Being raised by generations of Spanish speaking women has established a solid foundation of kitchen know-how. And while I would not consider myself a fluent Spanish speaker, I can talk my way around a Latino cocina just fine. Spending much of my childhood centered on good food and loving family has ensured that I could always speak the language of la comida, la cocina y el amor de mi familia.

Since embarking into her toddler years, my sweet two year old has become a bundle of communication. As her mother, it has been exhilarating to watch Alina’s personality mature. But, as I have mentioned before, I worry that her Spanish exposure is not keeping up with her incredible development. That I, as the sole Spanish speaker in her life, am not keeping up.

In order to create more active, conversational dialogue opportunities in which to practice her Spanish, I decided to bring Alina’s lesson into the one room of the house that I felt most capable: the kitchen. I find it assuming that, while communicating efficiently in the worlds of politics or economics would be comedic adventures, my ability to engage in fluent levels of culinary conversation comes like second nature. And this type of conversational exposure is what Alina needs in order to excel in her fluency.

While chopping green and red peppers, Alina and I talked about colors. We inspected two cebollas, wondering why one was blanca while the other was roja. Each layer of our recipe was discussed in detail; every ingredient labeled its proper name. We discussed that tomato sauce was red because it comes from tomatoes. We counted each morsel of mushroom {she can count to ten in Spanish all by herself!} over and over again. I cautioned her to never touch un cuchillo without Mommy’s help. We snuck pedazos de queso too, because that’s what happens in a kitchen full of food and love. And at the end of our culinary experience, Alina and I had spent a solid hour engaging in highly fluent Spanish!

It may not be the most pivotal conversation she will ever have in her life, but by bringing Alina into an area of life in which I feel confident of my fluency levels, I was able to give her the best of me. And that felt amazing. Cooking with my Spanglish Baby has proven to be an invaluable bonding experience; one that has reaffirmed my motives in raising a bilingual and bicultural child. While although speaking Spanish is very important to me, the importance of creating memories of old into ones of new should not to be forgotten either. La cocina, la famila y amor are values I wish Alina is instilled with and becomes fluent in, regardless of which language she uses.

The inspiration for this recipe was my mother and my daughter. I thought that since Mother’s Day is around the corner I should  start thinking about our  present. And what better idea than to do something with our kids.

I truly believe there is no  better gift than an unforgettable moment with my family. Rarely we mothers find the time to play with our children. The daily activities are so hectic  that we find it a challenge to devote quality time to our kids.

Perhaps because we work full time and when we finally get home we are already exhausted.  Or because we struggling to maintain the harmony at:  ”.. the refrigerator is empty and at night I have no time to prepare  the dinner  so the priority is go to the supermarket .. “” .. there is  a pile of dirty clothes that no longer fits in the basket … “” …the dog needs to go out for a walk .. “” .. the  house needs to be cleaned ASAP because visits are coming;” or even ” the dishwasher is out of order and I should be at home to get it fixed .”

Some have more than one child and with that the extracurricular activities multiply :  dance or art classes, gym, and appointments with the pediatrician (and the list goes on and on).
I have therefore decided to find time in the midst of this chaos to have  fun and really play with my daughter. Why not cook and play at the same time?

Today’s recipe is traditional, easy and delicious. In a kitchen environment children can learn by playing and using their imagination and creativity; by drawing and exploring textures, aromas and colors.

Let´s make Cornstarch Alfajores

Throughout Latin America there are different versions of alfajores.

The alfajor is a kind of sandwich consisting of two cookies brought together by a sweet filling. Although usually made of dulce de leche (of a caramel consistency), there are other varieties with other fillings such as jam, ganache and chocolate mousse. Most are covered in chocolate, but sometimes they have a glaze or are simply  covered with powdered sugar.

I love to cook Grandma’s recipes because it is a great way to maintain a family tradition.  It is also a wonderful  way for my daughter to better understand where we all come from.

My small suggestion is that we  teach our traditions at the same time as we choose  choose healthy and fresh ingredients. This way we can make nutritional and homemade recipes full of tradition.

Alfajores de Maicena by Chef Uchi

Ingredients:

• 200 grs Butter
• 200 grs Confectioner’s  sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 3 Eggs
• 500 grs Cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon Baking powder

Procedure:

1) Cream butter and confectioner’s sugar

2) Add vanilla extract
3) Add the eggs slowly while beating until the mixture is
homogeneous.
4) Add the cornstarch and baking powder
5) Continue mixing until dry ingredients are incorporated completely
6) Form the dough into a ball

7) Wrap the dough with plastic wrap until firm cover about1 hour in the refrigerator
8) Turn the oven to 320 F
9) Cover the surface with a little flour

10) Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until approximately 1/4 inch of thickness

11) Cut circles approximately 1 inch

12) Place parchment paper on a sheet pan and leave a space between alfajorcitos

13) Bake the cookies 15 to 20 minutes until the alfajorcitos are lightly brown.
14) Remove and let cool
15) Connect 2 alfajorcitos with dulce de leche

16) Roll the alfajorcitos in coconut

Enjoy!

This post can be read in Spanish here.

The contents of this posting, including, but not limited to its text, graphics, video, and images is the exclusive property of Luciana Davidzon and is used here with her express permission. Said contents may not subsequently be used or reproduced in any way without express written permission from Ms. Davidzon. Copyright © 2011 by Luciana Davidzon. All rights reserved

Chef Uchi Davidzon was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is the founder of Lola Mora Catering NYC and publishes the Latin Food Lovers blog. After building her business over the past few years, she wanted to improve her skills and gain a professional edge. Uchi attended  French Culinary Institute (FCI) to pursue her dream and became Pastry Chef. Most recently she was awarded the “Les Dames d’Escoffier New York.”

Photo by SauceSupreme

I remember traveling from El Salvador every summer to my Dad’s house in Houston and being in awe every time we would pass by a random pupusería in the middle of Texas.  Back then, you had to be very Salvi to even know what that word meant without putting on a grossed-out snarl on your face and going:  “pupu…what?!”

Now, I’m happy to report, that I’m no longer pupusa-deprived when I travel to Texas or anywhere in California.  Pupusas, that mouth-watering Salvadorean staple dish made with cheese, beans, chicharrones, etc stuffed into a corn tortilla, have captured the taste buds of oh-so-many around the world.  It’s also very common to find a pupusa stand in any farmer’s market in Los Angeles, along with a winding line of hungry brunchers.

Photo by intimaralem85

Of course, like any native, I’m still not able to find that one place that makes them taste the same way they do in El Salvador.  My husband says the same about tacos de suadero!  I guess it’s the cheese in pupusas that makes the difference?  Don’t know.

So instead of complaining, I just make my own…and make-up my own!  They are so easy to make and so easy to stuff anything you want your child to eat, he might never see it coming once it’s folded into yummy melted cheese.  Plus, it’s made to be eaten with your hands.  Please don’t ever let me catch you using a fork and knife for these.  You  are meant to scorch your fingers!

They are also great for play dates and/or parties at your house.  You can prepare the masa and have the kids make their own little balls and choose their own stuffing.  Their little hands will love patting these into a tortilla shape once stuffed.  Delicious, nutritious, cultural and fun….hmmmm..pupusas!

Below is how I make them.  Notice that the measurements aren’t exact because these type of dishes evolve as you make them.  The traditional stuffing is any combination of cheese, pork meat (chicharrón), refried beans.  Now in the U.S. they have fused into tons of creative combinations of ingredients including chicken and veggies.

Photo by besighyawn

How to Make Bean + Cheese Pupusas

• 2 Cups of Masa Harina-the most familiar and popular one is Maseca

• 1 1/2 Cups Water

• Salt to taste

• 1/2 Cup Quesillo (available at most Latin supermarkets) or any type of soft shredded cheese

• 1 can of black or pinto refried beans

1.  Combine the masa harina, water and salt in a bowl until the consistency is that of dough.  It should not stick to your hands.

2.  In another bowl, mix the refried beans and the cheese until well combined.

3.  Take some masa with your hands and form several small balls.  You should have enough for 6-8 pupusas, depending on the size you want.

4.  Take one ball at a time, poke a hole with your finger and fill it with the beans + cheese mixture.

5.  Close the hole and flatten with your two palms, in a clapping motion, until you;ve formed a disc.

6.  Place the pupusas on a pan or iron skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side.  You can add a little oil to the pan but it’s not necessary.  The trick to knowing when they’re done is that dark yummy spots will form on the surface.

That’s it!

You can also try these combinations:

• Spinach and cheese
• Shredded chicken, zucchini and ricotta
• Pork, beans and corn

Enjoy, and let us know if you come up with delish combinations we can add to our repertoire.

Photo by Elise Bauer

Although I had every intention, I have to admit I failed miserably when it came to cooking for Vanessa when it was time for her to be fed something other than breast milk. I had envision steamers, veggies, blenders and sieves, and even though I did make her a few purées and cereals, the truth is I eventually fell for the convenience of baby food jars.

Years before my daughter was born, mi Papá used to brag all the time about the kind of “nutritious” foods (which included things like hígado) that my siblings and I were fed as babies. I guess he just couldn’t believe the kind of porquerías babies are fed these days. I obviously don’t remember eating liver, but I apparently did. My Dad, who was the cook in our house, used to say it was one of the reasons we were always so healthy, and I believed him. Unfortunately, he passed away almost five years ago, so he never met Vanessa. I am convinced her baby food would’ve been completely different if he had been around. I thought about feeding her liver once or twice, but I wouldn’t have even know where to start, so I never did.

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about food and what it means to our culture. I also found out I am a bit anemic which happened to coincide with the fact that Vanessa’s appetite has not been that great. And that’s how the idea of eating liver once again popped into my mind. Since my Dad is no longer with us to tell me how to do it, or better yet, make it for us, I had to ask around the other members of la familia.

Food & Family

It turns out that when I asked one of my tías, she said: “Oh, yeah, that’s a great idea, liver is incredibly nutritious and it’s not that difficult to make!” All I could think of was, Where have I heard that one before?

Check out her recipe for Hígado Encebollado…

Photo by SideLong

Ingredients (for 4 servings):

1¼ lb calves liver, thinly sliced

2 yellow onions, thinly sliced

Salt & pepper for seasoning

3 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:

• Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer onions with a slotted spoon to a bowl and set aside.

• Increase heat to medium-high and add remaining olive oil. When it’s sizzling hot, add liver and cook, in batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until brown and crispy on the edges, 3–5 minutes.

• Season liberally with salt and pepper, then add reserved onions and accumulated juices. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring and turning liver and onions constantly while shaking skillet over heat. Transfer to a heated serving platter.

To be honest, I was pretty apprehensive about making this. The texture of the liver made me a bit queasy and I wasn’t sure what it was going to taste like. Liver has a pretty bad reputation, but then I remembered everything my Dad used to say about it, and I decided to keep on going. One thing worth emphasizing is that the liver has to be THINLY sliced. I believe this makes a huge difference–it’s easier to eat it, for one.

I don’t want to lie to all of you and tell you it was a huge success because it wasn’t. But I’m happy to report it wasn’t a failure either. Vanessa ate just a little, but I think it had more to do with her loss of appetite than anything else and she didn’t make any yucky faces either. I think what helped me were the onions, thank God I love those! I’m not giving up, though. I just have to tweak the recipe. I think next time I will try this one. Or, my husband’s paternal grandmother’s recipe. After all, he claims that was the only way he would eat hígado growing up.

So much for the culture of food. Oh, how I miss mi Papá!

How about you? Can you share any recipes that maybe you ate as a child and, though they might not be very popular today, you love to make them for your kids in the name of keeping our culture alive?