bibliosylph's Pupusas

sylph mentioned in the Hizzy tonight that she knew a lot about Latin American cooking, and I offered to be her slave for a good pupusa recipe. And she knew one! And sent it to me! And pretty much made my night! Causing me, clearly, to abuse exclamation points outrageously.

When I was a kid, I lived in El Salvador briefly where I fell in love with these. Living in the D.C. area for junior & high school, my family discovered a wonderful Salvadorean restaurant that made these. Madison has an almost dizzying wealth of diverse ethnic restaurants, but sadly, no place to get pupusas. In my opinion the curtido is the key. Pickled cabbage doesn't, perhaps, sound like the most palatable thing, but it's tangy & delicious & just makes these!

Pupusas

• 2 c. masa harina
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 c. hot tap water
• 8 oz grated queso asadero or crumbled queso fresco (asadero melts like the cheese we usually eat Mexican-style, and is milder than fresco.)
• Curtido (recipe follows) or a salsa that you like. (Or, try some of the shredded pork in the recipe below this one.)

Using your hands, mix the masa harina, salt and water in a bowl until the dough come together in a soft ball.**When preparing the masa, it's a good idea to add 1 cup of the hot water, then gradually add the rest as you mix it into a ball. If you need a little more, add a tablespoon at a time. You want the dough to be soft but not sticky. Divide dough into 8 golf ball size pieces. Cover with plastic wrap to keep moist. Place a corn dough ball in the center of a sheet of plastic wrap. Place another sheet over the dough and press down with the palm of your hand, flattening it to a 6 inch diameter circle. Remove top plastic wrap.

Put some cheese or 2 tbs of pork in center to within 1 inch of tortilla edge. Place a second ball between two plastic sheets and flatten to a 4 inch diameter circle. Remove plastic and place 4 inch tortilla on top of filling. Curl up edge of bottom tortilla around top tortilla and press edges together. Place plastic sheet over top tortilla and gently flatten, spreading cheese toward edge but making sure not to squeeze it out. Top and bottom tortillas should be both smooth when you're done. Repeat process for rest of balls.

Cook pupusa in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Pupusas should be crisp and lightly browned when done. Serve hot topped with curtido or salsa. Makes 4.

Green Chile Pork

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds cubed pork stew meat (or some nice loin, if you like.)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (4.5 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained (you can use 3 or 4 chopped roasted chiles instead.)
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 5 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• salt and black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Stir in cubed pork, and cook until browned and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and allow to cool briefly. Once cool, remove & shred pork with a fork, then return to the pan.

Sprinkle flour over pork. With a wooden spoon, stir pork to coat, scraping the bottom of the skillet to loosen browned bits. Add chile peppers and onions. Stir in tomato sauce, garlic and water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Return skillet to medium heat. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cover, and cook 10 minutes more.

Curtido (Pickled Cabbage)

• 1 medium cabbage, shredded
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1 small red onion, sliced thin
• 4 cups cider vinegar
• 4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
• 2 teaspoons crushed red chile flakes
• 1 red bell pepper or 4 ajies dulces (sweet red peppers), sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon salt

Preparing the curtido: In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, onion, vinegar, water, oregano, chile flakes, red bell pepper, and salt until well mixed. Trasfer to a glass or plastic 1-gallon jar. Secure with the lid and agitate to mix well. Let marinate at least 1 day. Makes 1 gallon. This mixture will keep up to 1 month in the refrigerator.