Okay, so I’ve been wanting to try some new recipes, and I thought, “Why not explore Salvadoran food?” I’ve had pupusas before, and they were amazing, so I decided to dive in and see what else this cuisine has to offer. Here’s how it went!
Getting Started: The Research Phase
First, I hit the internet to find some authentic Salvadoran recipes. I wanted something manageable for a weeknight, but also something that would give me a good sense of the flavors. I found a few blogs and websites that seemed promising, and I bookmarked a bunch of recipes that caught my eye.
Choosing the Recipes
After some browsing, I settled on three recipes:
- Pupusas Revueltas: I mean, you gotta have pupusas, right? These are filled with pork, beans, and cheese.
- Curtido: This is a tangy cabbage slaw that’s served with pupusas. Seemed essential!
- Pastelitos de Carne: These are little meat pies, and they looked like a tasty appetizer or side dish.
Shopping for Ingredients
Next, I needed to get the ingredients. Some of them were easy to find at my regular grocery store, like ground pork, beans, cheese, cabbage, and carrots. But I also needed masa harina for the pupusas, which I found at a local Latin American market. While I was there, I also grabbed some dried chiles, just in case I felt ambitious later.
The Cooking Process
I started with the curtido, since it needs to sit for a bit to let the flavors meld. It was pretty simple: just shredded cabbage, carrots, and onion, then tossed it with vinegar, oregano, and a little salt.
Next, I tackled the pastelitos. I made the filling by sautéing ground beef with onions, peppers, and some spices. The dough was store-bought, so all I had to do was fill the pastries, crimp the edges, and bake them until they were golden brown.
Finally, the pupusas! I mixed the masa harina with water to make the dough, then made the filling by combining cooked pork, refried beans, and cheese. The trickiest part was forming the pupusas – getting the dough just right so it wouldn’t crack, and sealing the filling inside. It took a few tries, but I eventually got the hang of it. Then I cooked them on a hot griddle until they were nicely browned.
The Taste Test
Everything smelled amazing! I served the pupusas with the curtido, and we also had the pastelitos on the side. It was all so good! The pupusas were warm and savory, the curtido added a nice crunch and tang, and the pastelitos were crispy and flavorful.
It was definitely a successful culinary adventure. I’m excited to try more Salvadoran recipes in the future! Maybe I’ll even try making my own pupusa dough from scratch next time.
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