Guatemalan Croquetas

adobo chicken, guisado sauce, manchego, truffle oil

I wanted to create a dish that evoked a common experience for first-generation kids: hearing one or both of your parents inevitably and emphatically say, “HAY COMIDA EN LA CASA!” or “There’s food at home!” after you’ve asked if you could have kids meal from your favorite fast-food spot on the way home after running errands with them all day. You slink your head in defeat, no fries, no toy.

Although, now as an adult, I look back on that and laugh and tend to agree with my parent’s sentiment that there is in fact “comida en la casa!” My dish also had to communicate my heritage and the warmth that home cooking provides but also pay respect to that little kid that just wanted some fries, after along day. So I made my take on loaded fries!

The main components of the dish are yuca frita, pollo guisado, and curtido. All of which are “comida tipica” you’d likely find in my mom’s, Guatemalan, and Salvadoran kitchens everywhere and then put a modern spin on it.