Immigrants have long contributed dishes that have become staples of American cuisine.
As Leyla Moushabeck writes in her newly published “The Immigrant Cookbook” “Almost all the foods we think of as American specialties can be traced to immigrants who brought or adapted them: pizza, bagels, pretzels, apple pie, waffles, hot dogs, tacos, hamburgers and the ice cream cone all originate with immigrants.”
Moushabeck knows immigrant cooking firsthand. She grew up in Leverett, Cambridge England, and Brooklyn. Her mother is British, her father Palestinian, and her family-by marriage is Colombian. Her colorful book, published by Interlink Books of Northampton, includes recipes from these countries plus many more. Among them is a ravishing beef and asparagus dish from a Chinese restaurateur, a salad of fennel, olives and provolone from a Uruguayan chef, a stew from Ethiopia and Coconut Dream Fish from Jamaican singer-songwriter Ziggy Marley, who calls it “the final stage of coconuttiness.”
Though the cooks in Moushabeck’s book are from across the United States, immigrant chefs have brought equally delicious favorites to our area. Many work in local restaurants. For example, Marleny Amaya, who is from El Salvador, works in Northampton’s Haymarket Café where one of her specialties, pupusas — stuffed corn cakes from her country — is the Tuesday special. “They’re really popular,” says manager Roman Golden. “We can easily sell out toward the end of the afternoon.”
Recently Amaya demonstrated pupusa-making at a fundraiser for the Northampton based Pioneer Valley Worker’s Center (PVWC) at the Amherst home of Eve Weinbaum and Max Page. The PVWC campaigns on behalf of low-wage and immigrant workers, many of whom face deportation.
Those in attendance watched as she shaped the corn-based dough into a cup in her hands, packed in beans and cheese, flattened it into a disk and then cooked it on a pancake pan. Eaten from the pan, they were downed like the proverbial hot cakes, wowing everyone with their tasty cheesy filling and the crisp slaw that is their traditional accompaniment.
As well as restaurants, many immigrants here work in other food establishments too. Simon Steven from England is Director of Bakeshop Operations/Executive Pastry Chef at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst where he and his staff bake for 30,000 people a day, including both students and special guests of Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy. Originally a commercial photographer, Steven came to America because, he “needed a change.” After studying baking at Johnson and Wales and working in hotels, he has been at the university for 13 years. Among students’ favorites he says “Chocolate torte is massive.” When he tried to replace this European classic with something new “there were huge protests.” His mother’s honey-banana cake is a winner too. Below he offers his English flapjacks recipe.
Over in South Deerfield, pierogi is the winning dish for Polish entrepreneurs Alina Warzynski and Bozema Giednowicz, owners of the BBA Delimarket on Thayer Street. They make 150 to 180 dozen per week, but still need to purchase more from an Enfield producer. Their store is full of other Polish favorites, cans of fish and jars of pickles, candies, cookies, and breads as well as luscious jams and fruit juices.
The store opened on Valentine’s Day 20 years ago, and attracts the second and third generation Poles living nearby. The deli counter with its sausages, homemade salads — including mizeria, a popular cucumber, sour cream and dill salad — and daily hot dishes has special allure. “We get people traveling down from Vermont and New Hampshire,” says Warzynski. “They have nothing up there.”
Down here we are luckier. As Simon Steven says, “Western Mass is absolutely terrific” with its wealth of immigrant foods. Here are some sample recipes.
Pupusas are the national dish of El Salvador. They are often filled with pork and a mild cheese called queso fresco. Peppers are sometimes included. Here the filling is beans and cheese.
About ¾ cup refried beans
¼ cup finely chopped onion
2-3 tablespoons oil
2 cups masa harina
1 cup warm water
About ¾ cup shredded queso fresco or mozzarella
Soften the onion for 2-3 minutes in a tablespoon of oil over low heat them mix into the refried beans. Mash them together and set aside for about an hour. To make the dough mix the masa harina with the warm water, stirring vigorously and adding more water a spoonful at a time as needed to make a moist firm dough that coheres without cracking.
Cover and let it stand for about 10 minutes, then shape into 8-9 egg-size portions.
Working with one at a time, flatten it between your palms then shape it into a cup. Fill with the mozzarella, pressing it down well, and then with beans. Now circle it round your palm so the edges ride up and forms a topknot. Twist it off, then slapping the pupusa quickly from hand to hand, let it form into a 4-inch disk. Set each one aside as you make it.
To cook, heat a pancake pan on top of the stove. Brush the surface of the pupusas with oil, and place them on the pan. Cook each side for about 4 minutes or until the dough is firm and has brown patches. Pupusas are usually served with tomato sauce and a mild slaw called curtido.
This recipe is from “The Immigrant Cookbook,” © Lina Fat 2018. Originally from China, Lina Fat is now a Los Angeles restaurateur. Her recipe is perfect for the upcoming asparagus harvest.
1½ to 2 pound flank steak cup
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup vegetable oil, plus more for cooking
1 tablespoon brandy
3 small garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (if young, leave the skin on)
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Salt
14 ounces asparagus spears, or 7 ounces broccoli spears, trimmed
Trim the fat from the meat. Holding your knife at an angle, cut the steak lengthwise into ¼-inch by 3-inch strips; then cut diagonally, across the grain, to make 2-inch pieces. In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, vegetable oil, brandy, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and cornstarch.
Add the beef and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 2 hours.
Just before cooking the meat, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus or broccoli until just tender, about 3 minutes.
Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again; arrange on a serving platter.
Heat 2 to 3 teaspoons vegetable oil in a wide heavy frying pan over high heat. Sauté the meat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until cooked to your liking. Arrange the meat over the green vegetables and serve immediately.
The Polish name of this cucumber, sour cream and dill salad means “Misery,” supposedly because even in the harshest times the ingredients were so cheap they were always on hand. Despite its sad name, this is one of the most popular Polish side dishes. This recipe comes from a glorious, beautifully illustrated new book from Northampton publisher Interlink Books: “Wild Honey and Rye” © 2018 Ren Behan
1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon sea salt
½ cup sour cream
Small bunch of fresh dill, finely chopped
Place the cucumber in a sieve or colander and sprinkle with the salt. Leave it to drain for 20 minutes — the salt will draw out the water from the cucumber, and it will turn slightly darker in color.
Drain well, using your hands to squeeze out any excess water, and pat dry with a paper towel. Transfer the cucumber to a serving bowl. Stir in the sour cream and dill. Serve chilled.
For a lighter version, replace the sour cream with 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon canola oil. Whisk these ingredients together in the serving bowl before adding the cucumber and dill.
This recipe comes from Ignacio Mattos, who writes that growing up in his native Uruguay he ate immigrant Italian food, and chose this dish for inclusion in “The Immigrant Cookbook,” © Ignazio Mattos 2018 to honor his Italian grandmother. Now a New York chef, he says it is “inspired by southern Italian ingredients.”
1 pound fennel bulbs (2 large or 4 small)
3 tablespoons Castelvetrano olives torn by hand or coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ tablespoon Chardonnay vinegar
Red pepper flakes
Cracked black pepper
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 -1½ lemons
Provolone cheese
Cut the tops and stems off the fennel. Thinly slice the stems and coarsely chop the fronds. Place the stems and fronds in a bowl with the olives. Add oil, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and black pepper and mix until well coated.
Using a mandolin if you have one, shave the fennel into thin slices. (You can use a vegetable peeler if you don’t have one.) Season the fennel with the lemon zest and juice and mix.
Pile the olive mixture into the center of four serving plates and top each plate with shaved fennel. Grate provolone cheese on top to your liking.
In Britain flapjacks are not pancakes but sweet and chewy oatmeal bars. They are especially popular in the North of England where Simon Steven comes from. Like most immigrants, he has included ingredients from his old and new countries: American dried cranberries and golden syrup. This sugar cane product made by Tate and Lyle is available locally at markets such as Whole Foods and sometimes the Irish food section of Stop and Shop. It is thick like honey rather than thin like maple syrup.
As executive pastry chef at the University of Massachusetts, Simon Steven thinks big. Even this cut-down version of his recipe makes about 60 bars but he says it can be halved if you don’t need quite that many.
1½ cups Craisins
15 ounces (3 sticks plus 7 tablespoons) unsalted Butter
11 ounces (about 1 cup) Golden Syrup
11 ounces (1½ cups) light brown sugar
10 cups quick-cooking oats
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Liberally spray a 12 by 18 inch baking sheet/pan with pan release or oil spray. Pour just enough hot water to cover the Craisins over them and allow them to soak for 20 minutes.
Combine the butter, sugar, and golden syrup and heat until melted. Stir the oats into the melted ingredients. Drain the Craisins and add them to the combined ingredients.
Spread the mixture into prepared sheet/pan and roll flat with a rolling pin. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to firm up and then cut into bars or squares with a sharp knife.