Chef Santiago Lastra puts a twist on classic Mexican dishes with his recipes for cheesy mushroom costras and beetroot tostadas, using poppadoms as a substitute for tortillas. The costra, meaning 'crust' in Spanish, traditionally features beef and a melted cheese crust, but Lastra swaps the meat for mushrooms. The tostadas are topped with a striking pink mole made from beetroot and pine nuts.
For the pink mole, toast pine nuts in the oven at 210C for eight minutes. Wrap 60g beetroot in foil and roast three additional beetroots with oil at 220C for 90 minutes until soft. Toast unpeeled garlic in a dry pan for ten minutes, then squeeze out the flesh. Blend the beetroot for the mole, pine nuts, garlic, smoked paprika, dried chillies, salt, and water until smooth. Store in the fridge for up to four days.
For the tostadas, deep-fry uncooked poppadoms at 180C for three minutes until crisp. Mash the three roasted beetroots with salt. Serve with burrata, herbs, pink mole, and sesame macha. The macha is made by toasting garlic and sesame seeds, then blending with oil, chilli flakes, paprika, honey, and salt.
For the mushroom costras, grill portobello mushrooms with oil and salt. Place on flour tortillas, top with grated emmental, and cook until cheese melts. Serve with raw salsa verde made from onion, garlic, serrano chillies, tomatillos, coriander, and salt. Garnish with chopped coriander, onion, and lemon wedges.
