Grandma Augustina's Enchiladas

(Abby Brown, host of FIND Iowa, is standing in front of a store. She is wearing a jean jacket and black pants.)

[Abby Brown] When it comes to learning about cultures, there are places we can visit, like a monument or a museum. But, even everyday locations can be a great opportunity to learn, like a grocery store. Come on, let's check it out!

(music)

(A meat counter with items for sale.)

[Abby] My friend Dawn is meeting me here. She has invited me to dinner for a traditional family meal, enchiladas! We'll get some of the ingredients here at the store.

(music)

(Bulk containers filled with different spices)

(Chile Pulla $6.59 LB)

[Dawn Oropeza] So we have a whole wall full of different kinds of chiles.

[Abby] Wow, how do you pick?

[Dawn] Well, we always use anchos for enchiladas. So, we start here.

(music)

[Dawn] And so we just get one of these and just grab the ones we want and how many we want.

(music)

(Dawn holds up a small cup-like scoop.)

[Abby] So next we have bread.

(A table with rows of store-baked bread lined up on silver baking trays.)

[Dawn] This is the pan dulce section, my favorite part. You do it a little different than you would other stores. But you get the pinchers and you get a tray of some sort.

(Dawn holds a red, plastic lunch tray full of the different breads she selected.)

[Dawn] So you just kind of load up. So then we just take this up to the counter and they'll weigh it and package it.

[Abby] Perfect!

(music)

(Cans of Mexican style beans.)

(A man pushing a cart full of collapsed cardboard boxes past rows of fruits and vegetables.)

(Tortillas on a shelf.)

(Butcher cut meat and fresh made guacamole on large trays.)

[Abby] So, there's lots in this store that is just like any store I've ever been to. There's canned goods, there's vegetables, there is a meat counter. But we had to do the chiles and the bread a little bit differently. And even if you're not totally comfortable making your own Mexican dish, they have some prepared meals for you too. So, tell me about what we have here.

(Abby and Dawn turn toward the counter behind them.)

[Dawn] Well, we have a lot of really delicious things. We have tamales, chicharrónes, fried pork and carnitas.

[Abby] Well I think we have everything that we need for today, right?

[Dawn] Yes, we're ready to go make enchiladas.

[Abby] I'm so excited!

(Abby and Dawn in Dawn’s kitchen)

[Abby] Dawn, thank you so much for having us in your home today. It smells delicious! Tell me about what we're going to be doing.

[Dawn] We're going to be making the famous Martinez enchiladas today. I'm really excited to share the stories with you and the ingredients. And my family is here and they help assemble everything for us.

(music)

(A bowl of ground beef with peas, carrots and potatoes.)

(A person stirs a skillet on a stove full of red sauce.)

(A bowl of fresh diced onions.)

(A person turning over a tortilla frying in a skillet.)

(A person moves a tortilla from a skillet into the red sauce and then onto a tray lined with aluminum foil.)

[Dawn] This is my grandma Augustina's recipe and the reason why ours are very different than they were in Mexico is because she had nine kids and my Uncle Albert, he's out here, is one of those kids. And so she used what she could get. They weren't rich. And so she would add the potatoes and the carrots and the peas to fill it and then she would get government cheese. So that's our secret ingredient. I use Velveeta now because you can't get government cheese. But that is the secret ingredient. So these are very special and unique to Iowa and to our family.

(Dawn turns to Abby)

[Dawn] Do you want to try a little of it? This is how my mother-in-law does it. But she puts a little like this.

(Dawn scoops a little of the red sauce onto her hand.)

So then you don't get things dirty and then you can taste it. So go like that.

(Dawn scoops a little of the red sauce into Abby’s hand.)

[Abby] And then just lick it?

[Dawn] Uh-huh.

(music)

[Abby] That's delicious!

(music)

[Dawn] That's Grandma Augustina.

(Dawn shows a picture of Grandma Augustina at her kitchen counter preparing a meal. She has short black and pepper hair and is wearing a flower print shirt.)

[Abby] Wait, this is Grandma Augustina, who's recipe we're making?

[Dawn] Yeah. It's time to make the enchiladas.

[Abby] Time to roll the enchiladas!

(music)

[Dawn] Your fingers are going to get dirty.

[Albert Martinez] The ingredients basically are the same but each family makes them a little bit different.

[Dawn] Fold in so that the stuffing doesn't come out. And then you start rolling it.

(Dawn’s family around the table stuffs and rolls the enchiladas.)

[Abby] How often do you make enchiladas?

[Juan Carlos Oropeza] Maybe once every few months.

[Abby] And you'll help?

[Augustin Oropeza] No, you don't

(laughter)

[Agustin Oropeza] Well, we eat them once every few months.

(laughter)

[Abby] Do you know how to make enchiladas?

[Agustin] I do, he doesn't.

[Juan Carlos] Kind of. Not as much.

(music)

[Abby] Is this how you would make enchiladas?

[Caroly Coronado Vargas] No, it's totally the opposite of everything. My enchiladas don't include any meat or really any filling and they're not even rolled up. So they're completely different.

[Abby] And why is your recipe so much different than the way Dawn's family does it?

[Caroly] I think it's because we're from a different part of Mexico. I'm from the northern region whereas they are from the central south region.

(music)

[Mary E Campos] We want our children to preserve our customs and to know different foods like any family would like to have that recipe passed on. You may not make it exactly like they made it but at least you're trying.

(music)

(Dawn places the enchiladas into the oven to cook.)

[Abby] Dawn, thank you so much for having me in your home today and welcoming me to your family table. I got to learn about your famous enchiladas. So kids, next time you sit down for a family meal in your home or sit down for a family meal at anybody's table, ask about the ingredients, about the recipes and the traditions behind those great meals. You might learn something about the heritage in your own home or someone else's.

[Announcer] Funding for FIND Iowa has been provided by the following supporters.

(text on screen Find Iowa, The Coons Foundation, Pella, Gilchrist Foundation)

(text on screen Iowa PBS Education)