Salsa Stories
Page 5
“Yes,” agrees Abuelito, “and Abuelita can finally tell you how to make tortilla española.” He laughs as he squeezes Abuelita’s hand. “She’s taken all these years to learn how to make it just like Mami used to.”
“I could also give you José Manuel’s recipe for surullitos,” adds Abuelita. “It’s as good as his grandmother’s.”
“But the best recipe for alfajores argentinos,” boasts Abita, “is the one I make.”
As everyone chatters merrily about their recipes, Doña Josefa talks to me alone.
“I’m so pleased you liked my gift, Carmen Teresa,” she says. “Each time you prepare one of these recipes, you will remember the story that was told with it. And each time someone tastes one of these dishes, they, too, might have a story to tell.”
Content that I have finally found a way to make this present my very own, I borrow Doña Josefa’s fountain pen and open my book to the first page. Then, with great flourishes and curls, I write:
Carmen Teresa’s Book of Fantastic Family Recipes
Gently, I blow on the wet ink to dry it, and I close the book. And tomorrow, I will begin collecting my recipes.
Mamá’s Arroz con Pollo
CHICKEN WITH RICE
PUERTO RICO
2½ lbs. skinless chicken thighs
juice of 2 limes
Adobo seasoning*
1 oz. salt pork, diced
2 oz. cured ham, diced
2 tbs. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 lg. onion, peeled and chopped
2 lg. green peppers, seeded and chopped
1 tomato, chopped
pimento-stuffed Spanish olives
capers
3 cups long grain rice
3½ cups water
1½ cubes chicken bouillon
¼ cup tomato paste
2 envelopes Sazón seasoning*
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper
Coat the chicken with lime juice and sprinkle generously with Adobo seasoning. Set in refrigerator overnight.
In a caldero, a heavy pot, brown the pork and ham in olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and marinated chicken. Reduce heat to moderate. Brown the chicken for 5 to 10 minutes then remove the chicken pieces and set them aside. Add onion, green peppers, and tomato to the pot, and sauté until tender. Replace the chicken, and add olives and capers to taste. Add rice, water, chicken bouillon cubes, tomato paste, Sazón seasoning, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well. Cover and bring to a boil. Then turn heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. Turn rice with a wooden spoon. Keep covered on the stove with the heat off for 10 to 15 minutes more.
Serves 6 to 8.
Have an adult help you when frying or boiling.
Mamá’s Yuca con Mojo Criollo
STEAMED YUCA WITH SAUCE
PUERTO RICO
YUCA
2½ lbs. frozen yuca (also called cassava)*
water
salt
juice of one lemon
mojo criollo sauce
(see recipe below)
Place frozen yuca in a large pot. Cover with water and sprinkle with salt. Boil for at least 1 hour. Meanwhile, prepare mojo criollo.
When the yuca is very tender, remove it from the water with a slotted spoon, and arrange on a platter. Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt to taste, and pour mojo criollo on top. Serve immediately.
MOJO CRIOLLO SAUCE
4 lg. onions, peeled and sliced
6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 cup olive oil
4 bay leaves
1 tsp. peppercorns
In a large saucepan, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until the onions are soft, but still white. Add bay leaves and peppercorns, and simmer covered for ½ hour.
Serves 8.
Have an adult help you when frying or boiling.
Flor’s Bacalao a la Vizcaína
CODFISH STEW
GUATEMALA
1 lb. dried, salted codfish fillets*
water
One 6-oz. can tomato paste
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup pimento-stuffed Spanish olives
1 tbs. capers
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 bay leaf
4 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
Cover codfish in water and soak for 4 hours, changing the water twice. Drain well. Place codfish in a pot with 8 cups of water, and boil for 15 minutes. Drain and let cool. Discard skin and bones, and then shred the flesh.
Mix tomato paste with 1 cup water and olive oil, and stir until paste is smooth. Add olives, capers, garlic, and bay leaf to the tomato mixture.
In a large frying pan, arrange alternate layers of tomato mixture, potatoes, codfish, and onions. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cover. Turn heat to low, and cook for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Transfer to a serving platter.
Serves 4 to 6.
Have an adult help you when frying or boiling.
Flor’s Torrejas
GUATEMALAN TOAST
GUATEMALA
TOAST
½ lb. French bread
1 cup milk
ground cinnamon to taste
3 eggs, lightly beaten
vegetable oil, for panfrying
To prepare torrejas, cut bread into ½ inch-thick slices. Dip each slice in milk. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle both sides of the bread with cinnamon. Dip into beaten eggs and remove with a slotted spoon. Fry bread slices in hot oil until both sides are golden brown. Remove. Drain on absorbent paper towels and place several slices in each dessert bowl. Serve with syrup (see recipe below).
SYRUP
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
¼ tsp. salt
1 thin cinnamon stick
peel of 1 lime, grated
For the syrup, mix sugar, water, salt, cinnamon stick, and lime peel in a saucepan. Boil over high heat without stirring until syrup thickens slightly, about 20 minutes. Pour syrup over toast. Allow the syrup to cool a little before serving. Enjoy torrejas with a tall glass of milk.
Serves 4.
Have an adult help you when frying or boiling.
Flor’s Horchata
SESAME DRINK
GUATEMALA
1 cup sesame seeds
6 cups water
½ cup sugar
ice
Soak sesame seeds in 4 cups of water for 3 hours. Drain well. Crush seeds in a food processor or with a mortar. Add seeds to 2 cups of lukewarm water, mix, and squeeze the mixture through a muslin cloth into a pot. Add sugar, mix, and refrigerate to chill. Stir well. Serve in a tall glass with ice.
Serves 4.
Fernando’s Tortilla Española
SPANISH OMELET
CUBA
¼ cup olive oil
1 lg. onion, peeled and chopped
1¼ tsp. salt
1 Spanish chorizo*, skinless and minced (optional)
1 lb. new potatoes, washed and cut in small irregular shapes
6 lg. eggs
1/8 tsp. ground pepper
Place oil, onion, ¼ tsp. salt, and chorizo (optional) in a 10-inch nonstick frying pan. Sauté for 10 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Strain in a colander, reserving oil. Set onions aside and pour oil back into pan. Add potatoes and ¼ tsp. salt. Turn heat to high, then when mixture sizzles, cover and cook over low heat until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon and set aside.
In a bowl, beat eggs with the pepper and ¾ tsp. salt. Stir in onions and potatoes. Turn heat to medium-high. Pour egg mixture into frying pan. Cook over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, then turn heat to low. Cook tortilla until surface is dry. Gently move pan back and forth to release the edges of the tortilla. Then, put a plate over the top of the pan. Usin
g oven mitts, turn the pan over onto the plate. Once the tortilla is on the plate, slip it back into the pan to cook for 10 minutes on the other side. Remove from the pan and let cool before cutting into 1½-inch cubes. Serve at room temperature.
Makes about 32 appetizers.
Have an adult help you when frying.
Amalia’s Helado de Coco
COCONUT SHERBET
PUERTO RICO
One 14-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
1½ cups sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
3½ cups water
peel of 1/8 lime, grated
Mix all ingredients well. Pour in a freezer container and freeze for several hours until the sherbet is half frozen. Remove from freezer and beat the sherbet to break up crystals. For a smoother texture, you can repeat this process. Freeze overnight or until firm.
Serves 10 to 12.
José Manuel’s Surullitos de Maíz
CORN FRITTERS
PUERTO RICO
CORN FRITTERS
2 cups water
1¼ tsp. salt
1½ cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup grated Edam or Colby cheese
vegetable oil for deep-frying
Combine water and salt in saucepan. Heat to boiling and remove from heat. Add cornmeal and mix thoroughly. Cook over moderate heat for about 10 minutes or until mixture separates from the bottom and sides of pan. Mixture will be thick and steam will rise from it. Remove from heat. Add cheese and mix well. Let cool slightly. Take mixture by the tablespoon, and roll it in the palms of your hands to form ½-inch-thick cylinders with rounded ends. Deep-fry in oil heated to 375° F. until golden brown. Remove and drain on absorbent paper. Serve warm with salsa.
Makes about 50.
Have an adult help you when frying.
SALSA
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup ketchup
3 peeled garlic cloves, crushed
Mix all ingredients together and serve as a cold dip for the warm surullitos.
Susana’s Alfajores
CARAMEL SANDWICH COOKIES
ARGENTINA
11/3 cup cornstarch
¾ cup and 3 tbs. all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
7 oz. butter, softened
½ cup and 3 tbs. sugar
3 egg yolks
peel of 1 lemon, grated
1 tsp. vanilla
dulce de leche (see recipe below)
powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350° F. In small bowl, mix cornstarch, flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. In a food processor, mix butter with sugar. Mix in egg yolks, one by one. Add flour mixture by spoonfuls, mixing well after each addition. Finally, add lemon peel and vanilla. Mix well. Scrape sides of bowl and transfer the dough onto a floured surface. If dough is too soft, chill until easier to handle. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 1/4-inch thickness. Or, roll between two sheets of waxed paper. With a cookie cutter, make 2-inch diameter rounds. Place rounds on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until pale golden-brown. Let cookies cool. Make cookie sandwiches using dulce de leche as a filling. Sift a generous amount of powdered sugar on top of alfajores.
Makes about 16.
DULCE DE LECHE
One 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Place unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a deep pan. Cover can with water. Bring to a boil. Boil for 2 hours, keeping the can under water at all times. Remove from pan. Let it cool completely. Open can and pour its contents into a small bowl. Stir in vanilla.
Makes enough filling for 16 alfajores.
Have an adult help you remove the can from boiling water.
Mama Rosa’s Chiles Rellenos
STUFFED FRIED PEPPERS
MEXICO
12 cubanel or poblano peppers
Monterey Jack cheese, sliced into thick rectangular pieces
3 lg. eggs, whites and yolks separated
oil for deep-frying
In a comal, a heavy iron pan, roast peppers on all sides until the skin turns brown-black and begins to lift. Remove peppers from pan with tongs. While peppers are still warm, carefully peel off their skins. Make a 2-inch slit in each one and remove the seeds with a small spoon. Stuff each pepper with a piece of cheese. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Gently fold in egg yolks. Dip peppers in beaten egg mixture and fry in hot oil. When peppers turn golden brown, remove with a slotted spoon and serve immediately. Enjoy chiles rellenos with pico de gallo.
Serves 12.
Have an adult help you when frying.
Victoria’s Flour Tortillas
MEXICAN PANCAKES
4½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
3½ tbs. canola oil
1 cup lukewarm water
In a large bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in oil with a fork until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water gradually and knead until dough forms a large ball. It should be elastic, but not sticky. Cover the ball with a towel for 1/2 hour.
Pinch off disks of dough 1 inch thick and 2 inches in diameter. Roll each one into a flat, thin circle. Heat a heavy iron pan until a drop of water sizzles in it. Cook tortillas until both sides are golden brown. Enjoy with meat filling, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, or by themselves.
Makes about 28.
Roberto’s Pico de Gallo
MEXICAN RELISH
2 lg. ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 lg. onion, peeled and chopped
1 bunch of cilantro, stalks removed, leaves rinsed and chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
juice of 2 limes
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Serve with warm flour tortillas.
Josefa’s Turrón de Doña Pepa
NOUGAT CANDY
PERU
DOUGH
2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tbs. aniseed
4 egg yolks
8 oz. butter
¼ cup aniseed herbal tea
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup milk
Preheat oven to 350° F. Mix flour, baking powder, and aniseed in a bowl. In another bowl, beat egg yolks. Add beaten egg yolks to flour mixture. Cut in butter with your hands until mixture resembles cornmeal. In a third bowl, mix aniseed tea, salt, and milk. Add this liquid mixture to the flour-and-egg mixture. Knead until you can form a ball with the dough. Let dough stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
Roll dough to form long cylinders ¼-inch thick. Cut into 4-inch lengths. Place the cylinder cookies on a greased cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
Have an adult help you when baking.
HONEY
16 oz. Panela* (Hard brown sugar)
½ cup water
2 cloves
juice of 1 lemon
peel of ½ orange, grated
1 cinnamon stick
juice of ½ lime
Place all ingredients except the lime juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Carefully stir until Panela melts and the liquid becomes the consistency of honey, about 20 minutes. Add lime juice so mixture doesn’t crystallize. Let cool.
ASSEMBLY
For the assembly, have your favorite sugar sprinkles on hand. When the honey has cooled to the point that it will stick to the cylinder-shaped cookies, arrange alternate layers of cookies and honey in a 9-by 13-inch dish. The cookies should be layered in a crisscross fashion and the last layer should be honey. Top with sprinkles or any kind of tiny, hard-candy pieces,
As soon as the turrón is completely cool, cut into small pieces.
Makes about 25 pieces.
Marilia’s Besitos de Coco
COCONUT KISSES
PUERTO RICO
3¼ cups fresh frozen grated coconut,* firmly packed
&
nbsp; 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
8 tbs. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. salt
4 tbs. butter, at room temperature
3 lg. egg yolks
½ tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350° F. Place grated coconut in a bowl. Add brown sugar, flour, salt, butter, yolks, and vanilla. Mix well. Grease a 9-by 13-inch glass baking dish. Take mixture by the tablespoon, shape into balls, and arrange in baking dish. Bake for about 35 minutes or until golden. Let cool in baking dish for 10 minutes. With a small spatula, remove besitos carefully and place upside down onto platter. Let cool completely and turn over.
Makes about 35.
Marilia’s Tembleque
COCONUT DESSERT
PUERTO RICO
¾ cup sweetened coconut milk (shake can before measuring)
1½ cups water
½ cup cornstarch
¾ cup milk
¼ tsp. salt
cinnamon to taste
In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except cinnamon. Pour mixture into a large pot. Place pot over medium-high heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. When mixture begins to thicken, turn heat to low and stir until it is very thick and smooth, about 10 minutes. You should be able to see the bottom of the pan when running the spoon across it.
Spread mixture into a 9-by 13-inch glass baking dish. With a fork, draw swirls on top of the tembleque. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Let cool. Cover and refrigerate for several hours. Once tembleque is chilled, it should have the consistency of gelatin. Cut into squares and transfer to a serving platter.
Makes about 30 squares.
Abuelita’s Natilla
CUSTARD
PUERTO RICO
4 egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
¼ tsp. salt
2 tbs. cornstarch
4 cups whole milk
2 tsp. vanilla
ground cinnamon
Using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg yolks in a large bowl. Continue beating and add sugar slowly. Mix in salt and cornstarch until ingredients are evenly distributed and you have a smooth mixture. Set aside.