El Salvadoran Specialty: Pupusas

We always ate a lot of Mexican food when my kids were growing up. We had two women work for us over the years, a Guatamelan woman, Anna Maria, and a very special woman, Julia, from El Salvador, who taught me to cook their local specialities. Up until that time the only Mexican food I ate were tacos and enchilladas. But to my delight, there is a whole other world out there. Pupusas are an El Salvadoran specialty.



When my kids were young, one of their favorite outings was to go to church with Julia and her family on Sunday, and then to one of the many pupuserias in Los Angeles. She always enjoyed taking the two blond boys into a heavily ethnic neighborhood. The kids LOVED it. They both spoke Spanish, and fit right in. Only the adults noticed the difference between my two kids, and the rest of the children. This was such a great lesson for both them and me. I didn't realize at the time these outings were a "teachable moment" .

Pupusas

2 cups masa harina

• 1 cup warm water


• 1 cup filling

1. Mix masa and water and kneed well. Add water one tablespoon at a time to make a moist, yet firm dough.

2. Roll dough into a log, cut into eight pieces, and roll each into a ball.

3. Press each ball with thumb to make an indentation. Put 1 T. filling into each indentation and fold dough to completley enclose. Press ball out to make a disc shape.

4. Line a tortilla press with plastic and press each ball into a 5-6 inch wide disc, 1/4 inch thick. If you don't have a tortilla press, roll ball between plastic to desired size.

5. Cook in ungreased skillet over medium high heat 1-2 minutes on each side. Serve with Curtido and Salsa Roja. (recipes below)

Curtido

Mix 1/2 head of grated cabbage, 1 grated carrot, 3 chopped scallions, 1/2 c. white vinegar, 1/2 c. water, 1 diced jalapeno, and 1/2 tsp salt. Allow to sit and ferment before serving. Can be stored in a jar for future use.

Salsa Roja

Put 3 T. olive oil in skillet, heat onions and garlic until the onions are transluscent, add 1 diced jalapeno, 2c. skinned and seeded tomatoes, and 2 tsp dried oregano. Cook for 10 minutes, then puree in blender. Serve this sauce on the side with pupusas

Fillings for Pupusa (use one, or combine fillings)

1. Cheese-use quesillo, queso fresco, farmers cheese, or mozarella or a combo of chesses. You can also add diced chilis to spice it up.

2. Chicharrones-take fried chopped pork and a little tomato sauce and fill pupusas with this mixutre.

3. Refried beans.

My mouth is watering just thinking about pupusas with curtido and salsa roja. I don't think we have a pupuseria nearby so I will have to wait until my Sunday trip to LA to solve this craving.