Pupusas

We discovered some time ago that the local pizza place, run (inevitably) by a family that couldn't be less Italian, occasionally offered Latin American dishes in addition to the standard pizza and pizza-related items.  Sometimes when we went in, there would be a handscrawled sign taped to the wall that simply said, "Tamales" and a price.  We finally tried them a while back, and they're fantastic.  Substantially sized, filled with braised pork, and the tamale dough itself is highly seasoned.  Sometimes we put a little salsa on top, but it really doesn't need it.

Anyway, as time passed, the tamales moved from the scribbled sign to a permanent place on the actual menu, and appearing alongside them was something called a "pupusa."  Well, we were curious, so we threw in an order the next time we got some pizza.  It turns out that pupusas are primarily an El Salvadoran dish (finally giving the last clue to the actual ethnicity of the proprietors).  They're somewhat like arepas, if you know what arepas are, but using the finer masa harina instead of just corn meal.  If you don't know what an arepa is, it's sort of like a thick, filled corn cake.  The equivalent Mexican/Tex Mex dish is the gordita.  Anyway, they're typically filled with the same pork, but also include some cheese and possibly beans (versions vary, naturally).  And they're also extremely good.  It's starting to get to the point where I'm going to make my own pizza, and just go there for the latin food...

And speaking of, the Food Lab recently put up instructions for cooking pizza in a cast iron pan instead of on a stone.  And it's AWESOME, especially in a home oven that doesn't get that hot.  Not exactly authentic, but really tasty.

And just because I'm throwing out random food bits-- the Pagoda Express Sesame Chicken frozen entree is terrible.  Really awful.  Do Not Buy Under Any Circumstances.