EatMx: Real Mexican food, at home and on the road

Guatemalan Food at Festival Chapín

This vibrant beet-red concoction is Guatemalan curtido. 

It's a mix of vegetables including cauliflower, cabbage, onions, beets and pacaya, a vegetable sourced from a species of palm tree and sold here pickled in jars, and occasionally fresh.

In Guatemala, curtido is eaten during Holy Week with fish and rice, said Teresa Escalante (above), as she described the dishes served at a media preview of Festival Chapín Los Angeles.

The festival takes place August 24 and 25 at Lafayette Park in Los Angeles, offering food, entertainment, Guatemalan crafts and more. Chapín means someone or something from Guatemala. Click here for festival information. 

Curtido is also a topping for Guatemalan enchiladas, Escalante said. Unlike Mexican enchiladas composed of sauce-covered stuffed tortillas, the Guatemalan enchilada is a tostada topped with curtido, meat, egg, onions, lettuce, salsa and cheese.

The preview lunch that included curtido was provided by Panadería y Restaurante Chapines, one of a dozen Guatemalan restaurants that will take part in Festival Chapín. The restaurant is located at 1520 W. 7th St., Los Angeles.

Chuchitos--Guatemalan tamales stuffed with pork--were on the preview menu.  

These taquitos dorados (fried taquitos) were smothered with onions and cilantro

Pepián is a meaty stew so popular it is often called the national dish of Guatemala. It is traditionally made with chicken, but other meats are also used.  

Ensalada rusa--Russian salad--is popular in many countries, including Guatemala. This version included green beans, carrots, red bell peppers and potatoes in a creamy dressing made with mayonnaise and vinegar. 

Carrots, cauliflower, onions and jalapeños were combined in escabeche--spicy pickled vegetables. 

For dessert there were sweet rellenitos de plátano, deep-fried mashed plantains stuffed with black beans. 

Chapines is also a panadería (bakery) and so provided an assortment of pan dulce (sweet breads) including these roscas.  

One of Guatemala's most famous dishes is the fried chicken from Pollo Campero. This will be at the festival too. The chicken is crisp, well seasoned and not greasy. Just as appealing is the rice that goes with it.  

The theme of Festival Chapín this year is Recordando Mis Raíces, which means remembering my roots. Hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day. The address is 625 S. Lafayette Park Pl., Los Angeles 90057, near the intersection of 6th St. and Rampart Blvd. Admission is free. 

A Cooking Demo at the Salsa Grill

The food at Zapien's Salsa Grill in Pico Rivera is wonderful. Even better, executive chef and co-owner Marco Zapien (above) tells how he makes each dish.

He does this in cooking demos at the restaurant. The next one will be August 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. Zapien will show how to prepare seven dishes using Hatch chiles, which are in season now. These will be served to class participants in a heavenly Hatch feast for $55, including recipes to take home. 

Delicious, meaty Hatch chiles from New Mexico have to be roasted and peeled before use. Zapien's will take care of this with a Hatch chile roast Sept. 7 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot outside the restaurant. Above is a miniature roaster loaded with chiles. 

You can order the chiles in advance, choosing from heat levels that range from mild to very hot. The price is $40 for a case, which includes 25 pounds of chiles, provided by Melissa's Produce. 

While the chiles are roasting, Zapien's will serve a brunch of Hatch-inspired dishes, along with champagne and mimosas for adults. For reservations, go to thesalsagrill.com and click on events.   

The cooking demo I went to started with Hatch watermelon margaritas rimmed with Hatch chili powder.

Chips and Hatch chile salsa were already on the table. 

The buffet that followed included Zapien's famous pork chile verde, which I wrote about for The Los Angeles Times. Getting the recipe for this dish alone is worth attending the demo.

Crisp fried tacos were stuffed with mashed Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes and Hatch chiles. 

These are Hatch chile enchiladas suizas (Swiss enchiladas, named for their creamy sauce). 

Hearty frijoles de la olla (pot beans) were seasoned with bacon, cilantro and Hatch chiles.

This is Hatch green chile rice with cilantro. 

The salad was a Hatch and cilantro Caesar, topped with crisp red tortilla strips. Zapien makes this Caesar without anchovies. The dressing includes mayo, milk, Hatch chiles, cilantro, rice vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire and Parmesan. 

Even dessert, a tres leches bread pudding, included Hatch chiles. The bread was torn up bolillos--Mexican rolls--from a nearby bakery. Zapien soaked these with condensed and evaporated milks blended with Hatch chiles.

Heavy cream and eggs went into the pudding too, along with sugar and cinnamon. Over the top he poured more of the milks and cream blended with chiles and then baked the pudding in a water bath. 

The rice was so easy I made it as soon as I got home, using Hatch chiles brought by the demo sponsor, Melissa's Produce. My rice (above) isn't exactly like Zapien's, because he added peas and finely diced carrots, which I didn't have. Still, it's a beautiful green rice to serve with almost anything.

HATCH CHILE GREEN RICE
Adapted from Zapien's Salsa Grill

1 cup long grain rice
4 fresh Hatch chiles
1 cup cilantro leaves
2 cups chicken broth 
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
Salt to taste

Place the rice in a bowl, cover with water and rub lightly. Drain. Do this again until the water remains clear. Pour into a sieve and drain well. Let stand to dry.

Meanwhile, snip off the tips of each chile. Place them on a baking sheet, then place under a pre-heated broiler. Broil on one side until the skins are blistered and browned. Then turn and broil the other side.

Remove the chiles from the broiler and allow to steam until cooled. Strip off the skins. Remove the stems and seeds and set aside. Pick off and measure the cilantro leaves.

Combine the chiles, cilantro and chicken broth in a blender container and blend until pureed. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion starts to soften, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the rice and cook until lightly toasted, stirring to keep the onion and garlic from burning, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Add the broth mixture and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 16 to 18 minutes. Keep the heat low enough to prevent the rice from scorching. 

When the liquid is absorbed and the rice is dry, fluff with a fork and serve.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Note: I used mild Hatch chiles. Use hotter chiles if you like spicy rice. 

Zapien's Salsa Grill and Taquería, 6702 Rosemead Blvd, Pico Rivera, CA 90660. (562) 942-7072.