Guest Chef Claudia Serrato from East Los Angeles is a woman who walks her talk. She is a Ph.C. mama who works as a chef and educator, raising awareness on the benefits of an indigenous plant-based diet. In 2015 she interviewed me on being a Xicana in the kitchen, in which she shared her thoughts on womb ecology and the taste memories of our community. It was a profound moment for me because I was just finding "my people" in this indigenous foods movement, and she was one of the few women chefs in the same arena. I'm grateful we have stayed connected and I look forward to seeing what upcoming projects she has in store for the future, including her work with Cocina Manakurhini. See her delicate and beautiful recipe below for her take on a family favorite - Sopa de Fideo.
"As a youth, Sopa de Fideo was part of my staple diet. My mother and grandmother always made sure to have a warm pot on the stove. This soup was a symbol of love and represented what I understood at the time, my "Mexicanness." I was and still am very proud of my cultural heritage and enjoyed it more when I was able to taste it. I looked forward in eating Sopa de Fideo even as I grew into my teens and young adulthood as it too brought comfort and a feeling of home. Once I birthed my own children, I wanted to continue sharing love through food with them and despite the stigma placed onto soups like Sopa de Fideo (poverty food or food for the poor), it represented the richness of memory, the richness of my culture, and the richness of family. Today, both my children (son is 20 and daughter is 6) crave these flavors and together we make this food from scratch and alter it every time by adding vegetables that are accessible to us. It brings us together as a little family. The rewards in making this soup is when I hear my children say "yum" and when they taste it and smile." - Claudia
VEGGIE SPAGHETTI SQUASH FIDEO SOUP
Ingredients: (serves 10)
2 Spaghetti Squash
2 Zucchinis
3 Tomatoes
4 Corns
1/2 Onion
1 Garlic clove
10 cups of Vegetable broth
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Cut Spaghetti Squash (length) in half and scoop out seeds. Then coat in grapeseed oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Place faced down on baking sheet and once oven is ready, please on top shelf for 40-45 minutes. (should pierce with a fork). Take out of oven and let cool by flipping squash over. Once cool to touch, take a fork and scrape meat of squash out unto a plate.
3. Cut tomatoes in 1/4 pieces and blend with onion, garlic, and 3 cups of vegetable broth. Once blended place inside a soup/stock pot with remaining 7 cups of broth and heat over medium heat until boil. Then, drop heat to a low simmer.
4. Dice Zucchini and Cut corn off cobs. Place a sauté pan on medium heat and lightly sauté zucchini and corn until tender. Add salt to taste. Set aside.
5. Combine spaghetti squash, zucchini and corn into soup pot and let simmer together for about 10 minutes. You may raise heat to medium low.
6. Serve into bowls
7. Can be eaten with tortillas and can add a squirt of lemon with a scoop of home made salsa. Provecho!
You can find Claudia on three different IG platforms, spirit_plate, cocina_manakurhini, and wombyn76, or, you can connect with her via email at wombyn@gmail.com.