Vegan Chef Miyoko Schinner’s Vegan Meat Recipes, Part 2 of 2 – Rice Paper Vegan Prosciutto

“What we’re going to make today is vegan prosciutto. I have to admit I’ve never had prosciutto made from an animal. Thank God. Prosciutto is thinly sliced ham that’s been smoked. So, we’re going to attempt to make that out of rice paper, and I guarantee you it’s so delicious and it’s so satisfying.

I’m going to use vegetable stock, liquid smoke, and sugar. Once we make the prosciutto, traditionally it’s wrapped around something like melon or asparagus. The melon is going to remain fresh, but for the asparagus, we’re going to roast it. I have about a pound of this lovely green spring asparagus, which I’m spreading on a sheet pan. I’m simply going to toss it with a little bit of olive oil, a little bit of salt, and some black pepper. I’m just going to toss it all. So, it’s evenly coated in the oil, salt, and pepper. Now I’m going to put this in the oven at 220°C (425°F) for about 10 or 15 minutes until it’s nice and brown and tender.

We’re ready to move on to the marinade for the rice paper, which will transform this rice paper into something that’s like prosciutto, but a lot kinder. I’m going to add a quarter cup of Bragg’s liquid aminos. You can use soy sauce or tamari. A quarter cup of beet juice ; and this will turn the rice paper into this lovely pink color. Add two teaspoons of sugar for just a touch of sweetness and finally, a little splash of liquid smoke. Mix all of that up to dissolve the sugar. Now we’re going to take about two or three sheets of this paper and put it into the marinade. After a couple of minutes, you can feel the rice paper and see if it’s softened up.”

“I’ve got melon. I have asparagus. I have my vegan prosciutto, and now we’re ready to rock and roll. So, I’m going to take a piece of this vegan prosciutto. There we go. Isn’t that lovely? I’m going to cut this in half. And depending on the size of what you’re rolling, you can cut this even into quarters. Take two of these pieces of asparagus and roll them like that. If you have guests that pop over, for example, and you haven’t prepared anything, you have some veggies in the refrigerator or some melon, just think of this as an easy appetizer. You could also roll these around a grilled king trumpet mushroom or portobello mushroom.

OK. My beautiful platter of vegan prosciutto wrapped melon and asparagus is ready and I am ready to entertain all of you. Bon Appetit.”