Rafael Soler and his wife, Reina Bermudez-Soler, have put pupusas—a traditional, handmade Salvadoran corn cake stuffed with a variety of fillings—on the culinary map. They’ve appeared on The Martha Stewart Show and the Food Network. They’ve won the coveted Vendy Cup, but no matter what accolades they receive, they’ll never forget their humble beginnings at the Red Hook Ball Fields and their first sale, which ended up costing them money.
Rafael and Reina had been coming to the ball fields to eat and have fun. One of Reina’s uncles was a vendor there, and when he decided to retire, he offered Rafael the opportunity to take over his business. Rafael had to meet with the other vendors to get approved, but the transition was a quick one. “We went to the meeting, and there was no objection,” Rafael says. “I took [the] place on Thursday, and on Saturday I would have to sell—I didn’t know anything, only Dominican food—so I started selling roasted meats and whatever I could sell.”
Rafael was nervous and excited that first day. “Nobody knew me in the park. I was the only colored person, and it caused a bit of commotion seeing who the new people were. That first day was a cold day, and we took coffee [to sell.] The customer just wanted coffee and only had a twenty-dollar bill. I didn’t know I was supposed to make change. My first customer—I will never forget—it was a free coffee!”
Rafael and Reina each have their own responsibilities, though Reina’s son, César Fuentes—Executive Director of the Red Hook Food Vendors—says, “To give honor where honor is due, my mom is more like the visionary, and Rafael, he’s got the flavor.” The business soon began to draw a following. “The most interesting thing was that the people who came the first week were the same people who were coming the third week. And they would all ask, ‘Why don’t you do this dish from Guatemala, or that dish from Colombia?’ So, I said to my wife, ‘We are going to have to diversify more.’” In the early days, their main specialties were Dominican-style meats, but when they added pupusas from Reina’s native El Salvador, sales really took off. As César describes it, “The pupusa is the national dish—it’s akin to what the tacos are for Mexicans.” For Salvadorans, pupusas are what Reina calls an “Every day, every time food … if you go to El Salvador basically on every corner there is a pupuseria … a place where you come and enjoy pupusas.” As the popularity of their pupusas grew, so did Rafael’s association with the dish. “My name was changed. Now they call me, ‘Mr. Pupusa.’”
Prior to starting their business at the ball fields, Rafael had been a tailor. “I would make pants, and then I went on to cutting the cloth for clothing. I had learned that in my country. In the ’80s and ’90s, the one who knew how to cut patterns was like a doctor in my country. So, I felt very good. I wore suits, and in those days I earned $15 to $16 an hour, which was money in those days. Once in the United States, and as jobs in the garment business moved overseas, it was harder to make a living practicing his craft. “When this opportunity came about, I couldn’t say no,” Rafael said. “I said to my wife, ‘We have to make our destiny.’”
Over the past ten plus years, the destiny of the Red Hook area itself has changed, too. “We feel very proud that many changes have happened in the Red Hook area.… It has grown a lot, and we feel we are part of Red Hook’s growth,” says Rafael. But that growth was not without challenges. “The problems came when the health department thought we could make many changes in a short time.” It wasn’t possible to comply with all of the city regulations while working under the old conditions of charcoal grills in an open-air setting. “Two of the oldest vendors were out because we had to make an immediate investment,” Rafael says. The Solers didn’t have the money to buy a new truck, but they were able to scrape together enough to buy a secondhand truck so they could continue at the ball fields.
As a non-Salvadoran, Rafael is less wedded to tradition when it comes to pupusa-making, which has allowed for some innovation. “I came up with the chicken pupusa. It wasn’t known here, nor in El Salvador. I introduced it. I thought if I cook the chicken so well, why can’t I make the pupusas with chicken?” When their customers started to change, Rafael adapted the pupusas to suit them. “The people from Manhattan started to come to the park,” he says. Many of the newcomers were vegetarians. “I had a bright moment, and we started to work more with the bean,” says Rafael. “We work with the fish, with jalapeños, zucchini, spinach, and all vegetables.” As the demand for the pupusas has soared, the Solers have created three platters to introduce customers to a taste of other Latin specialties like plátanos manduros, fried ripe plantains. Rafael is particularly fond of the sample platter “because I can’t leave my tamales out. They are the best—that platter has everything, the pupusa, the tamale, chorizo, fried ripe plantain, sour cream, and jalapeño.”
Besides working the ball fields from April through October, the Solers have set up shop at the Brooklyn Flea year-round. “Mr. Eric [Demby, cofounder of the Brooklyn Flea] invited us—all of us vendors [to sell food].… We had a meeting, among the vendors—many didn’t come, because they didn’t think the mix in the flea market would work.” Only two vendors from Red Hook decided to participate, the Country Boys and Solber Pupusas. In the beginning, they shared a ten-foot by ten-foot space. The lines were massive, and each earned their own spot at the market. Rafael says that the organizer told him, “‘As the flea market grows, in the same way the possibilities for you grow.’Whenever he opens another flea market, he wants me to be there.”
“Every day we are adding new flavors always mixing new ideas, new recipes so they are more unique.”
Adapted from Reina Bermudez-Soler’s recipe
Pupusas, filled, griddled corn cakes, are a traditional Salvadoran dish dating back hundreds of years. In recent times, the form has been adapted to suit modern tastes—the Solers even have a pepperoni-filled pupusa! Even with filling innovations there’s little that can be done to improve the classic pupusas revueltas. Filled with a mix of seasoned ground pork and cheese, these are among the top sellers at the Red Hook Ball Fields.
One of the secrets to the filling is a touch of Adobo seasoning. Reina prefers the Goya® variety with pepper.
½ pound ground pork
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ large red onion, coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ tablespoon adobo
½ cup beef stock
1½ cups mozzarella, shredded
1½ pounds (about 5¼ cups) masa harina (corn flour)
¾ teaspoon salt
1½ tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for pan frying
4 to 6 cups lukewarm water
Curtido (page 240)
Salsa Fresca (page 240)
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup pickled jalapeños, if desired
Add the pork, tomatoes, garlic, onion, oregano, and adobo to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times to mix, then process until puréed.
In a large pan or cast-iron skillet, add olive oil. Heat oil for a minute then add the meat mixture and sauté over on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until meat is browned, about 5 minutes. Add beef stock, then reduce heat to medium-low and let it cook uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 40 minutes, or until the meat is still moist but most of the liquid is reduced. Remove from heat and transfer to a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the pupusa dough.
In a large bowl, use your hands to combine the flour, salt, and vegetable oil. Slowly add the water and mix until dough is soft and manageable (doesn’t stick to your hands).
Form dough into 24 balls that are slightly larger than a golf ball. Pressing between your hands, start to flatten each, taking care to preserve the roundness. When flattened into a circle approximately 3 inches in diameter and ¼-inch thick, put 1 tablespoon of the cheese and 1 tablespoon of the pork mixture in the middle and gently bring the sides up in order to form a ball again, pinching to shut. Once you have the ball you gently flatten by slapping back and forth between your hands (imagine you are playing patty-cake).
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to grease the skillet. Working in batches place the pupusas on the heated surface and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until pupusas are golden brown and crisp. Serve with a generous helping of Curtido (page 240) and Salsa Fresca (page 240) and a dollop of sour cream and pickled jalapeños, if desired.
Adapted from Reina Bermudez-Soler’s recipe
As more vegetarians have discovered the Red Hook Ball Fields the vendors have adapted their menus to cater to their dietary needs. The garlicky, sautéed zucchini filling for these pupusas makes a great side dish on its own.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, mashed
1½ cups zucchini, shredded
1½ cups mozzarella, shredded
1½ pounds (about 5¼ cups) masa harina (corn flour)
¾ teaspoon salt
½ tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for pan frying
4 to 6 cups lukewarm water
Curtido (page 240)
Salsa Fresca (page 240)
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup pickled jalapeños, if desired
In a large frying pan or skillet add olive oil and garlic and sauté over medium-high, stirring occasionally until oil becomes fragrant and garlic turns translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and sauté, stirring occasionally until zucchini is tender and lightly golden brown. Remove from heat and transfer to a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the pupusa dough.
In a large bowl, use your hands to combine the flour, salt, and vegetable oil. Slowly add the water and mix until dough is soft and manageable (doesn’t stick to your hands).
Form dough into 24 balls that are slightly larger than a golf ball. Pressing between your hands, start to flatten each, taking care to preserve the roundness. When flattened into a circle approximately 3 inches in diameter and ¼-inch thick, put 1 tablespoon of the cheese and 1 tablespoon of the zucchini in the middle and gently bring the sides up in order to form a ball again, pinching to shut. Once you have the ball you gently flatten by slapping back and forth between your hands (imagine you are playing-patty cake).
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to grease the skillet. Working in batches, place the pupusas on the heated surface and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until pupusas are golden brown and crisp. Serve with a generous helping of Curtido (page 240) and Salsa Fresca (page 240) and a dollop of sour cream and pickled jalapeños, if desired.
(SALVADORAN PICKLED CABBAGE)
Adapted from Reina Bermudez-Soler’s recipe
Pupusas are commonly served with curtido, a bright and crispy Salvadoran-style ’slaw. This recipe doesn’t take much time to prepare, but you need to make it at least a day ahead to allow the cabbage enough time to pickle slightly in the vinegar. If you love spicy foods, add jalapeño slices to give this a fiery edge.
5 cups white cabbage, shredded
1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
1 cup white vinegar
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 jalapeño, seeded and cut into thin rounds (optional)
1 teaspoon black pepper (optional)
Mix all the ingredients with 1 cup water. Refrigerate in an airtight container for at least one day before serving. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
(TOMATO SALSA)
Adapted from Reina Bermudez Soler’s recipe
Light and bright, this easy homemade salsa traditionally accompanies pupusas, but it also works well with tacos, burritos and nachos.
8 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 medium-sized red onion, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped 2 cloves garlic, peeled
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Purée all ingredients and ½ cup water in a blender or food processor.
Pour into a medium pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
