Cornbread or Pan de Choclo is a dish I make often in our household. It goes well with any meal but specially well next to a great soup. So here is the recipe to accompany a hearty Potato Soup. This corn bread is specially crispy and golden brown. It is not too sweet so it could be eaten as a side dish with a nice meal or as a treat. Corn Bread is loved in the American culture and corn likewise is an ingredient used in many LatinAmerican dishes.
Corn bread made on a cast iron and being cooled off
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder (optional: makes a fluffier cornbread)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 200C | 400F and place a rack in the middle. Lightly grease a 9-inch cast iron skillet or 9-inch square baking dish with butter and place the skillet/dish in the oven to heat.
Alternatively for cast iron skillets: Heat 1/2 cup unmelted butter in your cast iron on the stove over medium heat until melted. Turn off the heat and let the butter cool slightly before adding it to the batter. (This second method is the one I use because the texture is a little crunchy and more golden).
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Then make a well in the center and add the buttermilk, honey and eggs. After, mix well to combine, then add the slightly cooled melted butter. Once more mix again until ‘just’ combined (do not overmix).
Carefully remove your ‘hot’ pan or plate from the oven with oven mitts and pour the batter into the hot pan or plate right away.
Bake until cornbread begins to brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (about 20-25 minutes). Let cool for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Ingredients and an expectatorStep 1 – Turn oven on at 400 FStep 2 – Heat up the cast ironStep 3 – mixing sugar and cornmealStep 4 – Add flour, baking powder and other ingredientsStep 5 – Mix wellStep 6 – Once it is all combined take the cast iron out of ovenStep 7 -Get cast iron readyStep 8 – Pour the batter in the hot cast ironStep 9 – Bake – Cornbread is ready
Potato Soup or Locro de Papa is a hearty and comforting soup from Ecuador. It is made with simple ingredients and spices yet very delicious. Although it is a soup, the name Locro – “rugru” in Quechua (Andean native language) means stew. This potato soup is a great dish for children, tasty and nutritious. The vegetarian recipe uses originally cow’s milk instead of coconut milk. Cheese (1/4 cup) is added to the soup and as a garnish. However, I have made this adaptation to be lactose free. It serves 4 portions. I made it for Cultures day and it used to be a staple in the lunch menu at Guanacaste Waldorf Inspired School in Costa Rica. Please send us a message if you have any questions.
Ingredients
3 large Russel potatoes or 6 medium yellow potatoes
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil or olive oil
1 white onion
2 green onions
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons of cumin
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1.5 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
16 oz. vegetable stock or water with a vegetable bullion cube
1 cup of coconut milk
cooked corn kernels, parsley and avocado to garnish
Preparation
Chop the onions and the garlic.
Stir-fry in a pot the diced onions and garlic with the vegetable oil until onions are translucent, about 2 minutes.
Prepare a “refrito” or sauce with the refried onion mixture and all the spices: cilantro, cumin, turmeric, paprika, salt and pepper.
Cook for 2 minutes on medium heat and add the potatoes cut in cubes.
Mix this for about 2 more minutes and add the vegetable stock or water with bouillon.
Cook for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
With a potato masher, mash about three quarters of the potatoes in the pot.
Alternatively you may blend it in parts to the desired creamy consistency.
Add the coconut milk and cook for 5 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Let it cool a little before serving and add corn kernels, cilantro and avocado slices to garnish.
Soup is great accompanied with warm garlic bread or a slice of corn bread.
Fry the onion, garlicCreate a sauce with spicesAdd potatoes and broth or waterCook for 20 minutes and mashAdd the coconut milkCook for another 5 minutesAdd salt and pepperGarnish with corn, parsley and avocadoServe with bread
Soup and Bread go well together just about anytime of the year. I grew up in a very hot climate. However, for lunch we pretty much had soup and bread daily as an appetizer for lunch. I remember the amazing aroma and the delicious flavors of the dozens of types of soup our grandma, Hilda, and nanny, Sabina, made at home. During my childhood, my single mom although a wonderful mom, worked a regular schedule so she was not home during the day. In spite of that, my siblings and I were blessed to have grandma at home, in the first part of our childhood. And also our nanny, Sabina, was with us during all our childhood and adolescence. This was great help for my mom raising four young children and of course with generally a couple of pets to take care of too.
Summer Lessons
Both, grandma Hilda and Sabina, were amazing cooks so I learned some culinary tips at an early age. Sabina had a special influence in this skill early in my life. She lived in our house for a long time during our childhood. Therefore, she also had the task to cook as she was a fantastic cook. She had not learned to read but she was very smart and talented.
In the Summer time, my siblings and I had cooking lessons taught by Sabi, as we liked to called her. Sabi used to teach me and my siblings, from my mom’s direction, the different recipes which she knew by heart. These lessons may have been a way to keep us busy or to simply show us to be useful, I guess. In the beginning, I dreaded them but soon I learned to treasure them as Sabi had a great sense of humor. Her cheerful and sassy personality always entertained. Although she was a good teacher and a lot of fun, she would never let us goof around or get distracted. She could be very strict and have a strong sense of command.
Learning from the basics
In these summer cooking lessons, the main skill that we learned was how to make any dish completely from scratch. So if we were making a soup, that would mean that if the soup required peanut sauce, we needed to start from getting the peanuts from the shell. We would sit down on the porch of the backyard and start de-shelling the peanuts, then the next step was to toast them on the stove and then peel them. The final step was to crush them and finally mix them with milk or any required liquid for the sauce.
The process was a bit cumbersome but she made it seem so smooth and quick. I remember thinking I want to always cook like this, so naturally and with the freshest ingredients. Her food was amazing. As a Waldorf teacher and mom, growing up with this concept of making something with fine, natural ingredients and from the beginning of the process, without shortcuts, made me appreciate Waldorf Education in a special way.
Putting skill to practice
However, It was really in my adult years that I put them to practice, almost by necessity. In any case, it is a treat to have all these recipes stored in a special place in my memory. Every time I have made these recipes for or with my children or class, I go back to those sunny hot days in the kitchen in a remote place in the tropics. In fact, I just made this great soup this week (which was my favorite one growing up). It was a soup we had in the menu at Guanacaste Waldorf Inspired School in Costa Rica because it was a kids’ favorite.
So I hope you can make it with your children at home or with your class. It is a simple, vegetarian, lactose free version. I am sharing it today celebrating Cultures Day around the Americas. The soup in Spanish is “Locro de Papa” that goes well with “Pan de Choclo”, so celebrating the Ecuadorian culture and the American Culture. Locro means stew in Quechua -“ruqru”. In English it would be Potato Soup/Stew and Corn Bread. Enjoy!
Fig.1 – Michael as a soldier conquering the dragon. Foto credit https://revelationjesuschrist.org
“There was a great battle in the heavens. Saint Michael and his angels fought against the Dragon. The Dragon and his angels also fought, but they did not prevail and there was no longer a place in Heaven for them. And the Dragon, the ancient Serpent, the so-called Devil and Satan, the seducer of the whole world, was thrown out; He was thrown to the earth and his angels with him.” ~Revelation 12:7-9
Saint Michael, a soldier
Fig. 2 – Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Basingstoke, England. Foto credit: loandbeholdbible.com
Again as in Fig.1, Saint Michael is depicted as an angel in armor fighting a dragon with a sword. In figures 2 and 3, Saint Michael is part of a scene of all seven archangels, on the sanctuary ceiling of Holy Ghost Catholic Church, in Basingstoke, England.
In a close up in Fig.2, from the overall sanctuary scene, Saint Michael is shown as a military man, with a sword and shield. He shows in the center, next to the Madonna and Child, given his special place within the archangels. He is a warrior, a savior, a soldier, who gives us an example of great courage and bravery.
Fig. 3 – Nathaniel Westlake / St Michael the Archangel / Marouflage mural / Date unknown Foto credit: loandbeholdbible.com
Historical celebration
Going back to ancient times, the archangel Saint Michael’s day was one of the main christian celebrations. Saint Michael and his angels were given their own feast day by Pope Gelasius in AD 487. This became an important day, almost marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of another farming cycle.
Equally important, it became a time in England when new servants were hired, debts were paid and land was exchanged. Furthermore, Michaelmas was such a crucial time that it became a date in which magistrates were elected. Likewise, it marked the beginning of legal and university periods.
Waldorf Schools celebration
Michael is fighting a dragon from an imaginative story in Waldorf Schools
In Waldorf schools, Saint Michael is brought up in an imaginative story where Michael comes to save with his powerful sword a town which is pestered by a dragon. In some stories, the dragon is feeding from the harvest that civilians gather; in other stories, the dragon is attacking and frightening the town. Regardless of the story development, Saint Michael comes to bring peace and conquers the dragon. In Saint Michael’s day, Waldorf schools have plays performed and verses recited celebrating such an occasion. Moreover, schools plan a special time during the Michaelmas celebration for the children to go through fun bravery challenges to find courage in times of difficulty.
Equinox
The time of Michaelmas happens to fall on a day close to the equinox. It is a date when the days start getting darker. Hence, we call upon our strength to sustain the darkness of the winter days in the northern hemisphere. There are three months apart from the solstice in which Saint John’s festival is celebrated and three months apart from the festival of Christmas or around the shortest day of the year.
Why is Michaelmas important?
Saint Michael’s day was not being celebrated in modern times. It passed to be an ancient christian day, until Rudolf Steiner suggested the celebration of Michaelmas. Why is this festival important more so in modern times than it was needed in ancient times? As Steiner suggested: “with the rise of the intellect and modern technologies, the coldness has entered our hearts too”. Our civilization is in need of spiritual connection, an awakening of spiritual values.
Michael’s message
The message of Saint Michael is to fight evil forces that take us away from true values and from spiritual growth. As Charles Kovacs states in his book ~ The Spiritual Background of Christian Festivals~: “The materialistic civilization in which we live has done everything possible to convince us that there is only the physical sense world, and that in it there is no divine wisdom and no meaning.”
Michael’s name meaning
The name Michael means “Who is like God?”. The message behind his name is interpreted to be closer to God. It is a call to humanity to awaken our own spiritual nature. It is a time to be reminded of our own likeness to the Creator and of our strength and power to create light and to fight darkness, to make the world a place with less destruction and a closer relation to our true nature, our God like nature. It is our time to be brave and strong to grow our creative nature and our God-like values.
This Suncatcher Hearts craft is a simple and beautiful art appropriate for all ages. You may adjust the level of difficulty according to age and dexterity per the suggestions. You may review other suggestions for crafts or recipes in our other recent posts. Alternatively you may subscribe to receive our posts. If you need continuos material and ideas for your class, please register to one of our curriculum packages for stories, blocks, circles and more. Contact us with any questions.
Martinmas is one of the most beloved festivals celebrated for many centuries around the world. On this special day, November 11th, is the feast of Saint Martin, where in Waldorf Schools we turn our thoughts and faith to Saint Martin of Tours. Martin was a Roman soldier born in Hungary. He was the son of an army veteran who moved with his family to Italy early on. At the age of 15 he was already wearing a military uniform. For more than 15 centuries he has been remembered due to his actions while he was a young man serving in the Roman Empire military in Gaul (now Amiens-France).
In many cities around the world, the Saint Martin story is told around the second week of November and he is venerated for his actions of compassion and care for the less privileged. The story tells:
“One very cold winter’s day, Martin was riding his horse with his troop and on the way he met a beggar on the road who was shivering cold and half dressed. The troops that were riding with him passed the poor man but Martin stopped, and as he had nothing else to give the man to provide warmth, took out his sword and divided his mantle in two, and gave half to the beggar. That night he saw in a dream that Jesus Christ appeared to him dressed in the half mantle that he had given to the poor man and he heard him say: “Martin, today you covered me with your mantle.”
Watercolor paper for lanterns
Lanterns with translucent paper
This week of November we remember Saint Martin and his brilliant light. The date of Martinmas coincides with Veterans Day in the United States which came from Armistice Day. 11/11 was the day WWI ended, a significant day of peace. In numerology, 11 is a magic number. Hence, we can create some of this light coming out of darkness for the children by making paper lanterns or any other creative material lantern and carrying our little light into the darkness making our own magic and awe for the young child.
As we near this day, we have the opportunity to experience our own interior light in the middle of the darkness. In places such as the ones in the Northern latitude in North America this darkness is getting more pronounced as we approach winter. In tropical places, such as countries in Central and some in South America, the rain is still lingering but soon the light will be stronger. To offer our light and share it with others is a spiritual will, proper of this celebration. We welcome you to join in and bring that light on a walk at night around your garden or a place that you treasure, as recognition and love to nature and our surroundings, where we turn for silence and comfort.
Songs and Poems in Martinmas:
I go outside with my lantern Yo voy con mi farolillo
I go outside with my lantern Yo voy con mi farolillo
My lantern goes with me y mi farolillo conmigo
Above the stars are shining bright arriba brillan las estrellas
Down here on earth shine we y abajo brillamos nosotros
So shine your light through the still dark nighty si hace frío nos vamos a casa
Labimmel labammel la boom con nuestro pequeño farol
My lantern Farol
My lantern, my lantern Farol, farol
Sun and moon and stars Estrella, luna y sol
Put out all your light Se apaga la luz
Put out all your light Se apaga la luz
That my lantern can truly shine bright menos la de mi farol
Arde lucecita
Arde lucecita, iluminanos, proteger te quiero con todo mi amor
