Portobello Taco Al Pastor

Tacos al pastor is a Mexican street food with Lebanese roots. These beloved tacos most likely evolved from shawarma spit-grilled meat brought by Lebanese immigrants to Mexico. Tacos al pastor in Mexico are made using pork roasted on a spit, but in this version we make a plant-forward version: Portobello Tacos Al Pastor.

 
 

Yield: Serves 4

Method

  1. For the Al Pastor Marinade: Seed and stem the dry chiles. Place them in a small pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Boil for about 4 minutes or until the chiles are soft.

  2. Place chiles and all ingredients for the paste in the jar of a blender and blend until smooth.

  3. Remove the stems and gills from the portobello mushrooms and cut into ½-inch chunks.  Toss the mushrooms in the marinade and set aside while you prepare the rest of the recipe. *The mushrooms can be marinated  up to a day in advance, covered and refrigerated.

  4. For the Tomatillo Salsa and Roasted Pineapple: Turn on the broiler. Line a sheet pan with foil.

  5. Place the peeled tomatillos, sliced onion, and garlic on one side of the sheet pan. Place the pineapple on the other side. Spray with olive oil. Broil until the garlic, onions and tomatillos are starting to char. The pineapple also needs to char slightly. You may have to remove each item as it is charred and soft as they will not char and soften at the same time.

  6. Place the tomatillos, onion and garlic and all the juices in a blender. Blend until smooth. Stir in salt, lime juice, and cilantro. Season to taste and reserve.

  7. When the pineapple is tender and charred, slice and reserve.

  8. For the Limey Onions: Saturate the diced onion with lime juice, and season with a pinch of salt. Set aside.

  9. For the Mushrooms Al Pastor: Heat a large non-stick pan with 1 tbsp. of olive oil and when it is smoking, add half the marinated mushrooms. Stir fry until they are caramelized and tender. Remove and repeat with the remaining oil and mushrooms.

  10. To Assemble: Fill the warm tortillas with the Mushrooms Al Pastor, slices of pineapple, limey onions, and cilantro. Serve with tomatillo salsa, crema, and sliced avocado.

Ingredients

Al Pastor Marinade

1 ea. guajillo chile     

1 ea. ancho chile

1 ea. chipotle chile (dried, not canned)

2 oz. white onion, coarsely chopped

4 ea. garlic cloves, peeled

1 tbsp. achiote paste

½ cup orange juice

½ cup pineapple, chopped      

1 Tbsp. white vinegar

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. Mexican oregano 

1 tsp. smoked paprika

2 tsp. salt

2 lbs. portobello mushrooms 

2 tbsp. vegetable or olive oil

 

Tomatillo Salsa

8 oz. tomatillos, husked and rinsed 

2 oz. white onion, thickly sliced

2 ea. garlic cloves, peeled             

2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

lime juice to taste

salt to taste           

Roasted Pineapple

8 oz. pineapple, peeled and cut in quarters (approximately ½ pineapple)

Limey Onions

4 oz. white onion, small dice

2 ea. limes, juiced 

Garnish

Cilantro sprigs as needed

8 ea. tortillas, warmed                                          

Mexican crema as needed

Avocado, sliced as needed                        

This recipe and video were produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service,
thanks to the generous support of the Mushroom Council.