![\"Norman](\"https:\/\/i.pinimg.com\/originals\/60\/a5\/93\/60a5935a6c3c790decfc6ec68fd85eb0.jpg\")
\nIncluded in this delicious blog post:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Oscar Ramos, teacher featured in East of Salinas<\/em><\/a>: Tostadas de Nopales<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Jackie Mow, co-director of East of Salinas<\/em>:\u00a0Zha Cai Rou Si (Pickled Vegetable Slivered Pork)<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Christopher Scott, the center of the film\u00a0True Conviction<\/a>:\u00a0<\/em>Smothered Pork Chops<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Ron “Stray Dog” Hall, star of Debra Granik’s\u00a0Stray Dog<\/a>:<\/em> Poke, Eggs and Bacon<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Mando Rayo, author of\u00a0Tacos of Texas<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>and producer\/co-host of the\u00a0web series of the same name: Breakfast Taco\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
After reading and trying their recipes, let us know your own favorites in the comments.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n![\"Tostadas](\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/tostadas-nopales-768x1024.jpg\")
Tostadas\u00a0de Nopales<\/strong><\/p>\nOscar Ramos, the dedicated California teacher featured in East of Salinas<\/strong><\/em> who was awarded the Cesar Chavez Human Rights Award<\/a>, sent us a favorite family recipe.<\/p>\n
“Tostadas de Nopales remind me of home. It takes me back to my childhood when I was living in a small town in Mexico. Nopales grew in the wild. As children, my sister and I would go out to pick them so my mother could make lunch. It\u2019s become a traditional dish at family gatherings. Over the years, we\u2019ve tried different ingredients but we always come back to the original recipe. It fills our tummy and warms our heart.”<\/span><\/p>\n
Ingredients:<\/i><\/strong> \u00a0tostadas, nopales, tomatoes, onions, avocados, cilantro, queso fresco<\/p>\n
Chop the nopales into small squares and boil them for approximately 1 hour. Let it cool.<\/p>\n
Chop the tomatoes and onions.<\/p>\n
Mix the chopped nopales, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro into a large bowl.<\/p>\n
Grab a tostada and add the nopales from the bowl on top of it with a large spoon.<\/p>\n
Top it off with some queso fresco and some slices of avocado.<\/p>\n
To add a spicy kick, chop some Serrano peppers or add your favorite spicy salsa.<\/p>\n
See more about Oscar Ramos and his special relationship with his former student Jose, in this short video<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n\u69a8\u83dc\u8089\u7d72\u9eb5<\/a> Zha Cai Rou Si \u00a0(Pickled Vegetable Slivered Pork)<\/strong><\/p>\n
Jackie Mow<\/strong>, filmmaker who co-directed\u00a0East of Salinas<\/em>, contributed a meaningful recipe that\u00a0was her favorite comfort food and is now also her daughter\u2019s favorite.<\/p>\n
![\"Jackie](\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/jackie-mow-pork-recipe.jpg\")
Jackie Mow’s Zha Cai Rou Si (pickled vegetables slivered pork) recipe<\/p><\/div>\n
Jackie writes: <\/span><\/p>\n
“For as long as I can remember my mom has cooked Zha Cai Rou Si. Sometimes she serves it on top of noodle soup, other times on rice. My sister and I often eat it cold the next morning. Piping hot from the wok or cold out of a Tupperware: delicious either way. <\/span><\/p>\n
“I traveled a lot in my twenties. Every time I came home, my mom would make my favorite dishes, Zha Cai Rou Si always among them. Years later she introduced the dish to her granddaughter, who was a toddler at the time. Now twelve, my daughter requests it as soon as we arrive in Los Angeles from our home in Cambridge, MA. It\u2019s always sitting in the Tupperware. As soon as we walk in the door, my mom says, ‘The Zha Cai is ready for you.’ <\/span><\/p>\n
“Lately, my mom has gotten lazy, or maybe just tired. \u00a0She started ordering Zha Cai Rou Si from a restaurant and supplementing it with more pickled vegetables and meat. The last time we visited, she didn\u2019t even bother to make it. She told us that she was getting too old to cook. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
“So I finally asked her for the recipe.”<\/span><\/p>\n
Zha Cai Rou Cai recipe<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
My mom\u2019s recipes are never precise. She often says add soy sauce, sesame oil,\u00a0and white pepper, etc. There are never any measurements! For the marinade, I would use about two tablespoons each of soy sauce, sesame oil,\u00a0and white wine.<\/em><\/p>\n
- \n
- 2 small packs Zhai Cai\u69a8\u83dc\u00a0 (pickled mustard sometimes coated in chili paste), cut into slivers<\/li>\n
- \u00be -1lb of pork tenderloin or shoulder, cut into slivers<\/li>\n
- Bamboo shoots, cut into slivers (equal amount to pork)<\/li>\n
- Five spice tofu, cut into slivers (equal amount to pork)<\/li>\n
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped (more if you like)<\/li>\n
- Peanut oil for cooking (more flavorful)<\/li>\n
- Soy sauce<\/li>\n
- Sesame oil<\/li>\n
- White wine<\/li>\n
- White pepper<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The steps:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Marinate the pork in the soy sauce, sesame oil, white wine and white pepper. \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Add peanut oil to the wok. <\/span><\/li>\n
- When it\u2019s hot add the garlic, soften a little, then add the meat. <\/span><\/li>\n
- Cook meat for a few minutes, then add bamboo shoots, tofu and pickled mustard greens. <\/span><\/li>\n
- Serve topped with sprigs of cilantro or chopped scallion. \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
\nChristopher Scott, the center of the film\u00a0True Conviction<\/em>, spent 15 years in prison falsely accused and convicted of murder and now runs House of Renewed Hope<\/a> in Dallas. Needless to say, comfort food was and is very important to Christopher and he passed along one of his childhood\u00a0go-tos.<\/p>\n
![\"Christopher](\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_6668-1024x768.jpg\")
All you need for smothered pork chops<\/p><\/div>\n
Smothered Pork Chops<\/strong><\/p>\n
Christopher: “Pork chops was considered to be an expensive meal especially for a family of 11 (my parents and 8 siblings and me). We could smell good country home cooking; once we stepped on the porch I immediately knew it was going down. Hot sauce on my chops, butter and sugar on my rice would set it off. This meal would be considered a Special Occasion Sunday Meal.”<\/p>\n
“My mom would cook greens or cabbage with her smothered chops. I used saut\u00e9ed spinach with McCormick vegetable seasoning and olive oil. White rice preferably Uncle Ben\u2019s, and Grand’s flaky biscuits.”<\/p>\n
- \n
- \u00a04\u00a0 pork chops (about 1 inch thick)<\/li>\n
- Kosher salt<\/li>\n
- \u00a0Cajun seasoning<\/li>\n
- \u00a03\/4 cup all-purpose flour<\/li>\n
- \u00a02 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
![\"Smothered](\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/smothered-pork-chops-finished.jpg\")
<\/li>\n - \u00a01 tablespoon unsalted butter<\/li>\n
- 1\/2 cup chopped onions<\/li>\n
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped<\/li>\n
- 1 1\/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth<\/li>\n
- \u00a02\/3 cup buttermilk<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The steps:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Sprinkle the pork chops all over with salt and the Cajun seasoning.<\/li>\n
- Pour the flour into a shallow bowl. Dredge the chops in the flour, turning to coat, and tap off any excess. Reserve the remaining flour.<\/li>\n
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chops; cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.<\/li>\n
- Add the butter, onion, thyme and a pinch of salt to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.<\/li>\n
- Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved flour to the skillet and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by one-third, about 2 minutes. Add the buttermilk and return the chops to the skillet.<\/li>\n
- Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the sauce is thickened and the chops are just cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
\n![\"Ron's](\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/pokebaconeggsfinished.jpeg\")
Ron’s finished poke(weed), eggs and bacon.<\/p><\/div>\n
Poke(weed), Eggs and Bacon<\/strong><\/p>\n
Ron “Stray Dog” Hall, star of Independent Lens\u00a0Stray Dog<\/em>, directed by Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone<\/em>, and her new film Leave No Trace<\/a><\/em>), is an absolute one-of-a-kind dude, a veteran, motorcycle riding, kitten-loving gardener, a blue-collar chef and helper of homeless vets, and a lot more. So no surprise he sent us an unpretentious, delicious recipe that comes off the land: Poke(weed), bacon and eggs. Note: what he calls “poke” here several times is not to be confused with the raw fish dish.<\/p>\n
- Add peanut oil to the wok. <\/span><\/li>\n
- Marinate the pork in the soy sauce, sesame oil, white wine and white pepper. \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Jackie Mow, co-director of East of Salinas<\/em>:\u00a0Zha Cai Rou Si (Pickled Vegetable Slivered Pork)<\/strong><\/li>\n