Category Archives: food/drink
Kranky K
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!
La otra semana encontré algo nuevo en el mercado latino. A lado de mis queridos Bubu Lubus había un nuevo dulce de la misma compañía (Ricolino) que se llama “Kranky K.”
Aparentemente Kranky K son confleis cubiertas en chocolate y por solo 25 centavos, me decidí probarlos. Estaban buenos pero no super impresionantes, y definitivamente no son tan adictos como su primo el Bubu Lubu, a pesar de el hecho que el nombre “Kranky K” se escucha como una nueva droga de la calle.
[ENGLISH TRANSLATION]
The other week I found something new at the Latino market. Next to my beloved Bubu Lubus was a new candy by the same company (Ricolino) that’s called “Kranky K.”
Apparently Kranky K are cornflakes covered in chocolate and for only 25 cents, I decided to try them. They were good but not super impressive, and they’re definitely not addictive like their cousin, Bubu Lubu, despite the fact that “Kranky K” sounds like a new street drug to me.
Mexican Escabeche
I gave you my recipe for Salvadoran Escabeche already, but do you ever buy the Mexican Escabeche in a can? (Pickled jalapeños and carrots?) Carlos and I love those so one day when I was faced with a nearly empty jar of pickled jalapeños, I decided to make good use of it by “recycling” it into “homemade” Mexican Escabeche. Chécalo!
In just a day or two those carrots soaked up plenty of flavor!
Easy Sopapillas
It all started the other night when I made Chinese egg rolls for dinner. Carlos wandered into the kitchen and observed me for a moment before joking, “Those are egg rolls? … They’re not even round. They look like tamales.”
My failed attempt at Chinese egg rolls. This is one of the “tamales chinos” before frying. They weren’t the right shape, but they tasted good.
I kicked Carlos out of the kitchen for that, although I had to admit, these look more like “tamales chinos” than egg rolls. The important thing is they tasted good, and thinking about Latin American food while making Chinese food sparked an idea.
I watched how the egg rolls puffed a little and became crispy as they fried in the oil and I thought, “I wonder if these egg roll wrappers would work for sopapillas?”
There was only one way to find out, so I gave it a try and success! Here’s how you make sopapillas [pronounced so-pah-pee-yas] from egg roll wrappers. (Step-by-step photos below!)
Easy Egg roll Wrapper Sopapillas
Ingredients:
Egg roll wrappers
Canola oil
Cinnamon and sugar
Directions:
1. Take a few egg roll wrappers and cut into quarters.
2. Separate the layers into individual squares.
3. Heat enough canola oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan or large pot.
4. Place a few squares into the oil so that they’re not touching, (you will have to cook them in batches.)
5. Flip squares over so they brown on each side.
6. Remove to paper towels to drain but sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar right away, before they cool.
7. Repeat until you have fried all the squares.
Now you can serve these drizzled in honey, or with vanilla ice cream topped with whatever you like – Some suggestions: chocolate syrup, cajeta (dulce de leche), whipped cream, cherries. (When served with vanilla ice cream, it tastes like fried ice cream.)
Note: There are many types of sopapillas (also spelled: sopaipilla, sopaipa, and supaipa) found in Latin America and they go by other names such as torta frita, cachanga, Kreppel and chipá cuerito. This version most closely resembles the American Southwest dessert version which you find in Mexican restaurants in the United States.
Chiky
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!
Carlos está sentado en la mesa después de trabajar y está comiendo una merienda con una sonrisa en su rostro.
“Estas galletas,” me dice, levantando una galleta cubierta en chocolate y admirandola antes de comer una mordida, “Estas galletas siempre quería comprar cuando era niño en El Salvador.”
“Y por qué no las compraste, pues?” pregunto yo.
“Eran muy caras,” dice Carlos, “Sólo los niños ricos las tenian.”
Las galletas que compramos son de marca “Chiky” y cuestan aproximadamente $2.50 por una docena paquetes que contienen 6 galletas cada uno. Imagino que cuestan todavía menos en El Salvador.
“Somos ricos,” digo yo, “Aunque tenemos un montón de billes sin pagar, tenemos Chiky.”
[ENGLISH TRANSLATION]
Carlos is sitting at the table after work and eating a snack with a smile on his face.
“These cookies,” he says, lifting a cookie covered in chocolate and admiring it before taking a bite, “I always wanted to buy these cookies as a child in El Salvador.”
“So why didn’t you?” I ask.
“They were very expensive,” says Carlos, “Only the rich kids had them.”
The cookies we buy are “Chiky” brand and cost about $2.50 for a dozen packages containing 6 cookies each. I imagine they cost even less in El Salvador.
“We’re rich,” I say, “Although we have a lot of unpaid bills, we have Chiky.”
Leche Poleada
It all started with a comment. D.Y.H said on a recent post:
“Tracy, I just thought of something! Have you ever tried leche poleada? … Preguntale a Carlos si comía eso de niño. Cuando vivía con mi mamá ella lo hacía en tiempo de frío. It’s so good. I wouldn’t be able to tell you how to start or what to put in it aside from sprinkle ground cinnamon before you eat it…”
I had never heard of leche poleada but I asked Carlos and his eyes lit up.
“I love leche poleada!” he said, then he told me about how his mother used to make it for him when he was little. He hadn’t eaten it for at least twenty years.
“Why didn’t you tell me?!” I asked. We’ve been married for fourteen years and I never knew what leche poleada was, let alone that he loves it. Of course I wanted to make it for him right away, and that’s just what I did after a little research on the internet to find a recipe.
Below is my recipe which I adapted from one I found online. This leche poleada is about the same consistency as pudding. Carlos says some people prefer it thicker, so if you want it thicker, I would add another tablespoon of cornstarch and use whole milk instead of 1% – that should do the trick. Also, Carlos likes his cold, but you can eat this warm. (I should know, I licked the pot clean.)
Leche Poleada
Ingredients:
4 rounded tablespoons corn starch
4 1/4 cups 1% milk
3 egg yolks
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
ground cinnamon
Directions:
In a blender add milk, sugar, egg yolks and cornstarch. Blend for 30 seconds until well combined.
Pour mixture into a pot over low heat. Add cinnamon stick and vanilla extract.
Stir constantly until the mixture boils and thickens.
Remove from heat and let cool. (You can serve warm if you like. If you want to serve cold, continue.)
Remove cinnamon stick. Pour into single serving cups and place in refrigerator 1 to 2 hours.
Sprinkle ground cinnamon on poleada before serving. Makes 8 servings.
Adapted from this recipe at Cipotes.net
Fried Chicken & Mashed Potato Tacos
Awhile back a friend of mine asked what we eat at our house. Do we eat mostly Salvadoran or mostly American, she wanted to know. I told her it’s probably about 50/50 depending on my mood. One week I might make all Salvadoran food or a mix of Latin American foods and then the next, I’ll make “American” food, (which is actually more likely to be Americanized Chinese, Mexican or Italian food.)
However, since being asked how we eat, I’ve been a bit more conscious of it and holy cow – we eat some strange things – the best example of the “fusion” cooking that happens organically in my kitchen would be “Fried Chicken & Mashed Potato Tacos.”
How did this happen? It’s the necessity of combining the tastes of everyone in the family with the ingredients I have on hand. I looked into my fridge and saw leftover mashed potatoes and the ever present stack of corn tortillas. I decided to make “Tacos de Papa” – something I first learned about from Graceelena of Sunshine and Potatoes, but I actually got to try them last year when one of Carlos’s Mexican co-workers gifted us some.
The problem with making Tacos de Papa is that Carlos insists on having meat at every meal, and that’s when I spotted the lonely pieces of leftover fried chicken. With a little green onion and salsa to give it some sabor, I had created something that wasn’t quite Mexican or even Tex-Mex, but definitely wasn’t my grandmother’s comfort food either.
Here’s the recipe if you’re crazy enough to try it.
Fried Chicken & Mashed Potato Tacos
Ingredients:
2-3 pieces of fried chicken, shredded by hand
1 cup mashed potatoes
1 green onion, chopped
salsa or hot sauce of your choice
corn or flour tortillas
Directions:
1. Add the green onion to the chicken. Keep all other ingredients separate.
2. Warm tortillas on the comal [griddle] or in a large frying pan, so that they’re pliable. Flip them over.
3. In the center of each tortilla, place a spoonful of mashed potato, a few pieces of chicken & green onion, and top with a spoonful of salsa or hot sauce.
4. Use a spatula to fold each tortilla closed. The mashed potatoes will help keep them from opening. Brown on each side, flipping as needed. If you like, spray each side with cooking spray for better browning.
5. Remove from comal and serve.
Puposas?
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 in italics!
¿Qué es una puposa? Son pupusas de mariposa? ¡Guácala! Creo que la intención de esta empresa era publicitar el hecho que su masa de harina es buena para hacer tortillas, sopes, tamales, y PUPUSAS, entre otras cosas – ¿pero quién sabe lo que pasó? Les van a mandar un E-mail… a ver que dicen.
What is a puposa? Are they pupusas de mariposa [butterfly]? Yuck! I think that the company’s intention was to advertise the fact that their masa harina [tortilla mix] is good for making tortillas, sopes, tamales and PUPUSAS, among other things, but who knows what happened. I’m going to send them an E-mail. Let’s see what they have to say.
Fruit For All! Fruta Para Todos!
One of the great things about having a blog is that sometimes opportunities come along to use that blog to do good – this is one of those times. I have an amazing project to share with you today, and then after that, a really unique giveaway.
First, the project – Nestlé Juicy Juice and Feeding America are working together to literally put fresh fruit into the hands of children who otherwise wouldn’t have it, and there are a lot of ways you can help make that happen.
Ways to contribute to the Fruit For All Project
• Now through August 31st 2012, when you buy Juicy Juice products, Nestlé will donate fruit to Feeding America.
• Now through August 31st 2012, you can complete “challenges” such as sharing a photo on Juicy Juice’s Fruit for All website, in return Nestlé will donate fruit to Feeding America.
Ready to help out? Here are the websites in English and Spanish:
• Juicy Juice – Fruit For All Project – English
• Juicy Juice – Proyecto Fruta Para Todos – Español
The Giveaway
Okay, now for the giveaway – I hope you believed me when I said this is unique. The prize in this giveaway is a donation of 400 meals to a food bank in your community! What an amazing gift to be able to give!
How to Enter
All you need to do to enter is just leave a comment below telling me your favorite fruit! (Please read official rules below.)
Official Rules: No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years of age or older to enter. You must be living in the United States. Your information will only be shared with the company in charge of prize fulfillment. One entry per household. Make sure that you enter a valid E-mail address in the E-mail address field so you can be contacted if you win. Winner will be selected at random. Winner has 48 hours to respond. After 48 hours, a new winner will be selected at random. Giveaway entries are being accepted between June 8th, 2012 through August 1st, 2012. Entries received after August 1st, 2012 at 11:59 pm ET, will not be considered. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. If you win, by accepting the prize, you are agreeing that Latinaish.com assumes no liability for damages of any kind. By entering your name below you are agreeing to these Official Rules. Void where prohibited by law.
Disclosure: This is not a sponsored or paid post. The only compensation I received was the offer to donate 400 meals to my local food bank. All opinions are my own.
How El Salvador Changed Coca-Cola & Maybe the Whole World
Image source: Jesse Michael Nix
In El Salvador many thirsty people on the streets ask for their soda to go, not in a bottle, can or even in a cup – but in a plastic bag with a straw. “Soda en bolsa” is simply cheaper, (an explanation as to why in a video below.)
Well, obviously Coca-Cola cares deeply about its branding and part of their branding is that well-known curvy shaped bottle which sets them apart from other carbonated drinks – But how can Coca-Cola make sure they retain that familiar symbol when everyone is drinking out of bags?
Genius marketing, that’s how.
Coca-Cola created a curvy shaped biodegradable bag available not only in El Salvador, but in other countries as well. Chécalo!
Salvadoran Semita – Recipe!
My first taste of Semita, (a Salvadoran jam or marmalade filled pastry) was many years ago. Suegra had brought it back in her “encargos” from El Salvador and this one, although I didn’t know it at the time, was of great quality and very fresh. Suegra brought many Semitas with her and to keep from eating them I put them in the freezer – I soon found that they taste just as good frozen, (though that’s probably a very gringa thing to do.)
Once my stash of Semita ran out I was forced to buy some at the local Salvadoran-owned Latino market. I then discovered one more thing – Not all Semita are created equal. The Semitas bought locally were low quality – either because they were made to have a longer shelf life or because they weren’t and had gone stale. I vowed that one day I would bake my own Semita but I didn’t get around to it until a few weeks ago. The results were so fantastic that I would say this is one of the best things I’m able to make, (and Carlos fell in love with me all over again.)
Here is my recipe – I read a dozen Semita recipes and created my own. Sometimes straying from already established recipes while baking is asking for disaster, but in this case, it was sweet success. By the way, this recipe can also be used to make Empanadas de Piña, Pasteles de Piña or Pineapple Hand Pies.
If you mention Semita to a Mexican, they might think you’re talking about Cemita – a type of sandwich from Puebla.
Semita (Salvadoran Pineapple Jam-Filled Pastries)
Ingredients:
4 cups of flour
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature and chopped in pieces
2 tablespoons yeast
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 pinches of salt
1 jar pineapple jelly, jam or marmalade (if you can’t find at the regular grocery store, check the Latino market)
1/2 cup water
Directions:
1. In a very large mixing bowl, add the flour. Create a volcano with a hole in the center for the rest of the ingredients.
2. Into the volcano, add butter, yeast, eggs, sugar, salt and water. Mix all the ingredients by hand, kneading them together. (These measurements worked perfectly – I double checked by making the recipe a second time, but if for some reason the dough doesn’t come together after a couple minutes, you can add a little more water – If too sticky after a few minutes, you can add a little flour.)
3. The original recipes call for rising time – I skipped this completely. Don’t be afraid – keep going!
4. Remove a baseball-sized amount of dough and set aside, then break the remaining dough into 4 equal balls.
5. On a lightly-floured surface, roll a ball of dough out until it’s as thick as pie crust, (not too thin or you won’t be able to pick it up.) Use a knife to cut the dough into a rectangle shape. (It doesn’t have to be perfect but you can use a ruler if you want.)
6. Place the rectangle on a greased baking sheet. Top with a nice layer of pineapple jam, (a little thicker than you’d put on a peanut butter & jelly sandwich.)
7. Create another rectangle with the second ball of dough. Place this one on top of the jam.
8. Repeat with the 2 other dough balls. You should now have 2 rectangular Semitas on separate baking sheets, 1 ball of dough and dough scraps from when you cut out the rectangles.
9. Take your dough scraps and create a ball. Roll out on a lightly floured surface and cut into long strips as you see in the photos. Place on top of the 2 Semitas in a criss-cross pattern. Sprinkle each Semita with a tablespoon or two of sugar.
10. Pasteles de Piña: With remaining dough you could make another rectangular Semita or try your hand at Pasteles de Piña. Roll the dough out on a floured surface and then cut out circles using a large drinking glass. Roll out each circle a little more, trying to give it a more oval shape. Put a spoonful of pineapple jam in the middle. With a finger dipped in water, wet the edge of one side before folding over and sealing by pressing the tines of a fork against the edges. (Don’t worry if the dough breaks open a little or doesn’t totally seal. The jam actually tastes really good when it seeps out.)
11. Put the Pasteles on a greased baking sheet, sprinkle with sugar.
12. Baking Time & Temp: Both the Semitas and the Pasteles should be baked on the middle rack of a 350 F oven until golden brown. (You probably won’t be able to bake them all at the same time.) The rectangular Semitas need 30 to 40 minutes in the oven and the Pasteles might be done after 15 to 20 minutes – check them and decide based on color.
Makes: 2 normal-sized Semitas and 12 individual half moon pies/pasteles/empanadas.
Or: 3 normal-sized Semitas, or 36 half moon pies/pasteles/empanadas.
Note: A “normal-sized” Semita serves about 9 people.
