By Cassandra Hinojosa
Scripps Howard News Service If you've had your fill of fried fish sandwiches slathered in tartar sauce since Lent began, you need to go casting for new recipes. And different doesn't necessarily translate to difficult, either. Choose from various Lenten recipes passed on by South Texas locals and their families -- shrimp patties with cactus, Mexican bread pudding and cornmeal pudding. For those observing Lent, two Fridays remain during the month of March when many Christians continue to abstain from eating meat or poultry. Lent continues until Easter Sunday. Alma Castillo recalls celebrating Lent each year while growing up in Catholic homes in both Matamoros, Mexico, and Corpus Christi, Texas. Every Friday during Lent, the family sat down to a dinner that included shrimp patties and cactus in red chile sauce. "We can have them at anytime, but it is a big dish during the Lent season," Castillo, 38, said. "It's very authentic. The whole house would smell like a restaurant because of the garlic and the onions." Castillo learned to grow and freeze cactus to eat year-round by watching her mother. For a different spin on cactus, boil it with cilantro and onions, said Castillo, a home-based business owner. "It's very easy to grow," Castillo said. "Right now, you can find them fresh in the produce department." For those more talented in the kitchen than the garden, cactus is also available canned. Transform fried fish leftovers by wrapping them in corn tortillas and adding a dash of jalapeno and lemon juice, Castillo said. Her 6-year-old son, Max, still prefers fried fish, because he hasn't yet acquired a taste for either the nopalitos or shrimp patties, she said. Linda McDaniel, a vegetarian, recalls her grandmother serving capirotada or Mexican bread pudding as a dessert specifically for Easter dinner. The specialties were made with ingredients that include a loaf of bread and cheese. "I'm sure she learned from her grandmother or great-grandmother," said McDaniel, 50, a special-education paraprofessional. "It was just handed down. I've been making it for years. It just smells wonderful, because when the tea is brewing, you can smell the raisins and the cinnamon." Other variations of this Mexican bread pudding include using peanuts and almonds instead of pecans; prunes instead of raisins; and apples and bananas. "You can even use brown sugar," McDaniel said.
Nopalitos Con Albondigas De Camaron (Cactus in Red Chile with Shrimp Patties) Recipe courtesy Alma Castillo. Ingredients: 1/2 cup vegetable oil, divided
1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely minced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
1/2 cup ground dried red chile
1 cup cold water
4 cups fresh nopalitos (noh-pah-LEE-tohs -- cactus leaves), cut into small cubes
1/4 cup cilantro
4 large eggs
1/2 cup ground dried shrimp
1/4 cup vegetable oil Preparation: Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Saute 1 large peeled and finely minced yellow onion and 3 cloves peeled and finely minced garlic cloves in oil until golden, for about 8 minutes. Add 1/2 cup ground dried red chile, stirring constantly for about one minute. Take care not to inhale the vapors from the chile. Stir in 1 cup cold water to make a sauce, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Fold 4 cups fresh cubed nopalitos and 1/4 cup cilantro and cook the sauce, stirring once or twice for 5 minutes. Cover and keep the sauce warm until the patties are ready to be put in. Separate 4 large eggs by putting the yolks in a small dish and the whites in a large mixing bowl. Beat egg whites with fork until fluffy for 5 minutes while adding 1/2 cup ground dried shrimp. Add egg yolk to make a batter. Beat only until all the ingredients are blended, about 2 minutes. Heat remaining 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium heat for five minutes. Ladle 1/4-cup batter into the skillet. It should float and begin to sizzle immediately. Fry the shrimp patty, turning once with a spatula until golden, about 1 minute on each side. Remove the patty with a slotted spoon to a large plate lined with paper towels and drain. Repeat the procedure until all the batter is used. Lastly, add all your patties to nopalitos and sauce. Servings: 9 to 10 patties.
Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding) Recipe courtesy Linda McDaniel. Ingredients: 4 cups water
3 cinnamon sticks
1 cup sugar
One 12-oz. box raisins
1 loaf of white bread, toasted
2 cups American cheese, grated
1 cup pecans, chopped Preparation: In a small pan, add 4 cups water, 3 cinnamon sticks, 1 cup sugar and one 12 ounce box raisins. Boil over medium heat for 10 minutes, until raisins are plump. Place toasted bread slices from 1 loaf of white bread in a baking pan, alternating the following ingredients: toast slices, cheese, pecans, cinnamon with raisin mixture. Repeat steps until entire loaf of bread is used, sprinkling pecans on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Servings: 12 to 15
Atole De Harina De Maiz (Cornmeal Pudding) Recipe courtesy Olga Diana Gonzalez. Ingredients: 2 cups cornmeal
6 cups low fat milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 sticks cinnamon, broken in half Preparation: In a dry skillet, brown 2 cups cornmeal over medium heat for about five minutes, stirring frequently. When cornmeal has browned, transfer into a medium-sized pot. Add 6 cups low fat cold milk, 1/2 cup sugar and 3 cinnamon sticks, broken in half, to the pot. Stir contents continually for five minutes over medium heat. When mixture first begins to boil, it is ready. Allow to cool before serving. Servings: 8
Shrimp Gumbo Recipe courtesy Judy Williams, The Black Family Reunion Cookbook: Recipes & Food Memories from the National Council of Negro Women Ingredients: 1 Tbs. plus 3 tsp. vegetable oil, divided
2 Tbs. flour
1 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 cup celery, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1-1/2 lb. fresh okra, sliced
One 14-1/2 oz. can tomatoes
4 cups water
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
One 6 oz. can tomato paste
1/2 lb. lobster meat
1 cup cooked rice Preparation: In a medium skillet, combine 1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 teaspoons of vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons flour over medium heat. Stir constantly for about 7 minutes until rich, dark brown. Stir in 1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp. Cook about 3 to 5 minutes on medium heat. Set aside. Heat remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons oil in large saucepan on medium heat for about 2 minutes or until hot. Add 1 cup chopped celery and 2 chopped onions. Cook until soft and transparent, about 5 minutes. Add 1-1/2 pound sliced fresh okra. Cook until okra ceases to rope, about 30 minutes. Add one 6 ounce can undrained tomatoes, 4 cups water, 2 bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in shrimp mixture. Cover. Simmer 30 minutes, adding one 6 ounce can tomato paste after 15 minutes. Add 1/2 pound lobster meat and cook for 15 minutes or until done over medium heat. Remove bay leaves before serving. Serve in flat bottom bowls over rice. Servings: 5 (Contact Cassandra Hinojosa of the Caller-Times in Corpus Christi, Texas, at www.caller.com.)
RESOURCES :
The Black Family Reunion Cookbook: Recipes and Memories from the National Council of Negro Women ...
Model: 0671796291
Author: National Council of Negro Women
(1993)
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Simon & Schuster
New York, NY 10020
Phone: Private
Fax: Private
Email: ssonline_feedback@simonsays.com
Website: www.simonsays.com
| 
)
)
