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.