Monthly Archives: March 2020

Mom’s Albondigas Recipe

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As my presentation I chose Albondigas which is the Spanish version of the meatballs and has been one of my favorite childhood dishes my mom made.  This dish originated from Spain in the 16th century and introduced to Mexico when the Spain conquered Mexico.  As time passed the origin of this dish has changed.  This dish along with all the soups my mom made was and still are a Mexican soul food.  This is a Mexican dish and depending on what city in Mexico you reside in the recipe becomes uniquely different.  This soup to me is more like a comfort food especially during the cold or rainy weather.  As I was growing up, I was very fortunate to come home to fresh home cooked meals because my mom was a stay at home mom.  I always looked forward to whatever my mom made especially this delicious soup on a cold rainy day and it was the best.  We often ate this with a tortilla with some mayonnaise smothered in it and little squirt of lemon, it was the perfect combination.  I have also tasted my mother in laws albondigas and it just didn’t compare to my mothers’ recipe as it has been by far the best as it is quite unique.  The distinctiveness of my moms’ dish is the mint, it adds a little kick to the meat balls. The chayote which is an edible plant in this soup to me doesn’t have any taste to it but the texture of this squash is actually good.  It is low in calories but has lots of fiber, antioxidants and is good for any diet.

ingredients:

1 tomato cut in slices                                                                            1 half white onion sliced                                                                         1 can of tomato sauce
1 sliced potato
1 sliced chayote
baby carrots
sliced celery
1 pd of ground beef
bundle of mint diced
tomatillos diced
onion diced
1 egg

Also, the veggies in the albondigas have vitamins and the ground beef is good protein.  This soup is so flavorful that I always wanted seconds.  I learned to make this recipe now that I have kids and I am happy to say that I mastered my mom’s recipe because I am not a fan of cooking.  My sister also has told me that I happen to make this dish better then her and that it taste just like my mothers.  My connection to this food now is that albondigas represents our culture and family connections.  Whenever I make the family recipe my siblings get excited and ask if they can come over for dinner. This dish happens to brings my family together and that makes me happy that I am able to do this by mastering my mom’s Albondigas.  This project has helped me appreciate my mom’s recipe(s) and by taking pictures of this specific recipe it inspired me to make a recipe book.  My mom is getting older and I find that the recipes are getting lost as no one is really making them anymore. When my mom cooked she always made enough that her house was all of our stopping point after work.  However, as I was making this recipe and taking the pictures of my dish it truly inspired me to make a family cookbook and share with my family so that her dishes will always remain.

Carrot Cake Recipe

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Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake is widely known for its sweetness, moistness and carrot taste.

Brief History:

“Carrots gained substantial recognition in British baking during World War II. With there being a food shortage, the British government began to consider alternative cuisines upon the carrot. In an effort to encourage carrot intake the Food Ministry launched the “See in the Dark Campaign.” (Hannah Abaffy) British citizens eventually got creative and started adding carrots to everything they put their mind to. However, Carrots had already been used in cakes back in Medieval times. Sweeteners at that time were expensive to purchase so individuals relied on naturally sweetened vegetables and used it as a substitute for sugar.

When Carrot Cake made its way to America, it made dessert history. Carrot Cake was a novelty item and then was put on menus allowing it to be popularized. It wasn’t until the 1970s when people were concerned about how healthy carrot cake really was. (Jessie Moore) Some people believed that because the carrots were healthy then the cake was healthy too. But in reality, with all the other ingredients combined, the modernized American carrot cake was bound to be made with much higher sugar intake.

From then on, carrot cakes have come a long way.

Carrot Benefits:

Carrots are one of my favorite vegetables. Knowing that they are beneficial to one’s health is a bonus. Carrots are highly nutritious. They are a good source of antioxidants, potassium, fibre, vitamin k1 and beta carotene. I have to mention, “Carrots are mainly composed of water and carbs.” (Adda Bjarnadottir) Carrots are very low in fat and contain Vitamins A/B6/K1 and potassium which are good for blood pressure control. Vitamin A promotes good vision, Vitamin B6 aids the conversion of food into energy, K1 promotes bone health and blood coagulation. There are many advantages towards the consumption of carrots.

When I was younger, I was obsessed with my moms’ Carrot Cake. My mother would make a carrot cake every Easter or upon request to satisfy a sweet tooth. We would have family gatherings every Easter and everyone would take a plate of food and of course, my mom being the best baker in my eyes, had the best dessert platter. Everyone enjoyed it. Whenever I ate my mom’s cake during Easter, being in Spring, it brought me a sense of gratitude because my family was all together having a great time. My cousins and I would run around looking for Easter eggs that were stuffed with prizes like little balls, stickers, bracelets and even dollars. My family wouldn’t allow the Easter eggs to be filled with candy as it was something they were against. They opted for more of a wiser, fun, and healthier option rather than giving us plain candy. Therefore, being that we weren’t given candy I would get ecstatic when I would finish my food and was allowed to get a slice of her cake. As a kid, you love anything sugary. Her cake essentially replaced the candy that we weren’t given, though, I’m not complaining because she was trying to be a good mother. As I am older, I try to resist sweet confections. Though it has been tough trying to withstand her cake as it is delicious but here and there whenever I catch her making it, I get a little sample to reminisce all those times that I was a care-free child.

My mom’s cake was not the typical carrot cake that contained raisins, walnuts/pecans and cream cheese frosting. She had got the recipe from a random cookbook and adjusted it along the way. My mom tweaked the cake to our or should I say my preferences. The original recipe used two cups of sugar but it was too sweet so she started using 1 1/3 cups of sugar. I’m one to eat raisins alone but when they’re integrated with something else it’s a no for me. Also, I wasn’t a fan of cream cheese frosting and as a child, I didn’t enjoy any nutty flavors either. So, with my picky fondness, she excluded raisins and substituted hemp seeds (they’re safe!) for walnuts/pecans and depending on the occasion she would add vanilla frosting. For Easter, she would add frosting to the cake but if it was made at home to satisfy a craving, she wouldn’t add any frosting to it. She used the best ingredients she could when it came to baking the cake. She preferred organic ingredients and was cautious of sugar intake. Now that I am grown, I want to share her adjusted recipe so it’ll become a generational thing in my family. I want to keep this recipe going so everyone can know how delicious it is.

 

Makes Two 9-inch Cakes

Approximately 2 hours

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups of All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 Teaspoons of Baking Soda
  • ½ Teaspoon of Salt
  • 2 Teaspoons of Ground Cinnamon
  • 3 Large Eggs
  • 1 ⅓ Cups of Sugar
  • ¾ Vegetable Oil
  • ¾ Cup of Buttermilk
  • 2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract
  • 1 ½ Cups of grated Carrots
  • ⅓ Cup of Hemp Seeds

Optional: Sprinkles, Whipped Vanilla Frosting

Directions

The first step would be to turn the oven on to 350 degrees so it can preheat meanwhile you combine all of your ingredients and position a rack in the lower third of the oven

Line both 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper; lightly grease the parchment paper with butter and flour; Set them aside

DRY ingredients- In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon all together; giving it a stir with a whisk

WET ingredients- In a separate bowl beat eggs and then add the sugar, oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract; giving it a stir as well

Add the wet ingredient mixture to the dry ingredient mixture; beat until smooth texture

Fold in grated carrots and hemp seeds to the mixture (can be pecans/walnuts)

Pour and divide batter into the two prepared cake pans

Bake for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick or fork inserted in the center comes out clean

Remove cake from pan by pulling it out with the parchment paper and place it on a wire rack

Let cool for 15 minutes

Once cooled, remove parchment paper and place on a flat plate or surface and  frost the cake with a frosting of your choice and decorate to your desire (optional)

 

All photos by me

 

 

Abaffy, Hannah. “Carrot Cake Good Enough to Win WWII.” milkandhoneythebakery.com/carrot-cake-recipe-history-wwii/.

Moore, Jessie. “The Story of Carrot Cake.” http://www.unicornlove.com/blog/2012/8/1/the-story-of-carrot-cake.html

Smith, K. Annabelle. “A WWII Propaganda Campaign Popularized the Myth That Carrots Help You See in the Dark.” www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-wwii-propaganda-campaign-popularized-the-myth-that-carrots-help-you-see-in-the-dark-28812484/.

Ngo, Irene. “Baking Technique: Folding.” www.chatelaine.com/recipes/chatelainekitchen/baking-technique-folding/.

Newman, Tim. “What Is Beta Carotene? What Are the Benefits?” www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/252758.

Bjarnadottir, Adda. “Carrots 101:Nutritional Facts and Health Benefits” https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/carrots

“Hemp Seed – What You Should Know and Tips for Baking With It.” www.cupcakeproject.com/hemp-seed-what-you-should-know-and-tips/.

Platanos Fritos

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In my presentation, I decided to talk about a dish that my parents introduced to me as a child.

The reason why this dish is so important to me has to do with a lot of things. When I was young, I would hear my father and mother talk about the war that ruined their lives. I didn’t know much about the country that was called “El Salvador”. I grew up with African Americans and Mexicans around me. I was not proud to be latina nor thought great things about a country I never visited. However, even with all of this, I felt like something was missing in my heart. Not only would I neglect the country my parents fled, I also wanted to flee the city I was born in. After a trauma that led me into depression, I wanted to escape.

Sadly, the pride I felt for being Salvadorian did not happen until I moved away to University in Humboldt county. After truly understanding what it meant to be homesick, I came back home to Los Angeles and my perspective on things changed.

Back then, I remember I would say I was from another ethnicity because I wasn’t proud of who I was. I honored other cultures but did not do so with mine. All of that changed when my father decided to take me to El Salvador and visit my family when I came back to Los Angeles. That emptiness I felt was soon filled with a sense of familiarity I have never felt before when I stepped foot in a country that had its blood running through my veins.

Now when I eat a plate of Platanos Fritos, I think about the country my parents came from, the country where my extended family lives, the country I would have been born in if the war did not happen, the country that is struggling to get back on its feet. It makes me proud to be Salvadorian but also someone from Los Angeles. It makes me proud because I have been given an opportunity to succeed under terrible circumstances. I am able to meet cultures from all over the world and I am able to have an education.

When I think about my country, I see the faces of hardworking people, of people who are determined to survive, and of people that seem familiar to me. I am now proud to say I am Salvadorian and want people to know more about this really small central American country.

I am proud to say I am Salvadorian but also from Los Angeles. That I am neither from here completely or there but I am a unique combination of both. When I have children, I will make them this dish and show them to love everything about their unique mixture of culture as well. I am excited to show them that part of their culture and the culture of my husbands. I believe that food is very powerful and can bring people together. I also believe that it is important to never forget the recipes that tell a story about a certain group of people.