Embracing cultures through cooking
My brother caused a family uproar a few years back when he
unwittingly made my daughter aware of her Mexican heritage.
During a visit to my mother’s, my brothers and sisters were
discussing the upcoming Cinco de Mayo holiday when my daughter,
then about 10 years old, asked what Cinco de Mayo was. My brother
told her she should know, since she was half-Mexican.
”
I’m not Mexican,
”
she said.
Embracing cultures through cooking
My brother caused a family uproar a few years back when he unwittingly made my daughter aware of her Mexican heritage.
During a visit to my mother’s, my brothers and sisters were discussing the upcoming Cinco de Mayo holiday when my daughter, then about 10 years old, asked what Cinco de Mayo was. My brother told her she should know, since she was half-Mexican. “I’m not Mexican,” she said.
My mom was angry, thinking my brother had done something to upset my daughter, but if anything, she was confused. Race and ethnicity have never played a factor in the relationships my family has formed. My mother is Hawaiian, while my father is a mixed bag of German and other European descent, along with a little Native American on his mother’s side. My husband is Mexican, as is my youngest brother’s girlfriend, while my other brother’s girlfriend is Chinese. My niece, Delaynie, was half African-American. My family is color blind.
Until that day, it never occurred to me I might be depriving my kids of something by not embracing the different ethnicities that make up their DNA. Since then, they have learned about Cinco de Mayo and know it celebrates the victory of the Mexican army over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. They know Mexico’s true Independence Day is actually Sept. 16. At Christmas, the girls set up “el Nacimiento,” or the Nativity scene, putting in the figures throughout the month, placing the baby Jesus on Christmas Eve and the three Wise Men on Epiphany.
Cooking is a good way to introduce your children to different cultures. We are not Irish, but over the years the kids have come to love a traditional St. Patrick’s Day feast of corned beef, champ (cooked russet potatoes mashed with simmered whipping cream, melted butter and minced green onion), carrots and Irish soda bread. And while we cook, we learn. They know St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the Fourth Century and that he was kidnapped when he was 16 by a group of Irish raiders who transported him to Ireland, where he spent six years in captivity and turned to his religion for solace.
In October, we have a meal of bratwurst and potato salad, and the girls talk about Crown Prince Ludwig, whose marriage to Princess Therese on Oct. 12, 1810, was such cause for celebration it gave birth to a festival that lasts several weeks. On the day Major League Baseball holds its All-Star game, we have hot dogs, Cracker Jack, peanuts, It’s It ice cream sandwiches and root beer, so the kids can shout “beer here!” I guess that’s not cultural as much as an excuse to leave work early to watch a baseball game.
With Cinco de Mayo taking place earlier this week, the family had a rather heated discussion over what foods we should eat that day. My 17-year-old son wanted skirt steak tacos or bean and cheese burritos. My 10-year-old daughter wanted homemade refried beans and quesadillas. The 12-year-old daughter wanted my husband to make his chicken mole enchiladas, while my husband asked for tostadas. My oldest son didn’t care what the main dish was, as long as there was fresh guacamole along side it.
Ultimately, we had homemade taquitos made with carnitas, or shredded pork, which I slow cook for several hours before crisping it a bit in the oven. I learned this recipe from one of my husband’s aunts. We also had homemade pinto beans made by my husband and my daughter fixed Mexican rice the way her dad taught her.
Below are a few of the recipes we enjoy, not just on Cinco de Mayo, but anytime we feel like tasting a bit of our family’s heritage.
Carnitas
2 lbs. pork butt
½ medium yellow onion, cut in half
1 large garlic clove
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. dried
oregano, crushed
¼ tsp. ground
cumin
Salt to taste
In a 4-6 qt. crock pot, combine pork, onion, garlic, 1 tsp. salt, oregano and cumin; add just enough water to cover. Cook on low heat for 7 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take meat from crock pot and place in a 13×9-inch baking pan. Sprinkle meat evenly with salt or garlic salt. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven. While meat is still warm, use forks to shred meat. Use shredded meat for tacos, burritos, tostadas, taquitos or sandwiches.
For taquitos: Heat just enough canola oil to cover bottom of 10-in. skillet. Cook corn tortillas, one at a time, in hot oil until soft, about 5 to 10 seconds; dry by placing cooked tortillas between paper napkins. (The above carnitas recipe generally fills about 30-35 tortillas.)
Spoon 1 tbsp. of carnitas in center of each tortilla. Roll the tortilla around filling, creating a flute, or “flauta” shape, using a toothpick to hold shape. Fry taquitos in oil approximately 2-3 minutes or until tortilla holds its shape. Remove toothpicks. Serve with pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole.
Guacamole
4 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 ripe medium Roma tomato, seeded and diced
½ c. minced sweet onion
2 serrano chilies, seeded, minced (use gloves while mincing chilies to protect skin and prevent eyes from burning)
¼ c. fresh cilantro (leaves only), chopped
4 tbsp. fresh lime juice
Cut avocado in large chunks and mash coarsely in large bowl with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and blend gently, keeping some small chunks for extra flavor.
Mexican Rice
3 tbsp. canola oil
1 c. uncooked long grain rice
1 garlic clove, minced, or 1 tsp. fresh minced garlic from a jar found in most produce departments
½ c. chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
2 c. chicken broth
½ c. tomato sauce
Heat oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet. Add rice, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Cook until golden. Add garlic and onion; saute until vegetables are softened. Add salt, chicken broth and tomato sauce to rice. Cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes over very low heat.
Laurie Castañeda can be reached at ca******@pi**********.com.
