Category Archives: food/drink
The Pumpkin Patch – An American Tradition
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Carlos pulls the boys in a wagon through a pumpkin patch. 2009
One of the first places I brought Carlos when he was my boyfriend was to a pumpkin patch, and one of the first things I showed him was how to to carve a jack-o-lantern. I’ve always been interested in other cultures and traditions, but there was also something exciting about showing Carlos my own.
Fifteen years later, going to the pumpkin patch as a family each October is one of our favorite things.
The pumpkin patch we usually go to has goats and you can buy food pellets for them from a bubble gum style machine for a quarter. Over the years, Carlos has come to be more of an animal lover. He looks so happy petting the goat here.
After feeding the goats we considered giving the corn maze a try but it takes 45 minutes to go through, (maybe an hour given my sense of direction) – so we decided we’ll come back another day to do it.
Into the pumpkin patch.
My boys are getting bigger, (The oldest is taller than Carlos), but they haven’t outgrown the pumpkin patch.
There’s a type of squash in El Salvador called Pipián. We aren’t sure if this squash here is related but when you’re accustomed to their palm-sized Latin American cousins, these are kind of hilarious.
Now that we’ve picked our pumpkins and brought them home, we’ll soon carve them into jack-o-lanterns. When we clean out the inside of the pumpkin we always reserve the seeds for roasting and eating. Roasted pumpkin seeds, funnily enough, remind Carlos of El Salvador.
Casamiento
Nope, I’m not talking about getting married – I’m talking about Salvadoran Casamiento.
“Casamiento” means “wedding” and it’s the name of a bean and rice dish in El Salvador. Although Casamiento is usually made from leftover beans and rice which are mixed together, it can also be made from scratch. I made a video showing all the steps – from making a simple pot of plain, white rice, to making a pot of Salvadoran beans, to then combining them along with some other ingredients to create Casamiento.
Because Casamiento is usually eaten with Platanos Fritos and Crema, I decided to throw that recipe in the video as well… So here’s the video, and the recipes are typed up below, too.
Plain, White Rice
You need:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup rice (Salvadorans traditionally use white rice. I use Jasmine.)
1 3/4 cups water
a little less than 1 teaspoon salt
Directions: Heat oil in a medium pot. Add rice and stir around for a minute or two. (Do not brown the rice.) Add the water and salt. Stir just to distribute the salt and then no more stirring after that! Bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat to low. After 12 minutes your pot of rice should be ready. Uncover and fluff with a fork. If using for Casamiento, set aside or refrigerate when cooled.
Salvadoran Beans
You need:
1 lb. beans (these can be black beans or Salvadoran red beans/frijoles rojos de seda.)
1 medium onion, peeled and cut in quarters
a few cloves of garlic, peeled
water
salt
Directions: Pour beans into a large pot. Cover with water to rinse. Remove any debris or shriveled beans. (I don’t usually find anything to remove but it’s just a precaution.) Drain water and add fresh water to cover.
Now you have a choice – If you want to cook the beans as soon as possible, you can do a “quick soak.” Bring the beans and water to a boil, then cover and remove from heat. Let beans sit for one hour. This is a quick soak and your beans are now ready to cook.
If you aren’t in a hurry, you can simply cover the beans (without heating the water), and let them sit overnight. The beans will be ready to cook in the morning.
Once your beans have either been through the “quick soak” process, or have sat overnight, you’re ready to cook them. Drain the water and add fresh water again. Make sure the water covers the beans by about a half inch. Add the onion and garlic to the pot. Simmer the beans covered until tender. This can take up to five hours and you must frequently check the beans to make sure they have enough water. Add water when needed and do not let the beans cook dry or they will burn. NOTE: Do not add salt until the beans are completely done cooking. If you add salt while the beans are hard, they will not soften. When the beans are tender, add salt to taste.
Casamiento
You need:
3/4 cups green pepper, diced
1 large roma tomato, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup cooked beans
1/2 cup bean broth (the liquid from cooking the beans)
salt, to taste
Directions: Add the green pepper, tomato and onion to oil in a medium pot. Cook over medium heat until onion and green pepper become tender. Add in the rice, beans and bean broth. (If you prefer a drier Casamiento, use a little less bean broth.) Mix until combined. Remove from heat. Add salt to taste.
Platanos Fritos
You need:
1 platano, (should be yellow with many black markings)
oil for cooking
Directions:
Use a sharp knife to cut off the ends of the platano. Slice through the peel length-wise to remove. Slice the platano in circles or quarters length-wise. Fry in a tablespoon or two of oil, flipping to brown both sides. Remove to a plate covered in a paper towel to drain. Serve with crema. (If you don’t have Salvadoran crema available near you, sour cream will do.)
Día de Los Muertos Round-up!
Saw this chévere sugar skull mochilla at a local store. Also found it available online. If you want to buy one, the brand is Yak Pak.
I’ve got a backpack full of links for you to check out for Día de Los Muertos (also known as “Day of the Dead” or “Día de los Difuntos”.)
SpanglishBaby.com had the genius idea of creating this collection of Day of the Dead links which includes everything from altars/ofrendas, crafts for adults and kids alike, themed products available for purchase from around the internet, recipes, history, culture, photos, videos, and personal stories. The collection of links includes all my Día de los Muertos posts too in case you missed them in previous years.
Click the image below to go to the SpanglishBaby post which includes not only all their awesome links within their own site, but links to all our fellow amigas’ great content which continues to be added!
Mexican … $2.25
Today is Spanish Friday so this post is in Spanish. If you participated in Spanish Friday on your own blog, leave your link in comments. English translation is below!
Yo nací y crecí en Maryland. Uno pensaría que los estados fronterizos no serían muy diferentes. Uno esperaría que usaramos las mismas palabras para las mismas cosas y que compartimos las mismas comidas – pero uno estaría equivocado.
En el estado de West Virginia, en un ciudad sólo quince minutos más de la frontera con Maryland, comí en un restaurante y, mientras miraba el menú, vi algo muy confuso.
Leí:
Cheeseburger $3.50
Bacon Cheeseburger $3.75
BLT $2.95
Hot dog $1.75
Todo bien, buenos precios, pero el siguiente punto del menú era:
Mexican $2.25
¿Qué qué? ¿Un Mexican? ¿Un Mexican qué? Si se hubiera escrito como “Mexican Sandwich” yo no creo que me hubiera sorprendido, pero sólo decia “Mexican”.
Primero pensé que sólo era este restaurante, pero es un sándwich popular en la península del oriente del estado de West Virginia – y así se llama – es un “Mexican” – nadie le añade la palabra “sándwich”.
Yo todavía no he ordenado un “Mexican”, pero por lo que entiendo, es como un Sloppy Joe en un pan de perro caliente. Nadie sabe exactamente por qué se llama un “Mexican”, pero algunos dicen que es debido a las especias usadas para sazonar la carne.
Bueno, tal vez no es tan raro. Después de todo, los mexicanos tienen una comida que se llama “gringa.”
[ENGLISH TRANSLATION]
I was born and raised in Maryland. One would think that the border states would not be very different. One would expect that we use the same words for the same things and that we eat the same foods – but one would be wrong.
In the state of West Virginia, in a town just fifteen minutes from the border with Maryland, I ate at a restaurant and, while looking at the menu, I saw something very confusing.
I read:
Cheeseburger $3.50
Bacon Cheeseburger $3.75
BLT $2.95
Hot dog $1.75
All looks good, good prices, but the next item on the menu was:
Mexican $2.25
What? A Mexican? A Mexican what? If they had written it as “Mexican Sandwich” I don’t think I would have stopped short, but it only said “Mexican.”
First I thought it was just this restaurant, but it’s actually a popular sandwich in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia – and that’s the name – it’s a “Mexican” – no one adds the word “sandwich.”
I still have not ordered a “Mexican” but from what I understand, it’s like a Sloppy Joe in a hot dog bun. No one seems to know exactly why its called a “Mexican” but some say it’s because of the spices used to season the meat.
Well, maybe it isn’t that odd. After all, Mexicans have a dish called the “gringa.”
Tres Leches Cake
Many countries claim to have first created Tres Leches Cake, (Nicaragua and Mexico especially like to declare ownership) – but one thing is certain – Tres Leches is well-known and well-loved throughout Latin America. Usually reserved for special occasions, the moist cake uses three types of milk, which explains its name.
Most recipes you’ll find for Tres Leches are pretty similar. The recipe for Pastel de Tres Leches offered on Whats4eats.com is the one I make most often, with a few tweaks. Here is my slight variation.
PASTEL DE TRES LECHES
Cake Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
5 eggs at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup 1% milk
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 jar maraschino cherries
Whipped Cream Topping Ingredients:
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar (use a little less if you prefer it not too sweet)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine flour and baking powder in a small bowl. In a separate, large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Reduce the mixer speed and add the eggs one at a time, allowing each to be incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
4. Fold in the flour and baking powder until it is well incorporated.
5. Pour the batter into a greased 8×11-inch baking pan and bake 30 minutes, or until done. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
6. Pierce cake all over with a bamboo skewer or toothpick. You should try to make sure there’s about four holes, evenly spaced, for every square inch. These holes help the liquid absorb later.
7. Mix the 1% milk, sweetened condensed, and evaporated milk together and pour the mixture over the whole cake. (You may feel like there’s too much liquid but add it all. It will absorb later!) Try to distribute the liquid evenly over the cake, making sure you get the edges, too.
7. Refrigerate cake, covered with aluminum foil, for an hour or until liquid is completely absorbed and cake is well chilled. (Some recipes instruct you to wait longer, but mine never takes that long to absorb.)
8. Beat the cream, sugar and vanilla together until the cream holds soft peaks. (Important: Using an electric mixer makes this much faster and easier!) Frost the cake with the whipped cream. Serve, topping each individual piece with a maraschino cherry. Refrigerate cake that isn’t eaten immediately.
(Note: If you’re not serving the cake immediately, you may want to keep the whipped cream in a closed container in the fridge and top the cake when you’re ready to serve it.)
Peperechas!
Today is Spanish Friday so this post is in Spanish. If you participated in Spanish Friday on your own blog, leave your link in comments. English translation is below!
El pan salvadoreño en la foto se llama “peperecha”. La peperecha es fácil de identificar por el color rosado que está encima. Adentro, este pan, (que no es muy dulce, igual que la mayoría de panes salvadoreños), tiene jalea de piña mezclada con dulce de panela.
El nombre de este pan me sorprendió la primera vez que lo ví, porque solo sabía el otro significado de la palabra “peperecha” que es “prostituta”.
Como ven, siempre cuando andabamos en público con mi suegra, ella me susurraba mientras señalaba a mujeres que llevaban demasiado maquillaje o usaban faldita muy corta, “Qué pecado. Mira vé como andan esas peperechas”.
Años más tarde cuando encontré un pan en la tienda Latina etiquetado “peperecha”, empezé a reir.
“¡Mira!” le dije a Carlos. “¿Por qué dice ‘peperecha’ en este pan?”
“Porque así se llama”, me dijo.
“¿Por qué llaman a este pan igual que las putas?”
Carlos encogió los hombros en su forma habitual. Él no parecía muy curioso sobre el nombre del pan y actuaba como si fuera normal, pero por muchos años yo preguntaba a otros salvadoreños acerca de la historia detrás del nombre de este pan y nadie sabía.
¡Pero hoy tengo buenas noticias! Encontré la razón porque le llaman “peperechas” a este pan!
[El pan que se llama "peperecha" es] “conocida así por la similitud al maquillaje que muchas de estas ocupan.” – CulturaCentroamericana.info
Por lo tanto, alguien puso el nombre “peperecha” a este pan por el color rojo que trae, igual al maquillaje de una prostituta.
Bueno, ahora sabemos. ¿Quién quiere una peperecha? – (Me refiero al pan.)
[ENGLISH TRANSLATION]
The photo is of a Salvadoran bread called “peperecha.” Identifying peperecha is easy because of the pink color on the top of the bread. Inside, this bread, (which like the majority of Salvadoran breads, is not very sweet), is a mixture of pineapple jelly and panela (a type of brown sugar.)
The first time I saw the name of this bread I was surprised, because I only knew the other meaning of the word “peperecha” which is “prostitute.”
You see, whenever we walked in public with my mother-in-law, she would whisper to me while pointing to women wearing too much makeup or wearing short miniskirts, “What sin. Look how these peperechas go about.”
Years later when I found a bread in a Latino market labeled “peperecha” I started to laugh.
“Look!” I said to Carlos. “Why does it say ‘peperecha’ on this bread?”
“Because that’s what it’s called,” he said.
“Why is this bread called the same thing as whores?”
Carlos shrugged in his usual way. He didn’t seem curious about the name of the bread and acted like it was normal, but for many years I asked other Salvadorans about the history behind the name of this bread and nobody knew.
However, today I have good news! I found the reason this bread is called “peperecha!”
[The bread called "peperecha" is] “so called because of the similarity to the makeup they [prostitutes] use.” – CulturaCentroamericana.info
Therefore, someone named this bread “peperecha” for its red color which is like the makeup of a prostitute.
Well, now we know. Who wants a peperecha? – (I refer to the bread.)
Latin American Hot Dogs
Maybe it’s because it’s summer and I keep catching the scent of my neighbor’s grill, but I’ve been craving hot dogs pretty often, which is how I got to looking at hot dog photos on Flickr for over an hour the other day. We even had hot dogs for dinner last night, (I topped mine with minced fresh jalapeño, onions, ketchup, mustard and Sriracha.)
I’ve mentioned before that Carlos insists on having his hot dogs “Salvadoran style” and how this led to my realization that hot dogs aren’t as American as many gringos think they are. Hot dogs can be found in almost every country in the world, and while I love a New York style ballpark frank, I have to say, some of these variations are glorious. Before summertime and hot dog season are almost over, check out these photos and then tell me about the best hot dog you’ve ever had, (Latin American or otherwise.)
This is the hot dog I ate in El Salvador.
Chilean hot dog / Image source: manyhighways
“Perro con todo” Venezuela / Image souce: Gabriel López
“Perro Caliente Venezolano” / image source: Oscar D Salazar V
“mazorca perro mixto” Colombia / image source: Krista
“mexicana hot dog” / image source: Krista
Guatemalan “Shuco” hot dog / image source: Rudy Girón
location unknown / image source: Perro Viejo
“3 for 15 pesos” Mexico / image source: japboy
“Completo En Pica Chile” / image source: James
“El Completo del Tio Manolo” Chile / image source: Paul Lowry
Buenos Aires, Argentina / image source: Svetlana Zhukova
Mexican Sushi & Other Fusion Foods
I love fusion cuisine – the mixing of the best parts of two different cultures on one plate. It takes a lot of creativity to come up with something that works.
A month or so ago, I came upon this photo of the “Blaxican Food Truck” (Mexican & Soul Food) and this conversation on Reddit.
Image source: Reddit user J_Keezey
There was talk of jalapeño mac-and-cheese, BBQ steak tacos (sounds as crazy as my Fried Chicken & Mashed Potato Tacos!), and collard green quesadillas.
When I saw yesterday that CNN had interviewed the owner of the truck, it reminded me that I wanted to write about this here.
(Here’s CNN’s interview)
However, there are all kinds of Latin American fusion foods to explore.
Taka Taka in New York features Mexican Sushi and Japanese Tacos. On the menu? Cilantro shrimp tempura; Fried rice roll with hamachi, tuna, avocado and jicama with spicy sriracha mayonnaise; and Fried tuna carnitas in a yuzu-soy marinate with guacamole and pico de gallo in corn tortillas.
Chino Bandido in Phoenix allows you to mix various Chinese and Mexican ingredients. Chico & Chang in Atlanta also serves Chinese and Mexican food but they don’t seem to be mixed based on the menu which lists the cuisines separately.
And then most everyone knows about Kogi BBQ which were all anyone talked about a few years ago when people discovered their Korean-style tacos.
I think the most delicious out of all of these is Mexican Sushi. The combination seems like it was inevitable. Carlos and I love sushi and our two favorite local sushi chefs are both Mexican. In fact, Latinos work behind the scenes at all our favorite Asian restaurants – Chinese, Japanese, Korean.
In comments here on Latinaish, I once mentioned that many of the Latino employees at our favorite Korean market speak Korean.
…We have a Korean Market on the outskirts of D.C. where I make regular visits. (I love Korean food and got Carlos hooked on it too.)… Well, almost all the people that work there are Latino. It’s hilarious because one time at the fish counter Suegra told me what she wanted, I turned to the fish counter manager who was Korean. I greeted him in Korean and then told him Suegra’s order in English. He turned to the guys behind him and told them the order in Spanish. I was like, “Wait a minute! Suegra should have just ordered herself?!” …Also, I’ve heard some of the Latinos there respond to the manager in Korean. It’s pretty cool!
I actually read a story about this Honduran guy who came to the U.S. and began working in a Vietnamese restaurant. He started out washing dishes and ended up learning Vietnamese and working as head chef. [Read more here.] Chévere, right?
As for the Mexican Sushi, unfortunately, I’m a little too far from New York to just pop in at Taka Taka for lunch … pero hay esperanza! Our friends at Tiki Tiki posted a video to their Facebook page that teaches you how to make “Sushi Mexicano.” (I recommend giving Tiki Tiki a “Like” – they’re always sharing fascinating and hilarious content.)
Here’s the video by the very amusing “El Guzii“!
This looks like a lot of work but these fusion restaurants seem to be only in major cities, so it’s a good option if you want to try it. Then again, I found this restaurant in our area.
Felicio’s authentic Mexican and Italian food. The nice thing about this one is that the Italian and Mexican flags have the same colors so I’d assume there was no arguing over the logo or the decor. I actually haven’t eaten here yet, (Carlos has refused), but I think that this isn’t actually true fusion and that the menu items are separate.
What fusion restaurants have you seen?
Healthy Pupusas?
It’s a constant battle. One day I’ll try to be more active and make healthier choices, other days I give in to every craving that pops into my mind – this weekend was no different. Despite watching the Olympics and feeling guilty that I can’t even manage a consistent 20 minutes of activity each day while athletes are capable of so much more, I was hit by an intense yearning for pupusas … and horchata … and tamales fritos.
I have learned a lot in life, but I have yet to fully overcome my hedonistic nature – this manifests itself in various ways but most notably through what I eat. Suegra used to laugh at me when we’d go to the Latino market because I would come out of the store with various kinds of candy instead of normal groceries like other adults. “Sos como una niña” – You’re like a little girl, she would say to me, shaking her head.
So this weekend, this niña had Carlos take me to a pupusería to fulfill my latest craving.
Pupusas de queso con curtido y salsa, a tamal de elote frito, platanos with crema y frijoles, and horchata to drink. (I actually gave most of the platanos to Carlos and my older son and only had a few bites of the beans but it’s still more food than any one person should be eating, and also not the healthiest food either.)
I went for a walk after that meal, to put a small dent in the damage at least, but sometimes I wish I would crave healthier food. My suegra used to crave mangoes and would enjoy them, slurping the sticky juices with her eyes closed, declaring them to be perfectly ripe and delicious to anyone who would listen. I, on the other hand, don’t ever crave fruit and while I do make sure I eat it on a daily basis, I don’t feel passionate about it, (unless chocobananos count, which I don’t believe they do.)
So today when I read “Can the Latin Diet be Healthy?” by fellow contributor, Chelsea, on SpanglishBaby, and “Don’t Let the Olympics Make You Feel Fat” by fellow contributor Elizabeth on Mamiverse, I was reminded of my own thoughts this past weekend, and of a neat link a friend gave me months ago.
Zhu of Correr es mi Destino, E-mailed me a link to a PDF provided by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The nearly 60 page bilingual PDF document is a cookbook of popular Latin American foods, made healthier. Platillos Latinos includes recipes for yucca (baked in the oven instead of fried), lomo saltado, Mexican pozole, arroz con pollo, and even pupusas revueltas using ground chicken and low-fat cheese.
I’m a fan of making small changes to eat healthier since drastic changes don’t last long for me. Others say “everything in moderation” – but moderation is something I still can’t get the hang of. Obsessively passionate or completely disinterested tend to be the two settings I run on regarding everything in life and I’m not so sure I can be re-wired. So I will choose to have my Tres Leches and eat it, too – but perhaps it woudn’t hurt to use fat-free sweetened condensed milk.
Torta Estilo Parque Hula Hula
Today is Spanish Friday so this post is in Spanish. If you participated in Spanish Friday on your own blog, leave your link in comments. English translation is below!
For today’s Spanish Friday I made a video in Spanish of a special sandwich I made. Since the video is in Spanish, I’ll explain here in English. Last year when we went to Parque Hula Hula in San Salvador, we stopped by some unnamed food stall and had a torta for lunch. Carlos and I have been unable to forget that delicious torta so this was my attempt to re-create it. Here’s the video and the recipe.
Torta Salvadoreña – Estilo Parque Hula Hula (Hula Hula Sandwich)
Ingredients:
bolillos or small French breads
butter
mayonnaise (I prefer lime-flavored mayo)
shredded cabbage (boiled until tender and drained)
shredded sandwich steak
mustard
ketchup
guacamole (recipe below)
#1. Cook meat in a frying pan. Add a little cooking oil if needed. Optional: Season with a little Worcestershire sauce & Goya Sazón Culantro y Achiote.
#2. Butter the bread and toast on both sides. Do this on a comal, griddle or frying pan.
#3. Spread mayonnaise on both open faces of the bread. Top with cooked sandwich steak.
#4. Top steak with shredded cabbage, then add ketchup, mustard and guacamole. Serve.
BONUS RECIPE (Fresh Guacamole for Sandwiches): To make guacamole, I put 1 avocado, a large spoonful of minced onion, a spoonful of mayonnaise, a few shakes of dried oregano, a pinch of salt and a good squeeze of fresh lime into a self-sealing plastic bag. Close the bag and massage the avocado until smooth and combined with other ingredients. Cut off the corner of the bag so the guacamole can be piped onto sandwiches.
