By Norma Sorto
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
In the United States, many cultures celebrate Thanksgiving. The Latinx community, in particular, celebrates Thanksgiving by blending Latin music, traditional foods and American traditions. Combining old and new traditions is the perfect way to connect with each other.
As a Salvadoran American, my favorite part of Thanksgiving is helping my mother and aunt cook various side dishes. It is a tradition in my family to come together and help cook dishes from the motherland. If you are looking for new recipes to spice up your Thanksgiving, try cooking these top five Latin side dishes.
In El Salvador, a quesadilla is a rich sweet dessert cheesecake. There are many Latin bakeries in the DMV area. You can find fresh pastries like Salvadoran quesadilla. The perfect combination would be eating a quesadilla with a hot cup of coffee. The recipe and method for making Salvadoran quesadilla are not hard when you have the right ingredients.
Salvadoran Quesadilla
INGREDIENTS
- 5 oz. queso duro blanco (traditional Salvadoran cheese) or cottage cheese
- ½ cup whole milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 ½ cup of rice flour
- 1 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (optional)
- 1 ¼ cup caster sugar
- ½ sour cream
- 1 cup butter
- ½ cup whipping cream
- 4 tablespoons sesame seeds (for sprinkling)
DIRECTIONS
As my aunt would say, it is best to prepare the batter a day before Thanksgiving. That way, you won’t have to worry about preparing the batter on Thanksgiving Day. However, making the batter on the same day is fine as well. The first step is to preheat the oven to 350F and grease a baking pan. Next, use an electric blender to blend the queso or cottage cheese, sour cream, milk, and whipping cream. For a traditional flavor, I suggest using Salvadoran cheese. You can find it at your local international store. Then separate the eggs and beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the sugar or vanilla extract and egg yolks to the mix. Add 1 ½ cup of rice flour and one tablespoon of baking powder to the egg mixture. Mix well. After the two mixtures are ready, combine the mixtures and mix well until smooth. Pour the batter into the baking pan and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake the batter in a preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until the cake looks deeply golden. Once you take the quesadilla out of the oven, make sure to let cool for 10 minutes. After that, you can have as a dessert after dinner. My family loves to eat quesadillas with a cup of hot coffee. By Vera Abitbol.
Effortlessly Good Elote
This dish is perfect for serving a family-style Thanksgiving dinner. Elotes is a popular Mexican street food comprised of cooked sweet corn with a mixture of mayonnaise, cream, chili powder, and cheese. The dish takes a little effort to make. This dish is one of my favorite food growing up. Especially during Thanksgiving, when all of my closest cousins would add a special ingredient, Takis crumbs.
Elote (Mexican Grilled Corn)
INGREDIENTS
- 1 teaspoon chile powder or takis crumbs
- ¼ cup of mayonnaise
- ½ cup minced cilantro
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ cup Mexican gram or sour cream
- ½ cup crumbled cotija cheese or Parmesan
- 8 ears of corn, husks removed
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
DIRECTIONS
The preparation process of Elotes does not take a lot of time. The critical thing to remember is to have a charcoal grill or gas grill and heat it to 400F. Make sure to brush the grill grate with oil. In a small bowl, whisk together the Mexican cream, mayonnaise, cilantro, and garlic. Add salt if needed. Once the mix is ready, place the husked corn onto grill grates. Grill the corn for about 3 minutes until kernels are golden brown. Turn over and repeat. Once the corn is done, top with sauce and cheese using a brush or spoon, coat each corn with the cream mixture, and sprinkle with cotija cheese. For a spicy flavor, add chipotle pepper or a personal favorite takis crumbs. By Megan Keno.
Try Curtido On the Side
Curtido is a traditional Central American dish made with cabbage, onions, carrots, oregano, and sometimes lime juice. The dish is similar to sauerkraut, kimchi, or coleslaw. A lot of Central Americans eat curtido with pupusas, a traditional dish from El Salvador. However, cutrido can be a side dish for any kind of food. My aunt loves to combine curtido with rice and turkey. The curtido adds that unique tangy flavor.
Curtido
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cabbage
- 1 red onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 oregano
- 1 ½ tablespoon salt
- Vinegar
DIRECTIONS
Don’t forget the cabbage! Get a medium-sized whole cabbage and cut thin slices by using a sharp knife or mandolin. After that, cut thin slices of onions and jalapeno. Grate the carrot by using a grater. Oregano is essential in curtido. You can use fresh or dried oregano, whichever works best. Once you prepare all the ingredients, mix all the vegetables with salt, and let it sit for 20 minutes. If you want to add more flavor to the dish, you can add vinegar. My aunt’s special ingredient for curtido is adding vinegar. Don’t put too much salt because it will prevent fermentation. Mix it and let it sit for another 20 minutes. After the curtido is mixed well, you can pack the curtido into a jar. You can let the dish marmite for days, or you can eat it fresh. By Lauren Allen.
Creamy Sweet Corn Drink
Atol de elote is a traditional hot corn beverage of Mesoamerican origin. Each country in Latin America has its way of making the beverage. In Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, atol de elote is a popular drink, especially during the cold season. During holidays, alol de elote is the perfect comfort drink. Personally, the best way to drink atol de elote is on a cold, snowy day.
Atol De Elote
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cans sweet kernel corn
- 1 cup of water
- Two cans evaporated milk
- 1 cup white or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cinnamon sticks
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
DIRECTION
Get one can of corn and ½ cup of water and blend until smooth. With a mesh strainer, pour into a large saucepan. Repeat the process with the two remaining cans of corn. Then stir in sugar, cinnamon stick, and salt. Let it boil and stir occasionally. In the mixture, put the evaporated milk and the remaining 1 cup of water. Stir the milk mixture into the corn mixture. As you combine the two mixtures, remove the cinnamon stick. Enjoy with a sweet dessert. By Nestle.
Easy to Make Tajadas
Tajadas is a dish of fried plantains sliced into long pieces. It is a traditional food of Caribbean counties and Nicaragua, Colombia, Honduras, Panama, and Venezuela. My favorite thing about cooking fried plantains is that you can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Tajada’s is a versatile dish where you add or mix a lot of other ingredients. The best combination is eating tajadas with curtido!
Tajadas de Platano
INGREDIENTS
- 3 large ripe plantains
- ½ cup of vegetable oil
DIRECTION
The first step is to peel the plantains and cut them into thick slices. In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Then add the plantain slices to the pan. Make sure to keep an eye on the plantains since it only takes 2 minutes to cook on each side. Place a towel on a plate to clean the oil from the plantains. When the plantains are well cooked, you can sprinkle cheese around the dish or Mexican cream. By Erica Dinho