Mushroom tacos with chile de árbol salsa (tacos de champiñones)

Every taco masterpiece needs a final touch, like the fiery chile de árbol salsa on these vegetarian mushroom tacos.

Credit: Pati's Mexican Table

• makes

  6

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp safflower oil
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
• 450 g (1 lb) mixed mushrooms such as maitake, crimini and shitake, sliced into 2 cm (¾ in) pieces
• Kosher salt to taste
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp Chile de Árbol Salsa Verde, plus more to serve (recipe follows)
• 3 tsp sherry vinegar
• 1½ tbsp coriander (cilantro) leaves and upper stems, chopped, plus more to garnish
• 6 warm corn or flour tortillas
• Coriander (cilantro) flowers to garnish (optional)

Chile de árbol salsa verde (see Note)

• 900 g (2 lb) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 4 chiles de árbol, stemmed
• 1 thin slice white onion
• 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

Instructions

1. For the salsa, place the tomatillos on a baking sheet and place under the grill. Roast and char for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping in between, until completely charred, juicy and softened. Alternatively, char them on a grill or a hot comal. Transfer to a blender along with chiles de árbol, a thin slice of white onion and salt. Puree until smooth.
2. For the tacos, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot add the garlic and thyme and once the garlic begins to just lightly brown around the edges, add the mushrooms. Let them cook for 3 minutes, then stir and season with salt. Again, let them sit undisturbed for 2-3 minutes, or as needed, allowing any liquid to cook off and until they are deeply browned. Once browned, stir in the 2 tbsp + 1 tsp chile de árbol salsa and cook for one minute while stirring, so the mushrooms absorb the flavor. Stir in the vinegar and the chopped coriander (cilantro). Remove from heat.
3. Spoon onto warm corn tortillas and garnish with cilantro and/or cilantro flowers, if using. Serve with extra chile de árbol salsa.

Note

• The chile de árbol salsa makes about 2 cups. Extra salsa can be stored in the refrigerator for several days, or frozen.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.