When it comes to Latin food, it’s all about seasoning—cilantro, lime and all the chiles, for starters—and the love poured into every dish that’s been passed down for generations. In honor of Latinx Heritage Month, we chatted with three of our own abuelas about their signature recipes and the way culinary tradition continues to link them to their heritage. Are you ready for your cooking lesson?
Llapingachos
A traditional dish from Ecuador, llapingachos are fried potato patties stuffed with cheese. Rubio is 82 years old and lives in West Palm Beach, Florida. She’s known as “Wita” to her 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. She loves to make this dish for her entire family.
SZN It
Our Abuelas Share Their Signature Recipes
with
Gladys Rubio’s
with xinan helen ran
Q: How has the recipe changed over time?
A: The way I was taught was with mozzarella cheese. I like the pollito kind (Polly-O), but sometimes, I like to switch the cheese for a different flavor. Whatever cheese I choose, I use the already shredded kind because it's easier.
Q: What’s the cultural/family significance of the recipe?
A: I loved teaching my family how to make it and now seeing my granddaughter’s baby eat it! It's really everyone's favorite dish and anytime they come to visit, I already know to buy plenty of potatoes ahead of time.
Q: Do you have a cooking ritual?
Granddaughter Vanessa Sanjuan weighs in: It’s true; my grandma is literally always cleaning. Her house is spotless and at the age of 82, she’ll still get up on the counters and dust the top of the cabinets because GOD FORBID there’s dust up there.
A: It’s very, very necessary that the kitchen is clean so that when we sit down to eat, we’ll eat with great satisfaction. So I clean the stove, the kitchen, everything we’re going to use.
Q: Do you have a cooking ritual?
A: Many of my grandchildren like being in the kitchen. When it’s Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, I say, ‘Mom, Dad, go back to bed, we’re going to make breakfast.’ [My grandkids] will make it too; even if they haven’t made it before, this recipe is easy and very delicious.
Q: What’s the cultural/family significance of the recipe?
A: My family has kept the same recipe as my ancestors. My grandmother, then my mother, have followed the same recipe. There have been no changes. It’s economical. If you follow this method of making it and the instructions, it’s something delicious that people will enjoy with great pleasure. People that have eaten it say, 'this budín that Señora Salazar makes is priceless.'
Q: How has the recipe changed over time?
A traditional dish from Guatemala, budín de pan is a baked bread pudding studded with raisins that’s often served for breakfast. Salazar is an 85-year-old mother of eight and lives in Riverdale, New York. She also has seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A: My best practice is deep cleaning the kitchen and having everything organized. I like to have all the ingredients on the counter and basically take it from there. The kids usually don't help too much, but I used to do it by myself and my daughter used to help sometimes. I also like listening to music—Latin music, pop music or American music in general. If it’s Latin, it’s Juan Luis Guerra.
Q: Do you have a cooking ritual?
A: It evolves depending on the people and the kids. I like to do it with ground beef and pork [but] I have people that don't eat meat, so you can also do it with just cheese and spinach. It changes depending on the moment, the holiday and the people that you have.
Q: What’s the cultural/family significance of the recipe?
A: It's not one of the typical dishes that everybody knows from the Dominican Republic, but it's very common there. It's been passed from generation to generation and has the influence from different countries in Europe. If you want to have it for the holidays, it's a beautiful dish to have on the table.
Q: How has the recipe changed over time?
A traditional dish from the Dominican Republic, pastelón de arroz is a baked rice casserole that’s often made with beef, vegetables and cheese. Rodriguez is 61 years old and lives in Brooklyn, New York. She loves cooking for her children and grandchildren alike.
with xinan helen ran
helen liao
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After Her Death,
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My Abuelita’s Recipe Book
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Siete Foods
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A: I will let you in on a little secret…I really don't like cooking! But what I do love is seeing everyone at the table enjoying the meal. That makes me happy! I’d much rather clean up the cooking mess than do the actual cooking.
Pastelón de Arroz
Francis Rodriguez’s
Budín de Pan
Esperanza Salazar’s
• 4 russet potatoes
• Kosher salt
• A generous handful shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 packet of Sazón Goya con Achiote
• Oil, for frying
1. Peel and dice the potatoes. Put the potatoes in a pot and fill with enough water to cover them. Salt the water and bring to a boil over high heat. (Rubio says, “Not too much salt though, since the cheese is already salty.”) Cook the potatoes until they’re soft and can be easily pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mash the potatoes. Add the cheese and sazón and mash further to combine.
3. Once you have a dough-like consistency (“Make sure there are no lumps!” says Rubio), form the patties. Flatten the dough in your hands, while turning the patty in your palm to round and smoothen edges. The patties should be roughly the size of your palm and about ½-inch thick.
4. Add oil to the bottom of a large frying pan, enough to coat the bottom. Warm the oil over medium-high heat; don’t let it get too hot or the patties will stick. Fry the patties until they’re golden and crispy, about 5 minutes per side.
5. Let the patties drain and cool on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve immediately with white rice, encebollado (pickled red onion and tomato salad), sliced avocado and a fried egg.
Steps
Ingredients
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Trim the crust off the bread. Add the milk to a large bowl, then soak the bread in the milk, breaking it up with a fork.
3. Add the sugar, salt, vanilla and butter to the bread mixture and fold to combine.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Add the eggs and raisins to the bread mixture and fold to combine.
5. Grease a 9x13” baking dish with butter. Add the bread mixture to the baking dish and bake until the edges and top turn golden brown, about 90 minutes.
Steps
• 1 1⁄2 pound French bread
or sliced bread
(Abuela tip: This recipe
is a great way to use up
leftover stale bread.)
• 2 liters milk
• 2½ cups sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 stick butter, melted,
plus more for greasing
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup raisins
Ingredients
1. Make the meat: In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, pepper and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the onion and pepper are soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the beef and cook, stirring constantly. Add adobo, pepper, oregano and sazón. Stir and cook until the meat is browned.
3. Once the meat is cooked through, add the tomato sauce and 1 cup water.
4. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Mix in the olives and cilantro last if desired.
5. Make the pastelón: Cook the rice with 4 cups water, salt and onion as you normally cook at home, or use leftover cooked rice.
6. In a small bowl, beat the eggs with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Transfer the rice to a separate container and add the egg mixture, the melted margarine, mozzarella cheese and chopped parsley. Mix well to combine.
7. With the remaining solid margarine, grease a square, oven-safe container well and pour a little less than half of the rice into it, covering the bottom of the pyrex. Add a layer of the meat and cover with the rest of the rice. Top the casserole with melted margarine and additional mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven at 375°F until the cheese is bubbly and golden, about 10 minutes.
Steps
For the meat filling
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ½ medium red onion, diced
• ½ red bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 teaspoon adobo
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 package sazón con culantro
• ¼ cup tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon olives (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
For the pastelón
• 1 pound rice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 small onion
• 3 eggs
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 stick margarine or butter, ¾ melted
• 4 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese, plus more for topping
• 1 sprig parsley, chopped
Ingredients
Llapingachos
Gladys Rubio’s
A traditional dish from Ecuador, llapingachos are fried potato patties stuffed with cheese. Rubio is 82 years old and lives in West Palm Beach, Florida. She’s known as “Wita” to her 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. She loves to make this dish for her entire family.
A: I will let you in on a little secret…I really don't like cooking! But what I do love is seeing everyone at the table enjoying the meal. That makes me happy! I’d much rather clean up the cooking mess than do the actual cooking.
Llapingachos
Gladys Rubio’s
A traditional dish from Ecuador, llapingachos are fried potato patties stuffed with cheese. Rubio is 82 years old and lives in West Palm Beach, Florida. She’s known as “Wita” to her 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. She loves to make this dish for her entire family.
Pastelón de Arroz
Francis Rodriguez’s
A traditional dish from the Dominican Republic, pastelón de arroz is a baked rice casserole that’s often made with beef, vegetables and cheese. Rodriguez is 61 years old and lives in Brooklyn, New York. She loves cooking for her children and grandchildren alike.