El Salvador cookbook with more than recipes | Good food

It is said that you can find anything on the Internet.But when Carla Tatiana Vasquez I searched for El Salvadoran recipes, but couldn’t find many that I was happy with. I couldn’t find any English cookbooks either. So this author, recipe developer, and food justice advocate decided to track them down and document them.she founded Salvisoul,Initially How to save her family recipes. since then, grew into moreexpands to record cultural memory and intergenerational connections among the Salvadoran diaspora.As part of that, she just released Salvisoul Cookbook: El Salvador’s recipes and the women who protect them.

Evan Kleiman: Can you tell me about the situation when your family was in Los Angeles?

Carla Vasquez: Yes, my family, like many other families in the 80s, made many decisions and made choices about whether it was safer to stay during the civil war or go to a dangerous war. I was considering. Track to safe locations across many countries. So my family left El Salvador in his late 80’s and arrived here in the late 80’s. It took about a month for them to leave El Salvador and arrive in Los Angeles.

What inspired you to write this book?

Oh, there are so many. I think the biggest one has to be my grandmother. Growing up, it felt like there was always this fear that her grandmother wouldn’t be here forever. I think many children of immigrants feel this way about their grandparents. I think there is a very special bond there, a longing to understand one’s homeland and one’s roots. Somewhere in 2015, I had the following desire: salpicon. Salpicon is a wonderful meat dish. It’s a beef dish served with frijoles likuados, rice, and a nice green salad. I really wanted to make one, but I didn’t know how. So I called Mama Lucy and said, “Mama Lucy, I Ayuda, can you help me?” And she said, “Claro ke si, Carla. .”

During our first cooking session, I was able to listen to her story. I always heard her story from the perspective of her mother and other family members, and they were like, ‘Wow, look at what she’s suffered. Look at all the things she’s endured. ” was his tone. It was from an outsider’s perspective. Hearing her tell her own story gave her strength and she became the heroine of her story. She told me that this was an option for a Salvadoran woman in her 60’s and she chose the best available to her.

I quickly realized that this was even more amazing. I would love to know more about these stories. I want to know more. I told her: “Lucy, I have an idea for a project. Maybe we’ll record a little more of your story, along with some recipes, like we’ve been doing in the past.” And she immediately said, “Carla, Claro ke si,” he said. of course? ” And she said, “Yes, de est se trata de legado de la mule salvadoreña.” This translates to “This is a work about the heritage of women in El Salvador.” So my grandmother definitely started it all.

“One of the things we eat a lot in El Salvador is flowers,” says Carla Vazquez. This classic dish of flor de isote con huevos is made with yucca flowers. Photo by Ren Fuller.

Now, let’s eat. What are the primary colors of taste in an El Salvadoran kitchen?

The Salvadoran food palate definitely loves salty, funky, sour, sour, and flame-grilled foods. Bitter flavors are highly valued. I know that in most dishes and modern cooking here they try to add more fat to mask bitterness, but I actually learned a lot about how much we love bitterness.

One of the most commonly eaten foods in El Salvador is flowers. We eat our national flower.There is La Flor de Pacaya. Obviously many people know that La Flor de Loroco, located inside the pupa. As a child, I wanted to join the flower-eating club, but I couldn’t get over the bitter notes that still exist. But they are there and celebrated. It’s not something that’s disguised with fat, sweetness, salt or acid. You just really want to be thankful because that’s La Esencia. That is the essence.

Customers shop at La Libertad market in El Salvador. Photo by Ren Fuller.

of Isote Island Flor I am particularly interested in this because there is a large yucca tree in front of my house. For decades, I’ve known that they are used in many Central American cuisines. In fact, every year when the flowers bloom, people come and ask for permission to harvest them, and I just think it’s wonderful. So tell me, what are the classic dishes in which they are used?

The classic dish they use is huevos con flor de isote with tomatoes. It can be a breakfast dish or actually served for dinner. After I get the Flores de Izote and clean it, I make a little tomato, onion sofrito, and sometimes add a little jalapeno and bell pepper. Once it’s soft, add the flowers. Finish with soft scrambled eggs. Mix everything together and you’ll have a great scramble.

Just as there are different types of oranges and tomatoes, you could also say that there are different varieties. There are various types of yucca flowers. The varieties that grow in El Salvador are a little different than the varieties that grow here in Los Angeles. But it remains true that they are very similar.

What types of beans are used in Salvadoran cooking, and how does one pot reveal its various uses as the week progresses?

yes that’s why we love Frijoles de Seda, also known as Salvadoran frijoles and El Salvadoran beans. Seda means silk, so it is a red silk bean. Early on in my culinary journey, I was wrong to think, “Oh, it’s just red beans. It’s just red frijoles. It could be anything.” Absolutely not.

Frijol de seda is very delicious. I love it. Pureeing gives it a creamy, silky texture.have Ola Frijoles It can definitely take you to many places. Sunday starts with a pot of frijoles.You can also make it into soup MamasosAdd something like a small corn ball to the soup.You can try making it if you have any leftover. Casamiento. Or blend them and Platanos Fritos. Alternatively, they can be fried and pupated. That’s one of the things I love. It is very fun.

If you didn’t grow up in a Salvadoran or Latino household, it might seem strange to have beans in a pot…and not leave them out or put them in the fridge or whatever. Because it’s there. It’s easy. Boil it in the morning or before you go to bed. Boil it every time you take it out. It’s food you always have at home.

For Carla Vasquez, one of her inspirations for writing a cookbook was her grandmother. Photo by Ren Fuller.

Please tell me about Relajo. What is it and how is it used?

Lelaho This is the name of the spice blend used in tamales. Tamales have a sauce, and that sauce is called recaudo, and recaudo is made in lerajo. Relajo has pumpkin seeds. Contains chili peppers and sesame seeds. Different people add peanuts. They add all kinds of spices, bay leaves. Everyone has their own interpretation.

I think learning about Lilajo has alleviated some of my fears about becoming an expert on Salvadoran cuisine. I have learned a lot from them and have felt that everything they say is the law and I cannot walk away from it. Then you ask them about their lilaho recipe and they’ll say, “Well, I would never put this in there,” or “I would never make the mistake of using that type or this blend.” ” or “This percentage of seeds should be higher than that.” I’m sure everyone is a little different, but essentially it’s toasted spices, seeds, chili peppers, tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers. , mixed with garlic and sauce, and that’s what Recardo uses.

Relajo also means chaos, so it’s also a lovely word. So it’s cute and endearing to say, “El Salvadorans love relajo.”

The SalviSoul Cookbook includes recipes for mamasos, salpicón, tamales, curtidos, ola de frijoles, and many other classic Salvadoran dishes. Photo courtesy of Ten Speed ​​Press