Cooking with the Three Sisters was one of the programs that Elizabeth Hoover de Galvez mentioned about wanting to conduct this summer alongside her husband in an interview before stepping into the director’s position of the Lisbon Public Library in early February.
In June, the first of three Mexican cooking classes was conducted at Southeast Linn Community Center, with Manny Galvez and Elizabeth giving guidance.
Elizabeth said that she remembered when she first started eating Mexican foods originally, her diet had been heavier on fast foods or quick foods, which were higher in oils.
“I remember when I first started cooking for Manny, he would be sick after eating some of the meals, and then he offered cooking some more authentic Mexican food,” Elizabeth said. “And as I got used to the diet and cuisine, I lost more weight, but was always full.”
Elizabeth said that Mexican cuisine usually has larger breakfasts and lunches, and smaller evening meals, but most the foods are low in calories but dense in flavor and filling.
She explained that some of the cooking includes elements like queso fresca and Mexican cream.
The first recipe attendees learned about was corn tortillas. While they kneaded the dough, Manny gave tips on how he seasoned the tortillas with more salt.
When it came to cooking, Manny gave tips on how to cook the tortillas and what to look for in a cooking tortilla. As one puffed with some air, Manny noted that was a very good tortilla.
Attendees had the chance to make their own tortillas and flatten them with a tortilla press. Manny said flattening a tortilla thin enough by hand to cook is a real dedicated task.
After tortillas were cooked, Manny offered people to take a slice of queso fresca to eat the tortillas.
As Justin Cart’s second tortilla started filling with air he was elated.
“Sometimes, it just takes one simple tortilla,” Cart said.
After the tortilla portion was done, Manny explained the process of making the salsa that will go over top the tortilla chips. That started with blackening Roma tomatoes in a sauce pan during the cooking process. The char on the outside helped to add flavor to the salsa. Garlic, onions and other flavors are mixed into the fresh salsa and everything gets pulsed in a blender. That mixture gets poured over fried tortilla chips, then topped with quesa fresco and some Mexican cream.
Manny said that the most important thing to keep in mind with Mexican cooking is this – spending time with the people you’re cooking with.
The next cooking class will be offered July 8 and learn about cooking with beans.
Mexican cooking classes offered at Lisbon Library
Nathan Countryman, Editor
June 13, 2024
About the Contributor
Nathan Countryman, Editor
Nathan Countryman is the Editor of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun.