned Mince (see below)

• 2 tsp      Imperial Blackened Seasoning

• 2 tsp      Chili Powder

• 2 tsp       Cumin

• 2 tsp      Oregano

• 2             Bay Leaves

• 1 Cup     Tomatoes, Canned or Fresh (crushed, puree, sauce)

• 1 Cup     Vegetable stock

• Salt to taste

• 1 recipe Pickled onion (see below)

• 1 recipe Crown Gravy (see below)

• 1 bunch Cilantro, rough chop

• 1 can or jar of pickled jalapenos for torta topping

• Bolillos (about 8-10)                           

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425.  Dice potatoes to ¼ inch cubes and rinse in water to remove excess starch.  This gives a much better texture to roasted potatoes.  Drain, pat dry, and toss with 1 tablespoon of oil and blackened seasoning.  Spread evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake until crisp and tender, about 30-45 minutes. 

2. For the guajillo chilies, these will need to be rehydrated and processed.  Remove the stems and seeds and place in a bowl of warm/hot water until tender, about 1-2 hours.  Place in a blender, food processor, or molcajete with enough water to process.  Blend until a paste is formed.  A quicker method is to place the peppers in a pan with water.  Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.  Let cool for 20-30 minutes and process as previously described.  The liquid can be reserved for use in vegetable stock to add to the picadillo.

3. Heat skillet over medium with 1 tablespoon of oil and sauté onion and poblano pepper until onions begin to turn translucent, about 2-3 minutes.  Add garlic and sauté an additional 2-3 minutes.  Add seasoned mince, guajillo paste, chili powder, cumin, oregano, bay leaves, tomato, and stock and heat to simmer.  As the mixture begins to simmer, gauge the moisture content at this point to confirm it is “wet” enough and add additional stock as needed. Simmer for 10 minutes, add potatoes, and simmer an additional 10 minutes.  Sample, and add additional salt or seasonings to taste.   

   The Assembly:

   Split bolillos and apply a liberal smear of Crown Gravy, insert one healthy portion of picadillo, and garnish with cilantro and pickled onions and jalapenos.  Gather friends, relatives, loved ones, and anyone else you feel needs to share in the awesomeness of which you are about to partake.  Enjoy!

    

   Seasoned Mince

   • 2 cups   Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)

   • 1 cup     Dark beer (recommend Negro Modelo)

   • 1 cup     Water

   • 1 cube   Vegan Bouillon

   • 1 tsp      Imperial Blackened Seasoning

    Combine beer, water, bouillon, and blackened seasoning into a saucepan and heat over medium until bouillon and seasoning is dissolved.  In a medium sized bowl, pour liquid over in TVP, stir, and allow to rest until all liquid is absorbed

    

   Pickled Onion

   • 1             Red Onion, Large, sliced

   • ½ cup    Vinegar (rice, apple cider, white wine, or a mix of all three work great)

   • 1 cup     Water, hot

   • 3             cloves garlic, crushed

   • 1 ½ tsp  salt

   • 2-3 tsp Sugar (feel free to add more to taste, or less if you prefer a bit more tang than sweet)

   • 1-2         Bay leaves

   • ½ tsp     oregano (optional)

    

   Fresh herbs are awesome if you have access to them, but dried herbs work great as well.  Place sliced red onion in a jar.  Combine remaining ingredients and stir until sugar and salt are dissolved.  Pour over onions and let set at room temperature for about an hour.  Store refrigerated.   

    

   Crown Gravy:

   • 1 Recipe Vegan Mayo (see below)

   • 3 Tbsp   Sriracha (or more to taste)

   • 1 tsp      Garlic Powder

   • Salt and Pepper to taste

   Combine all ingredients into a bowl or container and mix thoroughly.  Slather on any manner of consumable.  Ideal for sandwiches, great in a tofu egg-less salad, or add to your next batch of chickpea “tuna” salad.

    

   Mayon-ain’t (Vegan Mayonnaise)

   • ½ Cup    Soymilk, Unsweetened

   • 1 Tbsp   Imperial Blackened Seasoning

   • 2 tsp     Vinegar, White

   • 1 tsp Dijon Mustard

   • 1 tsp      Maple Syrup

   • 1 cup     Oil (recommend avocado)

   1. All ingredients need to be the same temperature for them to emulsify properly. There are recipes calling for room temperature, and others insisting colder is better. As long as you are able to get it to emulsify, you are doing it right. Combine all ingredients except the oil in a container (I like a mason jar) and stir together.

   2. Once combined add the oil and using an immersion blender, process until an emulsion the consistency of mayonnaise is formed.  Oil can be added all at once, but it is perhaps a safer approach to slowly pour it into the mixture as it is stirred to avoid “breaking” the emulsion. Use in place of mayonnaise or as a base for Crown Gravy (see above).

      Note: While an immersion blender is perhaps the most efficient method to create the emulsification, it is by no means a requirement. A blender or food processor can work well (the recipe may need to be doubled for the blades to perform adequately). In a pinch, a good mixing bowl and whisk are absolutely effective, and it is worth noting that these are the tools by which many chefs first learn to create emulsions.

      Also, sometimes the emulsion does not form or it will “break” during mixing. This can be incredibly frustrating, but there are ways to save the mix with a bit of patience. Add a bit of the broken sauce to a bowl and gradually stream in additional oil until the mixture thickens.

    

   Pro-Tips

   • Play with your food:  As mentioned above, Picadillo is a traditional comfort food served all over the culinary regions of Mexico and many other countries.  There are numerous variations and flavor profiles. This particular recipe is an homage to cuisine found in Northern Mexico.  The spice dynamic is mild/medium.  Find a flavor profile that you enjoy.  Increase the seasonings, maybe add some smoked paprika, or perhaps a few chopped jalapeno or serrano peppers in addition to the poblano pepper to really kick up the heat. Other styles add chopped raisins or honey to create a sweeter flavor similar to adding sugar to a barbecue sauce or teriyaki glaze.

   • Play it Safe:  Potatoes in all their roundedness are unwieldy items to slice and tend to suction onto your knife.  This can be a real safety hazard especially when trying to cut potatoes into such small cubes.  One trick to stabilize this tuber is to slice the first ¼ inch piece off of one side then rotate the spud so that it is now positioned on the flat side and cut the potato in to ¼” sheets that can then be cubed.  This technique gives you a sturdy base to continue making good even slices of potato and to avoid making slices of you. 

   • Plan Ahead: This recipe seems like it has a lot of steps and prep work and may seem like a tall order, but it can be streamlined if you plan out your timeline.  Consider this:  Start the guajillo peppers in a pan with water and simmer.  Turn the oven on to preheat, then prep your pickled onions.  After that get, your potatoes cut, rinsed, seasoned and in the oven.  At this point your guajillo peppers will have probably been simmering for 10 minutes so turn that pan off.  While the potatoes are roasting, prep your seasoned mince and cut your vegetables for the picadillo.  The guajillo peppers should be cool enough to process at this point. Begin the sauté, add the ingredients per the recipe steps, and the potatoes should be done just as you are ready to add them.  Once you get your picadillo simmering, the Crown Gravy can be prepared.  Another option would be to prepare the pickled onions and Crown Gravy a day or two in advance as they both keep well under refrigeration.  Lastly, if you know you will be tight on time getting the meal together, the picadillo can be prepared a day in advance and reheated which can even be preferable as it gives the flavors a chance really mellow into one another.