Culture and recipes shared
Brigitte Ortiz | THE RIDER
Hispanic Heritage Month is intended to pay tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who brought their culture and way of life to America, including flavorful dishes.
Maritza De La Trinidad, associate professor of Mexican American studies grew up in Tucson, Arizona, near the Arizona/Sonora, Mexico, border. She said she enjoys cooking family recipes.
“One of my favorites is enchiladas suizas and other recipes that are unique to the region I grew up in,” De La Trinidad said. “In September there is white corn that is very popular in Arizona, so we make tamales out of white corn that is very sweet. So, that’s a little bit different than other parts of the Southwest.”
Asked about the traditional dishes in her family, she replied that her dad likes to make zucchini with turkey meat.
“Another dish is, there is a pozole that is very unique, I think it’s unique to Sonora,” De La Trinidad said. “It’s pozole, but it’s made with pinto beans and hominy and certain beef cuts, which is a little different than here [in the Rio Grande Valley].”
Carolina Garza, a mass communication junior, said pork with squash and corn is a traditional dish in her family.
“My grandma would always cook it,” Garza said. “[My dad] learned and now I learned it from my dad because I cook with him, but it’s from [Mexico]. It’s accompanied with beans and rice, and we make the sauce, too. It’s like a tomato sauce.”
She said she has always wanted to try Venezuelan arepas, a corn patty often stuffed with fillings such as Venezuelan shredded beef, black beans and/or fresh cheese.
Griselda Salgado, a bilingual education junior, said her favorite Mexican dish are tostadas because they are easy to prepare.
“I also think that we have the ingredients at home or if not, they are very easy to get,” Salgado said. “That is why I feel that tostadas are my favorite dish.”
She said she has always been interested in trying chapulines, a Oaxacan dish of fried grasshoppers seasoned with chile, lime, garlic, onion and/or salt.
“It has always given me an intrigue to know what they taste like, but I have never had that time to try it,” Salgado said.
Asked why she wants to try them, she replied, “I was living with a friend who was from Oaxaca and she would always say that it was what she ate the most and the most famous thing in her city.”
Enchiladas Suizas (Recipe provided by Maritza De La Trinidad)
Ingredients: Green Chili Enchiladas: corn tortillas (24-36), chicken broth (1 can), crema Mexicana (16 oz.), 1 or 2 jars Herdez Green Chile salsa, Jack cheese (1 pound), chicken breasts (2 pounds), 2 to 3 Roma tomatoes, ½ cup (hot or mild) roasted green Anaheim chili, ½ cup chopped onions, and 1 to 2 tbsps. garlic powder (season to taste).
Instructions: Boil chicken breasts in water for 1 hour, drain and let cool. Shred chicken by hand. Chop Roma tomatoes, onions and garlic and saute in olive or canola oil. Add green chili, shredded chicken, some chicken broth, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cook for about 10-15 minutes. Spoon chicken on warm corn tortillas and roll them and arrange in a 9 x 13 pan. Blend 1 jar of Herdez Green Chile salsa and crema Mexicana in a blender and pour over the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle Jack or Mexican cheese on top and cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the cheese melts (30 to 45 minutes).
Tostadas (Recipe provided by Griselda Salgado)
Ingredients: tostadas, refried beans, shredded chicken, lettuce, tomato, queso fresco, crema Mexicana and avocado. For salsa: 10 fresadilla tomatoes, 5 chiles serranos, 2 garlic cloves and salt.
Instructions: Boil chiles serranos and fresadilla tomatoes for 15 minutes and blend ingredients together. Spread the beans on the tostada and top with shredded chicken, lettuce, sliced tomatoes, shredded queso fresco, avocado and crema Mexicana.
Arroz con leche (Recipe provided by Carolina Garza)
Ingredients: ½ cup of milk, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 can of evaporated milk, 1 stick of cinnamon, 1½ cups of washed and rinsed rice, 2 or 3 cups of water. Instructions: In a pot, boil rice in water and a stick of cinnamon for 15 minutes. Add sweetened condensed, evaporated and regular milk. Stir so it won’t stick to the bottom.
