Hispanic Heritage Month: Cooking Carries Our Stories

Every year from September 15th through October 15th, National Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) is celebrated by recognizing the rich histories, cultures, and achievements of Hispanic Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. This Hispanic Heritage Month, we encourage you to learn more about this national celebration and join us in celebrating our Hispanic American employees, how they celebrate, and what favorite recipes carry their story. 

“My favorite Hispanic/Latin recipe that was passed down to me by my grandmother is called pan con pavo (turkey sandwich). It's a traditional Salvadoran Thanksgiving dish that my grandmother and dad make every year. It's a lot to prepare, but it's so worth the effort. It a sandwich full of flavor and even though you should probably only eat one, a second sandwich has been known to land on my plate once or twice.” 

- Katrina Quick, Sup, Accounting 

“My favorite recipe is green enchiladas. My second favorite Mexican dish is tamales. It's a Mexican tradition at Christmas time to make tamales. They are a lot of work so my whole family would gather in the kitchen for the day and form an assembly line to make them. They are so delicious!”

- Petra Camacho, Sr Commercial Account Manager

“My favorite Hispanic/Latin recipe is flan. No matter where in Latin America you may be from, you have a version of the recipe...Every Latin restaurant you go to around the world includes flan in the menu.”

- Allida Motta, Sr Project Manager - Services 

Flan Recipe: 

6 eggs, 1 can of evaporated milk, 1 can of condensed milk, 8oz of cream cheese (optional), a tablespoon of vanilla. Mix all these in the blender and set aside while you prepare the caramel: mix half a cup of sugar an a bit of water on a microwave-safe Pyrex. Put the Pyrex in the microwave for a couple of minutes (keep an eye on it until the caramel has the desired color/consistency. Pour the mix on top of the caramel; cover it and place it in a bigger Pyrex with water for about 45 minutes until it's firm. Once it's done, let it cool before flipping it to let the caramel flow...Be ready to enjoy! If you want to vary the recipe, replace the vanilla with your favorite liqueur.

Are you Hispanic American? We would love to know how you celebrate and what your favorite recipe is! Find us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and let us know!  
 
To learn more about Hispanic Heritage Month visit https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/.