cooking in the campo

I have not felt this satisfied from a meal in a while. Actually, that’s a lie. Just last week the fajitas were pretty much amazing. But this meal was something different all together. Griddle top pizza with fresh tomatoes, and basil. So anyway, I have rediscovered my passion for cooking. Cooking has always been an important part of who I am - working in kitchens since I was 14 and going out to eat at awesome restaurants will do that to you. Living in Fain B senior year really solidified my love of good food, well prepared, and then shared with friends and family. And then I came to El Salvador. And things changed.

I guess I felt that I needed to fully immerse myself in the culture here to truly adapt and appreciate it. And that included food. Well, for two months in my training community and somewhat living with my host family here in SAS I ate like a Salvadoran. And for a while it was nice - new flavors, new vegetables and new cooking styles. But then it got old. Because honestly, who can eat greasy, salty carbs for more than 6 months? So now I'm ready to eat like I used to.

Since I’ve been living on my own, I have of course been cooking for myself, but I have kept it fairly simple – scrambled eggs with various veggies. Beans and rice with various veggies. Stir frys. And the occasional pupusa. They really are tasty, but I mostly eat them for the awesome coleslaw (curtido) that comes with them.

So I was eating what I wanted to eat, but not getting crazy. And then I visited Alicea. A good friend from college and a fellow PCV here in El Salvador, she and I have a similar love of good food done well. (Read her blog here.) And I was reintroduced to really good cooking. To familiar cooking done in unfamiliar ways, using unfamiliar spices and utensils. And I was inspired; encouraged to go out and get my cooking on! I am lucky to have access to a really good market as well as supermarket in San Miguel, but I, being my frugal self, have not splurged for the goodies that could make really awesome meals. Until now.

Just last week I had some fellow volunteers visit to help out with an event as well as enjoy our fiestas. (Kind of like “Celebrate Wherever” in the states where rides and food stands and music stages are set up in the park and people come to hang out. Kind of.) So I planned menus to feed everyone. And we rocked out fajitas, caramel corn, chef salads, deluxe oatmeal pancakes (with strawberries, coconut and almonds) and a baller chocolate cake. And it was beautiful!

I have had the gas cocina (stove, range thingy...) with plancha (griddle) since mom and dad came and bought it as a house warming gift, but sadly I hadn’t really “christened” it. Well, not anymore. My most recent creation is a griddle top pizza. I do have a toaster oven, but I didn’t feel like using it (my electricity bill shoots up when I use it…from 5 dollars to almost 7! (I know, you all who are paying real bills are playing the world’s smallest violin right now, but hey, that’s a big chunk of change for me!)

So as I read On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen (full of tasty tidbits about the history/chemistry of beer, cookies, pastas, sauces and everything else) my pizza dough was rising. When it had risen a bit, I kneaded in garlic, and herbs. Then I heated up the plancha and put on the dough. Turned it over once and then placed my cheese, tomatoes, broccoli, and basil on top. Didn’t get to fully melt the cheese, the griddle was too hot, but next time, I’ll time it all better. But a tasty result none the less.

So now I'm all gung-ho on the cooking and baking. Food has always been important to me, especially good, well executed meals, but I have remembered this passion and it is helping me focus. I can work hard during the day knowing that a tasty, comforting meal is waiting for me - though I have to prepare it first. But I enjoy the cooking and preparing almost as much as the eating. I would now like to share my cooking with my neighbors and friends here. One of the goals of Peace Corps is an exchange of American culture to the host country. And as another one of my posts mentions, it’s kind of hard to define American culture. However, I think one of our biggest offerings is the incredible diversity of awesome food that we have. So maybe I’ll start cooking classes, or just keep making great food and hope the smells waft out and convince people to stop on by.