Eat your way around the world
Serves 3 In El Salvador, Atol is made with fresh corn kernels, milk, cinnamon, and sugar. My version is simplified for the home cook - but if you have the time, and if it is in season, cut the corn straight off the cob. Do it while listening to Salvadoran music, just because. Ingredients: 1 lb frozen corn, thawed 2 cups milk 1 cinnamon stick 1/4-1/2 cup sugar extra milk, as needed ground cinnamon for garnish Method: Add golden nuggets of goodness to a medium pot. Balance a … [Read more...]
Makes 1 giant bowl. Vinegar lovers unite! With very little effort you can have this Salvadoran slaw at your next barbecue or gathering. To be authentic, serve slightly "pickled" - about 1-3 days after making it. This should be vinegary and with the slightest hint of heat. Serve with pupusas. Ingredients: 1 cabbage, cored and sliced thinly 1/2 red onion, sliced thinly 2 carrots, grated 1 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 1/8 cup olive oil salt … [Read more...]
Makes 18-22 cupcakes Don't expect cheese and tortillas. Instead, think poundcake. Think party food. Think happy mornings, popping a few too many quesadillas in your mouth. In El Salvador they eat rich, buttery quesadillas in the morning with a big cup of coffee and I suggest you do the same. You'll love the slight crunch of the sesame seeds in combination with the sweet/salty cake. I'm proud to say that this recipe was awarded First Place in food52's Gluten-Free Baking Competition. Best … [Read more...]
Elegance turns to a sloppy muddled mess in the Salvadoran danza de los chapetones. On purpose. For giggles. The satirical dance begins with thirteen dancers, 12 men and a woman. All are elegantly dressed - the men represent Spanish nobles, wearing suits with fancy hats, the woman represents the Spanish queen, wearing a crown and white wedding dress. Which all makes sense once you realize El Salvador was once a Spanish colony. The satire begins as a waltz, wickedly exaggerated. As the dance … [Read more...]
Makes 6-10 pupusa Take a big bite of El Salvador with cheesy pupusas. Many locals eat pupusa several times a week - some are filled with beans, others meat. But, no matter how you fill it, there's an art to shaping the mighty papusa. Here's Martha Stewart's demonstration: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kShxKY1mrPM Here are four things I wish I knew when I got started: Make your dough fairly moist. Play with the consistency. You don't want a lot of cracking on the edges. The one … [Read more...]
El Salvador is calling my name but I can't go, no matter how badly I want to. We just dug ourselves out of a 14" snowstorm that sent Tulsa to a screeching halt. The newspaper didn't print, milk has been missing for days, and - someone help us - we've got another 5-10 inches coming. At times like these, I find "denial" to be a fairly decent coping mechanism. So, if you need me, I'll be tucked away, under comforter, spooning Salvadorian food into my mouth, waiting for the snow to melt. Cabbage … [Read more...]
Do you like colorful birds? What about ruins - ancient, gothic, and colonial? Step right this way. Meet El Salvador, a tiny country freckled with mighty volcanoes, thickly coated by lush tropics, and so much more. In this steamy dreamland, I discovered a theme: corn. First, there's pupusa - thick corn flour (masa) based tortillas stuffed with cheese, meat, or beans. Pupusas [Recipe] are often served with a bright, vinegary scoop of curtido [Recipe], or cabbage slaw, and fresh salsa. Then, … [Read more...]
THE SCENE We huddled together on the couch - three big geeks - faces glowing in the flickering light. It was Mr Picky, myself, and our friend Janine. Ava was asleep for the night. In fact, she'd been asleep for hours and hours and hours. The coffee table was loaded up with platters of Ful Medames, White Coffee, and a box of kleenex - just in case. Now, before you get the wrong idea, I should state that I'm not normally a TV person. I was raised without it. My mother kept hers in the … [Read more...]
