Now that it’s January, a new year, I’ve had a chance to cook and bake a couple of times. Seeing as today is the Epiphany, January 6th, I made a traditional “Rosca de Reyes”, which translates as “Spiral of Kings”.  When I lived in Mexico as a child I remember very well going to the neighborhood party on January 6th, Dia de Reyes, (Day of the Kings) and having a piece of bread. The tradition is that everyone gets a slice of bread, and whoever gets the little plastic figurine of the baby Jesus (yup, there’s a little figurine baked in each bread)  has the honour of having a party and making the tamales for February 2nd which is Dia de la Candelaria.  Every kid wanted to get it, I know my parents were not very keen on the idea of making tamales for the whole neighbourhood, and, now that I think about it, in the whole 5 years that we lived in Mexico we never had the honour of getting the little figurine.

Anyway, in the tradition of holiday nostalgia I really wanted to make one… Now, aside from the fact that I used whole wheat flour, hence, making it very dense to eat, it turned out very good. So, here’s my version of a traditional Rosca de Reyes.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup warm water
1 packet of yeast
4 cups flour (2 cups whole wheat, 2 cups white)
4 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp anise seed
4 tsp vanilla extract
a small figurine (optional)
Candied fruit (I couldn’t find a lot of fruit so I used candied pineapple, figs*,  maraschino cherries, mangoes and apricots)
Maraschino cherry juice

Preparation:
Sprinkle the yeast on the surface of the water and let it sit for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the yeast water, flour, sugar, eggs, butter, salt, cinnamon, anise seed and vanilla extract. Mix until a dough forms and knead for approx. 5 minutes, then cover and let rise in a warm area until dough is doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Punch dough down and shape into a wreath by rolling it into a log shape and then bending the ends around to form a circle. It should be about 12-14 inches in diameter. If you are using a toy you can insert it by pushing it up through the bottom. Smooth out any lump or tears.

Preheat oven to 350 Celsius.

Add the fruit by laying it out across the top and pressing it in slightly. Let it rise until doubled. Brush top with the cherry juice (or spoon it on top) and bake for approx. 45 mins. 

Ready to Bake

And there you have it, let it cool slightly before serving. It’s a delicious accompaniment for tea or coffee or, of course, chocolate caliente.  I personally really enjoyed it both with a cup of my favourite tea and with a cafe con leche. I did make a couple of substitutions and additions (ie. the cherry juice) but it turned out very well.

Enjoy the delicious Rosca de Reyes!

Ready to Serve! Yumm!

In searching the world of empandas I found that El Salvador has a very unique kind. Firstly, they are not made of any kind of flour, but the shell is actually made of plantain, and second, they are not tradionally filled with any kind of meat!  If you are fortunate enough to try an authentic Salvadorean empanada, IN El Salvador of course, you will know what I’m talking about regarding their unique-ness…. I found the following recipe in a cookbook called “Comida Tipica” (literal translation is “Typical Food” but it means “Traditional Food”) by Vilma de Escobar, who is famous in El Salvador for making our traditional dishes and writing cookbooks that are easy to follow. So, I thought this would be the best recipe to try and to post… Also, our empanadas are fried, in trying to make a healthy version I baked them with great results. Here we go:

Empanadas (makes 20-24 empanadas)
6-10 Ripe plantains (enough to get 3 cups of paste, see notes)
Custard (recipe follows)
Oil in a spray pump (you can use non-fat cooking spray but not the same results)
1/4 c. granulated sugar

In a large soup pot boil the whole plantain (peel and all) with water until soft. Once boiled (handle with care, they are extremely hot!) peel the plantains  and run them through the food processor, (I used a potato masher and did it by hand. I would suggest the food processor method for a smoother paste). 

mashed plantain

Once the plantains are mashed and free of lumps place in a large bowl and refrigerate the paste until completely cooled (approx. 1 hour).  Once cooled, knead the “dough”. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Form small sized balls (approx. 1 to 1 1/2 in.) for each empanada and make a round by placing the ball between 2 sheets of wax paper or plastic and flattening with the bottom of a plate or bowl or using a tortilla maker.

round with filling

Put a tsp of custard in the middle and close the round to make a half moon, pinching the ends together. You may get some of the custard oozing out, it’s ok. You can play around with the amount of filling to your taste.
Place the empanadas on a cookie sheet lightly sprayed with oil. Lighly spray the empanada with oil as well.
Baked in the preheated oven for 15 minutes on one side, turn them over and bake 10 minutes on the other side.

Sprinkle with granulated sugar and serve.

Custard
2 Cups of skim milk
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
2 tbsp. corn starch
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 egg yolks

Blend all ingredients (except the vanilla) in a blender for approx. 10-15 seconds. Place mixture in a saucepan and bring to a boil mixing constantly, once it thickens mix the vanilla in and remove from heat.  Let it cool. The custard can also be enjoyed on it’s own with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

fresh custard!

NOTES: Plantains are not as hard to find as you may think. I found some in my local market. However, most of the time, they will be green and not quite ripe. So, to speed the process, keep in a plastic bag in direct sunlight for a couple of days. Remember to check on them daily because over-ripe plantains are really not pretty.
The cookbook I have is written like you were talking to your friend, or your grandma, when you ask for a recipe that they may not have written down, so I did my best to put the measurements in. (in the book they say, “enough sugar to sweeten” or “form into a ball”). The empanadas can be fried but I needed a “healthy” option for my health-conscious friends so I baked them. They turned out GREAT! In fact, I will be baking them from now on!  They were a hit at the BBQ I brought them to!
The recipe can definitely be doubled or tripled if you need more empanadas, so don’t be afraid to do so!

Today’s Quote: “Like you I love love, life, the sweet smell of things, the sky-blue landscape of January days.”
                                                                                                                              – Roque Dalton (Salvadorean Poet)

I have found that tea lovers all have their favourite tea cup, tea pot and other tea accesories that they use and are quick to give their opinions on so I also have a small collection of tea accesories that have moved around with me for years. I’m always interested in how different cultures drink their tea, or what types of tea they drink. 

My small tea collection

Some of the traditions I’ve found are very interesting.  My dad went to medical school in the USSR and he told me that while he was there he drank black tea with no sugar in it but having  a bit (teaspon) of jam, honey or condensed milk in your mouth before taking a sip of the tea, basically blending the sweetness with the tea inside your mouth.  And of course, who hasn’t heard of the Japanese tea ceremony (made famous by that scene in The Karate Kid part II) where they use matcha green tea powder whisked with a bambo whisk .  I personally like what most of us “westerners” call high tea:  tea served with sweet and savoury dainties, scones and jam with devonshire cream. I prefer loose tea to bags but tea bags can be life savers if you’re dying for a cup of tea and you’re either a) in a hurry, or b) somewhere where loose tea is impossible to find.

So where do you go from here. What type of tea should you drink with what and in what occasions? I say just follow your own choice and drink what you like the most and what you feel like drinking. I don’t think there really is a “wrong” way to drink tea, there are some guidelines though, like you would usually add milk and sugar or lemon and honey to black tea and drink green tea plain, herbal tisanes can also be taken plain or with honey and lemon, I personally like my oolong and rooibos tea plain but you can also add some sweetener to it.

At my first Steeped Tea party I made a selection of delectable tea treats. Aside from the lovely tea sandwiches that a couple of my friends kindly made and brought I made some delightful Alfajores, I made some substitutions for a chocolate cake to make it healthier and I made some buttermilk scones with whole wheat flour.

Alfajores: (pronounced Alfa-hore-es) is a traditional Spanish cookie found in regions of Spain and Latin America. It basically consists of two round biscuits joined together with jam or dulce de leche and covered with powdered sugar.

12 tbsps. (180 ml.) butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 egg yolks
2 tbsps. cognac
2 1/2 cups cornstarch (I used one cup cornstarchand 1 1/2 cups arrowroot powder)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
Zest of 1 lemon
Dulce de Leche, or Cajeta, or Arequipe or Manjar Blanco (see recipe below), or basically a sweet caramel spread.
Powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar, about 1 cup will do.

Cream the butter and sugar together, then mix in the remaining ingredients except the dulce de leche until well blended. Knead on a floured work surface until the dough is smooth and let rest for 15 minutes.
Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch and cut into rounds using a cookie cutter (if you don’t have a cookie cutter you can improvise by using the top of a glass like I did, the amount of cookies you get depends on how big you make them). Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 300°F oven for 20 minutes. When cool, spread some dulce de leche on the bottom of half the cookies and press another cookie on top, allowing some of the dulce de leche to squeeze from the sides. Sift powdered sugar on top of them.

alfajores

Dulce de Leche: You can use store bought dulce de leche if you’d like (or if you can find it) but I find satisfaction in knowing that I made it myself, don’t you? There are also different ways to make it and I decided to go with the “safest” route.

4 cups (1 litre) whole milk (Cow or Goat milk will work well)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Add all the ingredients to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir well to dissolve the sugar completely.
Set the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to very low and simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened and caramelized, about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.  It will turn a dark shade of beige (or a light caramel colour).
Transfer to a clean glass jar and refrigerate.

Chocolate Tea Cake:  I found this recipe at meganscookin.blogspot.com but was not impressed about the amount of butter that it called for, so I made a healthier version. The cake turned out very dense, like a brownie. But it was very good!

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 c. unsweetened apple sauce
1 c. sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
zest of one orange
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup powdere sugar
2 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and grease paper.
Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Cool.
Combine the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well before adding the next. Add the vanilla, zest and yogurt and mix well. Add the cooled chocolate and mix for 30 seconds or until incorporated. Scrape the inside of the bowl.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt over the bowl and fold into the mixture until combined.
Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake on the middle rack for 50 minutes then turn the heat off but leave the pan in the oven for 10 minutes. (or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack in the pan for 15 mins. Carefuly invert the cake on the cooling rack. Remove the paper. Flip the cake right side up.

For the glaze: Combine the powdered sugar and the orange juice in a small pan. Bring to a boil and, stirring occasionally, cook for 2 minutes. Using a skewer,poke holes about an inch apart in the warm cake. Brush with the glaze. Cool completely before slicing.

Quote today: “If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you.” ~Gladstone, 1865

Do you ever get a feeling that something will turn out perfectly? Even if you can’t explain why you feel that way? Well, that’s the way I feel about 2010. And the best way, for me, to start the year is to be with friends, feeling good about myself, be in good health, drink a cup of tea and cook a good meal. I decided to take on the ever traditional Turkey the way we Salvadoreans do it. We call it pan con chumpe which means bread with turkey. Basically it’s a gigantic turkey sandwich, every family has a different variation and actually made my new “traditional” turkey in the slow cooker (or crock pot). It was the BEST turkey I ever tasted! And that’s saying a lot coming from me! In El Salvador it’s tradition to make this turkey for Christmas eve and/or New Year’s eve dinner, here’s the recipe, according to me. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Pan con Chumpe:
Ingredients:

For the turkey: (Approx. 4-5 pound turkey)
1 cup. mustard
1/2 cup worcestershire sauce
8 ripe tomatoes
3 green peppers (seeded)
7 garlic cloves
3 white onions
*Relajo spice mix, or:
1/8 c. sesame seeds
6 bay leaves
1 guaque or serrano chile
1.5 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
thyme and salt to taste
10 grams peanuts (can be omitted if there’s an allergy)
achiote to taste

Start the night before by mixing the mustard with the worcestershire sauce and salt to make a paste then use the paste to rub the turkey inside and out, then place turkey in the crock and refrigerate overnight, at least 8 hours.

For the Sauce:
Toast the tomatoes, green peppers, onions and garlic on a pan or an indoor grill. Remove the seeds from the tomatoes but keep the juice (you can use a sieve) and blend all toasted vegetables together (in a blender of course!:))
Toast the relajo mix, everything except the achiote, and grind using either a coffee grinder or a blender. Add the spice mix to the sauce and blend again. Then sift the liquid out of the blended ingredients.

Putting it all together:
The turkey has to be in the slow cooker for 6-7 hours so make sure you prepare for that depending on when you want to eat dinner. We ate at 5 p.m. so I put the turkey in at 9:30 a.m.
Set the crock on the heating unit on high for 4 hours. At that time turn the turkey over (it may be awkward, you can use tongs to help) and pour the sauce over it. Then just leave it checking in on it once in a while just to make sure everything looks good.

To make the Panes:
Use large french buns, artisan rolls or portuguese rolls. Cut in half and assemble your sandwich using mayonaise (if desired), lettuce, cucumber, tomato, radishes and curtido (you can make your own or find some at your local latin market, salvadorean market or bodega), add your desired amount of turkey and then pour the sauce over the sandwich. Serve immediately.

Pan con Chumpe

Notes: The recipe seems complicated but it really isn’t, there are just a lot of steps. When you toast the vegetables make sure you are turning them over constantly to avoid burning. *
The relajo mix is actally not hard to find (hey, I was able to find it in Winnipeg!) so I suggest you really try to find it, if you really definitely can’t find any then go ahead and make the spice mix as directed above.
The slow cooker literally makes the meat fall off the bone. It will be the juiciest turkey you have ever tasted!

Verdict: I hate to toot my own horn here… (well, maybe not too much) but this is the BEST pan con chumpe that I have ever tasted, my grandma’s is the only one that surpasses it… and only by a thread! I tell you, if you have the time and patience to take on this Salvadorean treat then I suggest you do it. It brought back very delicious memories of my childhood.
Enjoy, and hope that 2010 brings you more delicious recipes to try!

But in keeping with the theme of my blog, I also searched for some other international cookie treats and found some unusual ones, some new twists on old favourites, and a savoury-sweet cookie… here we go:

From Mexico: Polvorones de Canela (Mexican tea cakes)
Polvorones are a type of shortbread made with cinnamon and rolled in powdered sugar.  There are many varitions out there and the ones I made are a simpler version than the “mexican wedding cake” cookies (I didn’t add any nuts to mine). Polvorones, both the tea cake version and the wedding cake version, are traditionally served at Christmas, weddings and quinceañeras.

Recipe:
1 cup softened unsalted butter
1/2 c. powdered/icinig/confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt (if you use salted butter make sure to omit the salt)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 c. all purpose flour (unbleached)
For polvo (rolling “dust”):
1 cup powdered/icing/confectioners’ sugar
1 tbsp Cinnamon (or more to taste, I used 2 tbsps)

Mix softened butter with sugar thoroughly until it becomes a smooth and creamy mixture.
Add cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. Mix in flour to make a stiff dough. Chill dough for half an hour to an hour.
Preheat oven to 350F. and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Form chilled dough into approximately 1-inch balls.
Mix 1 cup of icing sugar with the tbsp. of cinnamon, and roll balls in this cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until nicely browned. You can either dust them with or roll them in the sugar & cinnamon mixture again. Cool completely on wire racks.

Notes: Make sure that you use the exact amount of butter that the recipe calls for, the polvorones are made to literally melt in your mouth if you follow the recipe but, even though they are still edible, they may turn out a bit crunchy and not polvo (literally means dust) like at all if you skimp on the butter. I like to roll them in the sugar and cinnamon mixture before presenting them. The above recipe makes approx. 30 polvorones but you can double or triple the recipe with no issues at all. The cookies are excellent with tea, coffee or hot chocolate. Yumm!

From Catalonia: Panelletes
These cookies are traditionally made in Catalonia, Spain on November 1st, All Saints’ Day. Again, there are a hundred different variations of these “cookies” depending on family recipes or tastes. They can be made with regular potatoes or sweet potatoes or yam.

Recipe:
1 Cup cooked sweet potato or yam
1/2 c. sugar (granulated)
1 2/3 c. ground blanched almonds
1 lg. egg yolk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1tsp. grated lemon zest
1/4 c. pine nuts or slivered almonds (optional)

Mix all of the ingredients except for the slivered almonds, together. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll dough into 1-inch balls or flatten them if  you prefer.  Arrange Panellets about ½-inch apart on prepared cookie sheet. Press a pine nut (or slivered almond) onto the top of each ball for decoration.
Bake for about 15-20 mins. They will almost not change appearance. Transfer the cookies to a platter using a spatula.

Notes:
These cookies got mixed reviews. A LOT of people really liked them and wanted the recipe while others didn’t mind them but didn’t think they would try them again. I personally really enjoyed them. I felt like I was having something “healthy”" thanks to the sweet potato. They are great on their own or to accompany a cup of tea. I think it’s something to definitely try… (unless you don’t like sweet potato!)

From Italy: Torcettini from Val D’Aosta
These are twisted shaped cookies are savoury but rolled in sugar. It uses active dry yeast in the recipe and it resembles a palmier in taste. These torcettini were a favourite of Queen Margherita of Italy, it is known that she liked them so much that she knigthed the baker on the spot in Saint Vincent!  I made a mini version of this and rolled them in red sugar to make them more festive. Another excellent tea cookie!

Left to Right: Torcettini, Panelletes and Polvorones

From El Salvador: Peperechas
Peperechas are a sweet layered bread that is usually served with afternoon coffee. Growing up (and as an adult too) it was always one of my favourite things to walk to the corner bakery in the afternoon to get freshly baked sweet bread and peperechas were always my sweet bread of choice. It’s my younger sister’s favourite and, by her request (or, really, her nagging and begging) did I venture to attempt to make these. To my pleasant surprise, they weren’t that difficult to make, there are a lot of steps that you must follow to the letter but SOOO worth it.  Here is the recipe that I used (with my own twist)…

Recipe:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. active dry yeast
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
8 tbsps. bran
Filling:
Pineapple jam (use guava jam if pineapple no available)
Panela candy, grated (optional)
For sprinkling:
1/4 cup white sugar
red food colouring

Colour the white sugar with the food colouring and set aside. Mix the yeast and the warm water together.
For the dough. Mix flour with dry ingredients and on a flat surface make a well in the middle of the flour:

Add the butter and the yeast water:

Knead together until forming a dough and set aside for 10 minutes.
Divide the dough into 2 parts and roll both parts out on a floured surface.

Spread one part with the jam and sprinkle with the grated panela:

Cover with the other half of the rolled dough. Sprinkle with the coloured sugar and cut into rectangles.

Place rectangles on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and bake at 350F for 30 minutes. They will be browned and crunchy.

Notes:
Very biased review here.  I loved them! And so did everyone who tasted them. I used pinapple spread to make them but I know that guava jam/spread works well too. These cookies’ name literally translates to “whore” or “prostitute” because of their red sugar on top. In El Salvador we also make a version with just white sugar on top and are called Honradas which translates to “honest woman”. It’s just a fun and interesting fact.

With time I came to realize that no matter how much I said I didn’t want to be in El Salvador I was not leaving any time soon, so I embraced the culture… and came to love it more than I could ever explain. Mi Gente! Mi Patria! To this day I still get homesick.  Yes, in just a couple of short years I came to see El Salvador as home.  My family is there, my roots are there and I met some of the closest friends I could ever ask for there (Prom ’95 CCC you know who you are!).  I went all out at school dances and tried my best to learn the latin moves, the rhythm was already in my blood and I found it easy.  To my delight I found that it felt like I’ve been doing it all my life.  I have memories of get-togethers and fiestas with my parents friends in Canada just blasting the cumbias in the living room of their apartments or townhouses and everyone dancing,  didn’t matter that it was winter and -35 degrees celsius outside, inside it was Central America, it was a piece of home in a foreign country. It’s just ironic that it took my leaving El Salvador to actually appreciate my culture… that’s the way life is.  Now everytime I go visit there, every 2-4 years unfortunately, I try to soak it all in. Beaches, people, food and music!

Now, I am in no way a professional salsera, but I am trying to get better and better.  I am taking classes, joined a performance group and go dancing whenever I can.  I am trying to learn all kinds of dance, from ballroom, zouk, tango, latin dances… but salsa is the one that has me on a permanent high. And I love that feeling.!

So, why am I writing all this down for everyone to see? To share my favourite (to this date anyway) latin dance songs, some I like because it’s just impossible to sit still when you hear them, others just have the best lyrics… so, without further ado, here is the list that has me moving my hips to the sound of the clave!

La la la – Direct Latin Influence (salsa)
Fiesta Pa’ Los Rumberos – Albita (salsa)
Ahora Quien – Marc Anthony (I really like anything he does) (salsa)
Mi Dulce Niña – Kumbia Kings (cumbia)
Corazón Espinado – Maná (cha cha)
El Baile del Boogaloo – La Sonora Carrusel (salsa)
Instant Volé – Naïla (zouk)
Cuando – Ricardo Arjona (rumba)
A lo Cubano – Orishas (cha cha)
Valió la Pena – Marc Anthony (salsa)
Marcando la Distancia – Manolito y su Trabuco (salsa)
Tres Gotas de Agua Bendita – Gloria Estefan & Celia Cruz (salsa)
Juana la Cubana – La Sonora Dinamita (cumbia)
Se Le Ve – Andy Montañez y Daddy Yankee (salsa & reggaeton)
La Bilirrubina – Juan Luis Guerra (merengue)
Burbujas de Amor – Juan Luis Guerra (rumba)
Un Beso – Aventura (bachata)
La Gota Fria – Carlos Vives (vallenato)
Amor Inmenso – K-Paz de la Sierra (quebradita)
Si Pero No – Puerto Rican Power (salsa)
Los Campeones de la Salsa – Willy Chirino (salsa)
Chiquilla – Kumbia All Stars (cumbia)
Che Che Colé – Marc Anthony (salsa)

Of course this is just a short list. I’m always on the lookout for more music that “moves” me.   So my favourites are always changing. 

• 6 or 7 ears of yellow corn
  2 cups water2 cups milk (use skim for a healthy alternative but whole milk will make it thicker)
  1/3 c. sugar (or more to taste but I found that this amount was just enough)
  1/2 tsp. salt
  3-4 tsp. cornstarch (corn in Central America is a bit starchier, cornstarch will help thicken the atol.
  Ground cinnamon for garnish

Directions: Using a sharp knife, carefully cut enough kernels off the corn cobs to make 3 to 3 1/2 cups (a good tip to make getting the kernels off the cob easier is to put a small bowl upside down inside a big bowl to make a kind of platform, that way when you scrape the kernels off they fall into the big bowl and you don’t have to keep emptying the bowl). Then scrape the cobs with a knife to remove all their milk. Place 2 1/2 cups of the corn in a blender along with the 2 cups of water and puree well.Strain the pureed corn through a sieve into a medium saucepan (you can either discard the solids or save them to make corn patties later). Stir in the remaining corn kernels, 1/3 cup sugar and salt.

Add the milk and bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, or until lightly thickened. If the atol doesn’t thicken to a creamy consistency, mix the cornstarch with a little cold water and whisk into the simmering liquid until it is just thick enough, you can add up to 6 tsp of corn starch but make sure you add them a little at a time until you get the desired consistency.
Pour the hot atol into mugs or small bowls, sprinkle with a little cinnamon and serve hot with a spoon to scoop up the corn kernels.

I made “tortitas de elote” or corn patties with the solids after draining them through the sieve, I added egg whites, fresh parsley, chopped onions and salt and pepper. Made the mixture into patties (they are soggy at first) and put them on a very hot skillet with olive oil (hot enough to sizzle when you place them in there). Turned them once they browned and had them for an appetizer before dinner. It was enough to make 4 patties.

Verdict: Because I know how this is supposed to taste like I can honestly say that this worked out well, even if I do say so myself.  But I did have one of my italian friends taste it and he l-o-v-e-d loved it!  I was very happy about that!  This is best served hot so if you do have some leftovers make sure you heat it up before you serve it. This drink is good for breakfast or after dinner, even  mid-afternoon (think of it as an alternative to hot chocolate).  Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it. If you love corn you will love this…

El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America at 21,040 km sq. (about the size of New Jersey), and the most densely populated one. It borders the Pacific Ocean between Honduras and Guatemala. It’s situated on the Gulf of Fonseca and has a population of approximately 5.7 million people.

Interesting Facts:
- A Salvadoran civil war  was fought  between the government of El Salvador and and a coalition of four leftist groups and one communist group known as the Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional from 1980-1992.  Approximately 75,000 people were killed in the war. The Salvadoran Civil war happened in the context of the Cold War, with Cuba and the USSR backing the militias and the U.S.  backing the Salvadoran government.

- El Salvador eliminated its currency, the colón, and adopted the U.S. dollar in 2001. (Most of us are not too happy about that one.)

Recipe: Sorry, I’m a bit biased I decided to make a couple of dishes from El Salvador. Call it nostalgia… Check out part 2 tomorrow.

Quesadilla Salvadoreña: (cheese coffee cake)

1 Cup Flour (I used whole wheat and it works fine)
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Sour Cream (I use the low fat kind)
4 oz Parmesan Cheese (grated) (again… low fat)
3 eggs (you can get away with 2 eggs and egg whites)
1 stick butter (small)
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
Sesame Seeds

Directions Mix butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at the time. Sift flour and Baking powder. Add to sugar mixture little by little. Add sour cream and parmesan cheese mixing well. Grease baking dish or muffin tin with butter. Add mixture evenly. Decorate with sesame seeds. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 40 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

VERDICT: What can I say?  PERFECTO!!! Like always, I try to modify the dish to make it a little bit healthier to go with my new lifestyle.  The whole wheat flour really doesn’t make a bit of difference in the taste and it gives you that extra bit of fibre. The extra egg white gives you a bit more protein… Really, it’s an excellent idea to make little changes… This cake is always a big success whenever I make it and I get at least one recipe request. It goes perfect with your afternoon cup of coffee. The reason I opt for muffin cups instead of a rectangle pan is because of that ease in “serving size” , it’s so much easier to grab one little muffin (or two! ) than to try and guess how big of a piece to cut for your snack… let’s face it, I always cut a big piece… and then some!  I encourage you to try this recipe. It’s not difficult and the result is a scrumptious snack that fills your kitchen with a very delicious smell.