Salvadoran Pupusas

Have I mentioned that I spent a few months in El Salvador? Who knew that high schoolers have food days that require "real" Spanish food? Also, since when do high school French classes have food days sponsored by the local french bakery every other week? My food days usually included things like chips and salsa and soda. I'm not complaining, but I wish I had gotten the chance to sample delicious traditional dishes. In fact, I distinctly remember one of my favorite days in second grade was when the mother of one of the boys in my class came in to make potato latkes and teach us about Hanukkah. I'm pretty sure that I know a lot more about Hanukkah than I would otherwise because every time we talked about it someone brought in food. I tried blintzes for the first time while learning about Hanukkah, too. Blintzes are not actually Jewish - they're slavic - but they became popular in the United States in Jewish cuisine, and cheese-stuffed blintzes are very common for Chanukah and Shavout. Speaking of blintzes, if you are ever in Portland, stop by the Polish food cart on SW 10th and Alder and get some blintzes. They are delicious.

I seem to have gotten distracted. Back to high school Spanish food days. My sister asked for help the night before her food day, and I was in no mood for anything complicated, especially when feeding an entire class. We went with the simplest of the simple - Salvadoran pupusas. Pupusas are essentially bean and cheese-filled tortillas, and they only require four ingredients - maseca (corn flour), water, refried beans and mozarella cheese. They are better if you put hot sauce and repollo, pickled cabbage, carrots and onion, on top, but that was more work than I was willing to do.

I basically lived on pupusas in El Salvador, since Rosie and her crew at the restaurant I frequented made delicious ones every night for dinner, and every road trip ended with a dinner of pupusas. They are filling and cheap, and even the pickiest eaters can't complain about just some beans and cheese. I know other places put all sorts of meat and whatnot in their pupusas, but there's really no need to jazz up an already good thing. Do make repollo the day before so that you have some ready for your pupusas, though. It is fantastic. Maybe throw on a bit of Chalulah or tabasco too, if you like some kick.

To make pupusas: Combine maseca and warm water until the dough holds together and is a little sticky, but not so much that you can't work with it. A little maseca goes a long way, so if you aren't planning on making 50 pupusas, start with maybe a cup or two and go from there. Combine the refried beans and shredded mozarella. Make a ball (about golf ball-sized) of the dough, then press your thumb into the center and make it into a little bowl. Fill the bowl with the beans and cheese, then close the dough around the filling do you have a ball again. Press the ball flat, trying not to let any of the filling break through. Cook the pupusas on both sides in a hot skillet with a little oil.


To make repollo (it goes by other names too, like curtido), you'll need:
1 head cabbage, chopped thin
2 carrots, grated
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon oregano
salt to taste
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (optional)
water
All of the ingredient quantities vary from recipe to recipe, so just do what looks tasty.

Put cabbage and onion in a bowl, and cover with boiling water for about a minute. If you want it more cooked, wait a little longer. Pour out the water. In a large container with a lid, put in your cooked cabbage and onion, carrots, vinegar, oregano, red pepper flakes and salt. Mix. Add enough water to barely cover the mix. The water dilutes the vinegar, so don't fill your whole container, but if it's too strong you needed more water. Cover your container and stick in in the fridge for at least four hours before serving. These two videos, here and here show you what to do. They are in Spanish, but it's pretty self-explanatory.