Want to really know someone? Just say the word FOOD. While many of us enjoy the obvious food staples that we’ve come to associate with this area — from Lebanon bologna to shoofly pie and pretzels, many Berks Countians also savor food traditions from a wide variety of countries, those foods than mom and dad, grandma and grandpa used to cook and serve with love.
The three Berks Countians who’ve shared these favorite recipes learned their food traditions at home. They actively continue to cook and pass on traditional foods amongst loved ones and friends, as a matter of preserving family pride, enjoying what’s comfortable and familiar, appreciating the unique character of those foods, and honoring the long legacy connected with ancestral meals.
“Secondary to language, food is the second most important transmitter of culture,” asserts Teri Jensen-Sellers, a sociologist who teaches Food and Culture at Albright College in Reading. “Americans have become industrial eaters, and detached from their food sources. I lecture on the importance of eating local food on a nutritional level but also the importance of supporting your immediate agricultural community. During food labs, delicious ethnic food draws people in, and makes them curious about other groups of people and their customs. Due to the volatile political climate today, an appreciation and respect for other cultures is the only way the world will improve.”
Arroz con Gandules
Louise Candelaria, Artist
Puerto Rico
Ingredients:
- Olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped ham, smoked sausage, or bacon
- 3 heaping Tbsp of Sofrito seasoning (found in most grocery stores, Sofrito is a blended mix of garlic, onion, peppers, cilantro and fresh recao, a flavorful herb also known as culantro. Or make your own small batch in a mini-processor using 1/2 small onion, 3 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup of cilantro, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 recao leaf found in Latin markets)
- I can Goya pigeon peas (or El Jibarito)
- 1/4 cup of tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup pitted Spanish pimento-stuffed olives
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp oregano (crush in hands to release flavor)
- 4 Tbsp Spanish olive oil
- 1 packet Sazon with annatto and culantro [check label to avoid MSG]
- 3 cups short-grain rice (picked through and rinsed)
- 4 cups water or chicken broth
- Aluminum foil
Directions:
- In a medium-sized pot with a tight-fitting lid, add small amount of olive oil on medium-high heat to sauté your meat or bacon for 3-4 minutes.
- Add Sofrito and sauté until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add drained can of pigeon peas (beans), 1/4 cup of tomato sauce, olives, bay leaf, salt, oregano, and a packet Sazon. Simmer briefly for 1 or 2 minutes; then add rice and water. Stir to mix all ingredients evenly.
- Cook on medium-high until water is absorbed into rice and creates craters. When this happens, take a big spoon and pile the rice and make a mound pulling the rice down from the sides of the pot. Next, place a sheet of aluminum foil shiny-side down and cover the pot to trap steam; then put on a tight-fitting lid. Lower heat to lowest temperature and cook without lifting lid for 35-40 minutes for perfect rice every time.
Enjoy!
Crepes Stuffed with Ricotta, Flaked Coconut, and Berries
Elena Lawrick, ESL Coordinator at RACC
Russia
Ingredients:
Crepes
- 1 cup self-rising or all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ cup water
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted (or coconut oil)
Stuffing
- ¾ cup ricotta cheese (low-fat or nonfat is fine)
- 1 Tbsp flaked coconut (unsweetened is okay)
- 1 Tbsp blueberries/other berries/raisins (cut strawberries into pieces)
- 1 Tbsp sugar (or 1 packet Stevia or no sugar)
- ¼ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
Directions:
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and eggs. Add milk, water, salt, and butter. Beat until smooth.
- Heat a lightly oiled frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour the batter into the frying pan (use ¼ cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan in a circular motion so that the batter forms a circle, coating the surface evenly. Lightly oil the pan before each crepe.
- Cook the crepe until the bottom is light golden brown. Use a spatula to flip it and cook the other side approximately 30 seconds, until it gets light golden brown.
- Prepare the stuffing by mixing the ricotta cheese, berries, flaked coconut, and sugar (or Stevia). Spread prepared crepes with the stuffing mix and fold a crepe into quarters, half, or pockets. Drizzle crepes with vanilla Greek yogurt or any syrup.
Enjoy!
Bamya (Meat and Okra Stew)
Steve Elmarzouky, Restaurateur and Civic Leader
Egypt
Ingredients:
- 1-4 Tbsp olive oil
- Butter (1-2 Tbsp)
- 1 large white onion, chopped
- A few garlic cloves, chopped Coriander (pinch or more)
- Tomato juice (1-2 cups or to taste)
- Black pepper (pinch)
- Salt (to taste)
- Basil (pinch)
- Cumin (pinch)
- 1-pound bag of okra (frozen or fresh)
- 2 pounds oxtail (or any kind of beef cubes), pre-washed with flour, salt and vinegar
Directions
- In a large pot, heat olive oil and butter on stove, and cook onions until brown. Add garlic and coriander let cook for a few minutes. Add tomato juice and black pepper, salt, basil, and cumin, letting all cook together until you have a thick consistency. Add oxtail and hot water to cover. Wait until the pot comes to a boil. Then add the okra last, putting heat on low and let simmer until it’s thick (but not too thick). The oxtail should become more and more tender, the longer you cook it.
- Once finished, spoon some into a bowl and serve with bread (like stew) or serve over rice. Either way is delicious!
Note from Sabrena Elmarzouky: “When making most of our authentic dishes, we usually don't use measuring tools. It’s more of a pinch of this, a hint of that…and most things are eyeballed, but somehow that always seems to be the way to really get that flavor you're looking for.”
By Marian Frances Wolbers and Angela Cremer
