By Late January. The cold is the cold that does not go away. Eight degrees Tuesday morning. The car needed five minutes to warm before it would heat. I drove to the food bank with my coat and my hat and the bags of dried beans on the passenger seat radiating their own kind of cold from being in the trunk all night before I moved them.
Brian got the grant approved. He told me Wednesday. He said, "Carmen, the funding committee said yes. Eight weeks. Twenty-four students. Spring term, starting March 4." I said, "Brian, we have a class." He said, "We have a class. We need a name." I said, "Brian, give me the weekend." He said, "Take your time."
Thursday I sat with Mami. I told her we had funding. She said, "Carmen, what is the name?" I said, "Mami, I have not decided." She said, "Name it after Abuela." I said, "Mami, I cannot name a class after my grandmother. People will not understand." She said, "Carmen, then they will learn. Name it Cocina de Consuelo." I said, "Cocina de Consuelo." She said, "Yes. Consuelo means comfort. Also it is her name. Both true." I said, "Mami, that is the name." She said, "Good." She closed her eyes.
I called Brian Friday morning. I said, "Brian, the name is La Cocina de Consuelo." He said, "Carmen, what does it mean?" I said, "Brian, it means Consuelo's Kitchen. Consuelo was my grandmother. Consuelo also means comfort in Spanish. Both meanings are true." He said, "Carmen, that is the name." He printed flyers Saturday. The flyer is small, simple, two-color. La Cocina de Consuelo / Free cooking class / Puerto Rican home cooking with Carmen Delgado-Ortiz / 8 Wednesday evenings starting March 4 / Hartford Food Bank Parkville / Sign up at front desk. He posted twenty around the neighborhood. He put one in the food bank lobby. He gave me twenty for my own posting.
I took ten to Mami. I read her the flyer. I held one up so she could see. She said, "Carmen, I am proud." I said, "Mami." She said, "Carmen, listen. I will not see this class. I will be gone." I said, "Mami." She said, "Carmen. It is okay. You will teach the class. Abuela and I will be there. We will be in your hands. We will be in the food. The students will eat us." I cried for the first time in six weeks. Mami patted my hand. She said, "Carmen, dame agua." I got her water. She drank. We sat. Wepa.
When I think about what I will make the first night of class—March 4, twenty-four strangers walking into a food bank kitchen—I think about something that costs almost nothing, takes almost no time, and still tastes like someone was thinking about you when they made it. Tortilla strips are that. You can make them with what is already in the cabinet. You can set them on the table while people are still finding their seats, still nervous, still deciding if they belong there. Abuela fed people before they knew they were hungry. That is where I learned it.
Tortilla Snack Strips
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 22 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 8 corn tortillas (6-inch)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut tortillas. Stack the tortillas and cut into 1/2-inch strips using a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
- Season. In a large bowl, toss the strips with olive oil until evenly coated. Add garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Toss again until every strip is well seasoned.
- Arrange. Spread the strips in a single layer across the two prepared baking sheets, making sure they do not overlap.
- Bake. Bake for 10–12 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the strips are golden and crisp. Watch closely near the end—they go from golden to too dark quickly.
- Cool and serve. Remove from oven and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes. They will continue to crisp as they cool. Serve warm or at room temperature with salsa, guacamole, or on their own.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 120 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 17g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 180mg