In a past life, while working on a manufacturing line, I had a dear friend and co-worker whose wife was from El Salvador. She made him lunch to bring to work each day. As I sat next to him with my regular ol’ turkey sandwich and jalapeno cheetos (from the work vending machine) I could not help but feel jealous as the smell of corn, cabbage and slow cooked meats wafted from his tupperware. Every. Single. Day. It was unreal! Like he was eating this amazing food, and not only did I want each and every recipe but I was tempted to steal his lunch. Like push him down on the ground, grab the lunch and run.
Maybe I could just get a job somewhere else so he could not persecute me with his eyes after having done such a brazen thing. Instead, I preserved our friendship, and my career, and I asked him if his wife would make lunch for me too. I would pay them, whatever price they felt covered their costs and his wife’s time. They agreed. It was a win-win. His wife was already making big meals to keep her hubby and their children fed all week. She only had to increase it a bit to add me to their weekly meal plan. And it gave her some extra dough (hehe) to put in her pocket for anything she wanted! For me, it changed my entire mood at work. I was looking forward to the weekend being over because I knew I would have some of that delicious, made with love, Salvadorian food once the work week started. Like many creatures, I am highly food motivated.
I miss my friends at that old manufacturing job, and I equally miss those meals. But I have learned to make a few dishes on my own. And no, they will never taste as good as those tried and true, family recipe meals. But they hit a spot and I always try to share them with others in an effort to be like my Salvadorian friends.
One of the easiest things to make and share are pupusas. Pupusas are the national dish of El Salvador. If you have never had them, you are missing out! The filling combinations are endless so you can make them with anything you already have in your fridge or pantry. They are also freezer friendly! I suggest freezing them on a sheet pan to hold their shape, then transferring them to a bag. As per usual….any ingredients that are underlined below can be found in our on-farm market!
Pupusas
- 2 cups masa harina
- 1 ½ - 1 ¾ cups warm water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- fillings…..see suggestions below
- oil for cooking
- Whisk masa harina and salt in a bowl. Add 1 ½ cups of warm water to the masa salt mixture. Knead the dough a few times until smooth. If the dough cracks or is dry, add a bit more water. The dough should be smooth and pliable. If you add too much water, just toss a few spoonfuls of masa to even it out.
- Have the filling prepared, cooled and be sure it is not too wet. Too much moisture in your filling will cause leakage or breakage of the pupusa cake.
- (Note: It is helpful to have a bowl of warm water with a splash of oil in it set to the side. You can dip your hands into this to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands while rolling, filling and rolling again.) Divide the dough into golf ball size portions. Cover with a damp towel to prevent drying. Carefully flatten each ball so that it is ¼ inch thick and round. Place 1-2 tablespoons of filling in the center of the masa patty.
- Fold the edges over, seal them and carefully form back into a ball, keeping the filling tucked in the inside. Now flatten each stuffed ball so it resembles a thick tortilla.
- Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Cook the pupusas for 2-3 minutes on each side, until they are golden brown.
Serving Additions:
- Top with cilantro and sour cream
- A side of curtido or other fermented cabbage
- Refried beans, rice and salsa
Pupusa Fillings
- Chicken Legs (cooked and shredded or chopped)
- Pepper queso fresco - chili powder - scallion
- Monterey jack cheese - cumin - cayenne - diced bell pepper
- Cream cheese - garlic - green chiles
- Feta - spinach
- Ground Beef
- Monterey jack - white onion - taco seasoning
- Queso fresco - jalapeno - savory caramelized onion jam
- Mozzarella - pico de gallo - hot sauce
- Pork (sausage, slow cooked roast, or crispy pork belly)
- Pepperjack - green chiles - white onion
- Black beans - tomatoes - shishito
- Refried beans - jalapeno - savory garlic jam
