Go Potatoes! Inspiration From Argentina

In the urban US, I enjoy easy access to a vast vegan pantry—Earth Balance sticks, coconut milk and oil, affordable raw nuts, and magical powders like agar and xantham gum await me at the market down the street. For cheeses, I can get all the ingredients and make my own nut cheeses; grab Daiya, Follow Your Heart, or Chao; or purchase a variety of gourmet cheeses: Kite Hill, Punk Rawk Labs, Heidi-Ho, Miyoko’s, and more.

In other places, like Argentina, it’s prohibitively difficult and expensive to get those products. Yet, I recently had awesome vegan pizza with a melty, delicious mozzarella alternative in Buenos Aires, and it’s something that could be made anywhere. The secret is simple: stop underestimating the humble potato.

“Paparella” is featured at Buenos Aires’ Pizza Vegana, the new restaurant vegans and vegetarians visiting Argentina cannot miss. It’s a vegan co-op where they’ve perfected the potato-based cheese and share unlimited pizza (pizza libre), and good vibes, with the world. While Pizza Vegana created their own secret recipe for Paparella, anyone can make potato cheese. It’s affordable and easy!

This basic recipe results in a plain, soft, fondue-consistency cheesy sauce you can store in the refrigerator, perfect for pizza or dipping. Try adding herbs, garlic/onion powder, or other flavorings to make it your own!

-Add the following to blender:

-Mix until forms a sticky paste—taste and adjust as necessary.