Full Belly = Happy Heart!

Food is one of the best pleasures in life. Do you agree? I love food and more than food, the experience that comes with a special dish. In the Latin-American culture, food is one important factor when it comes to gatherings, parties and entertainment.

Families and friends will usually cook for each other when they gather or celebrate a special occasion. It is typical that grandmothers teach their granddaughters their best recipes so they can keep the traditional custom of cooking for their families in the future.

The famous saying of “there is no better cooking than my grandmother’s” applies very well to the Latin culture. Grandmothers and their cooking is what bring a lot of families together on a Sunday afternoon, or a birthday celebration.

Today I’m going to share with you some of my favorite dishes recipes and a little bit of food history.

Here are three amazing recipes:

"Baleadas" from Honduras

This are a quick and satisfying breakfast or evening meal. "Baleadas" are thick flour tortillas folded over a variety of fillings. The most common filling is a simple mix of beans, cheese and the Honduran-style sour cream known as "mantequilla."

Ingredients

• Flour tortillas (recipe below)  (8 tortillas)
• Refried beans (2 cups)
• Crumbled queso duro, cotija or feta cheese (1/2 cup)
• Mexican-style sour cream (cream agria)  (1/4 cup)

1.Heat an ungreased griddle, comal or skillet over medium flame. Meanwhile, heat up the refried beans in a saucepan, stirring in a little water.

2.Place a tortilla into the skillet and heat it on both sides to soften it up. Place the tortilla on a serving plate. 

3.Smear some refried beans on one half of the tortilla, sprinkle it with some crumbled cheese and drizzle it with a little sour cream. 

4.Fold the tortilla in half over the filling.Repeat with the remaining tortillas and serve hot.

"Atol de elote" from El Salvador

Atoles are very popular beverages in El Salvador with roots in Mayan cuisine. They are a sort of thick drink often eaten with a spoon. Atol de elote is based on fresh corn (elote) and has a fresh flavor. Sometimes served in a bowl made out of a dried calabash gourd.

Ingredients:

• Yellow corn on the cob (6 to 7 ears)
• Water  (4 cups)
• Sugar (1/3 cup)
• Salt (1/2 teaspoon)
• Cornstarch (optional)  (3 to 4 teaspoons)
• Ground cinnamon (for garnishing)

Method:

1.Using a sharp knife, carefully cut enough kernels off the corn cobs to make 3 to 3 1/2 cups. Then scrape the cobs with a knife to remove all their milk. Place 2 1/2 cups of the corn in a blender along with 2 cups of the water and puree well.     

2.Strain the pureed corn through a sieve into a medium saucepan and discard the solids. Stir in the remaining corn kernels, 1/3 cup sugar and salt.                     

3.Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, or until lightly thickened. If the atol doesn't thicken to a creamy consistency, mix the cornstarch with a little cold water and whisk into the simmering liquid until it is just thick enough to coat a spoon.                       

4.Pour the hot atol into mugs or small bowls, sprinkle with a little cinnamon and serve hot with a spoon to scoop up the corn kernels.

"Bandeja Paisa" from Colombia

This is probably the most popular Colombian dish, originally from the Andean region of the country where the people are called “Paisas” and the area where I was born and raised. Traditionally this dish includes beans, white rice, chicharron (pork), carne en polvo (powder beef),chorizo (summer sausage), fried egg, avocado, and arepa (Colombian tortilla).

Ingredients:

• 1 Spoon of refried beans
• 1 cup of white rice
• 1 cup of powdered beef 
• 4 chuncks of fried pork belly
• 4 Cooked summer sausages
• 4 Fried sunny side up eggs 
• 4 baked plantainsor
• 1 cup of hogao (tomato and onion sauce) 
• 1 Lime and Avocado per Serving

Method:

1.Prepare the beans, hogao and powdered beef one day ahead and keep in the refrigerator.

2.When you are going to serve the bandeja paisa, heat the beans and powdered beef and hogao.

3.Fry the chicharrones.    

                                                                                                                              

4.Cook the white rice and plantains

5.Fry the eggs and chorizos.

6.To serve, place the rice in a tray or platter and place the rest of the ingredients as you like (see picture).

Those are three easy to do recipes and delicious meals!!! Want to know a little bit about the Latin American food history?

Watch this video:

All images from Google Images