Pupusa

I get cravings. Post-dinner service, riding the train, waking in the night, playing patty-cake with my boy (Mmmm cake. Carrot cake with roast almonds and an airy cream cheese and candied ginger frosting…). Pull it together. My cravings must be, and usually are fulfilled. The problems begin when a craving and nostalgia collide. No. The real trouble starts when a craving has a head-on with nostalgia and is then side swiped by the unavailability of insurmountable distance. These guttural yearnings represent some kind of perfect storm of desire which is built around a positive feedback loop – their unattainability augmenting their allure, their appeal highlighting their inaccessibility. If, for example, you were to tell me that the man in the ash-gray suit and pathetically fat pink candy striped tie who is currently jaywalking just below my window was filled, like some living, savory piñata, with dozens upon dozens of roast pork and chipotle blue corn tamales with tomatillo salsa, I’d march down there directly and crack him in two, eyes closed, one half in each outstretched arm suspended overhead, mouth open, ready for sweet, earthy, masa delights to pour forth. Praise the lord.

Speaking of masa… I made pupusa. I first had this bean-and-cheese-filled-street-food-of-the-gods (and El Salvadorians) at the Hollywood Farmers’ Market from a mobile pupusería called (I think) “Pupusa Delmi.” The matronly server called me baby and gave me extra ‘slaw with winking and knowing looks. God how I miss them. Here’s my version.



Pupusa con frijoles y el queso
2 cups masa harina
375 ml water (approx)
1/2 cup shredded cheese, jack style or some other melty deliciousness
1/2 cup cooked kidney beans
1 Tbsp lard or (better) bacon fat

Mix the masa and enough warm water to make a wet but not sticky dough. Knead a few times and set aside to rest. Heat a small pan on medium. Melt the lard or fat and add the cooked, drained beans. Mash with a fork until they form a rough paste. Season and remove from heat. Divide the masa into 4 equal parts, roll into balls and then, in your hands, work into disks about twice the thickness of a tortilla. Place a tablespoon of the beans and about the same amount of shredded cheese in the centre of the disks. In the palm of your hand, form the sides of the disk into a cup around the filling, working slowly to avoid tearing the masa. Bring the sides of the cup together at the top to form a ball encasing the filling. Now, gently press out flat into a disk about 3-4 times as thick as a tortilla. Fry in no more than a drizzle of olive oil or (why the hell not) more bacon fat on medium-high heat until golden all over and dark in spots, turning only once. Serve with crudito (coleslaw), roast tomato salsa (both below), and sour cream.

Crudito
1/2 small cabbage, shredded
1 carrot made into ribbons with a peeler
1 small white onion sliced finely
white wine vinegar
salt

Place cabbage, carrots, and onions into a sterile jar just large enough to hold them packed tightly. Bring to a boil enough of a 50-50 mixture of vinegar and water to cover the cabbage mixture in the jar. Season vinegar mixture to taste and pour into jar. Seal and refrigerate at least a week. That’s right, you have to start this a week in advance. I just stitched you right up, didn’t I? Serve with fresh coriander leaves.

Salsa
4 large, ripe tomatoes
1 small brown onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1-4 red chillies, roughly chopped
4 Tbsp red wine vinegar
salt

Core the tomatoes and place them under a hot grill (broiler), rotating until the skins are blackened and blistered on all sides, about 10 minuets. Cool, cut in half, and squeeze out most of the seeds. Meanwhile, sweat the onion, garlic, and chilli* in a tablespoon of oil until they soften but do not colour. When soft, add the tomatoes and vinegar. Simmer until thick. Season and blend.

*Since different species of chilli differ in heat, as do individual chillies from the same plant, you have to judge the amount of chilli for yourself. We’re aiming for a salsa with a bit of kick, not something that will carbonise your teeth.