REPOST: Bless Me, Última by Rudolfo Anaya

~ foodinbooks

The news of the death of Rudolfo Anaya hit today. He was not only a world-renowned author, he was also a dear and cherished friend, mentor, and counselor. I was fortunate to have met him 20 years ago and we developed a wonderful friendship. He encouraged my writing, persuaded me to attend graduate school, and was overall one of the most wonderful, generous and kind humans in this world. I will miss you, dear Rudy. Que descansa en paz. I repost this blog in your honor.

Rudolfo Anaya is considered the seminal author on the Chicano experience. He was born in New Mexico post-WWII, and became an English teacher and then professor at the University of New Mexico. Not an unusual trajectory for a published author, but what makes Anaya unique, both on the world stage and to me personally, is the fact that he really was one of the first published and widely-read Hispanic authors.

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Bless Me, Última was his first published work, and it tells a universal tale of a young boy named Antonio and his coming of age, the mentor – in this case, an old woman called Última who is a curandera (a healer, in Spanish), and some say a witch, as she has an owl that accompanies her everywhere and is her familiar – and his subsequent questioning of all that he has been raised to believe. Antonio and Última’s friendship becomes the bedrock of his life, and from her, he learns the use of herbs as medicine and magic, the nature of good and evil, and what it means to love and lose. In short, all the lessons we learn growing up.

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The reason this book means so much to me is because it was the first book I ever read that actually, and accurately, described what it was like growing up Hispanic in New Mexico. The Spanish phrases that Antonio’s parents use were all used by my grandparents and great-grandparents. All of the healing methods that Última teaches Antonio were used regularly by my Great Granny Baca, and both of my grandmothers. Most vibrantly, I remember Great Granny Baca sweeping up my Great Grandpa Baca’s hair after she’d given him a haircut because “no le quieren las brujas.” If you read the section about the witches – the infamous Trementina sisters and their curse on Antonio’s uncle Lucas – you will know exactly what I am talking about. And of course, the food they ate – beans, chicos, tortillas, atole, green chile – those were the foods I grew up eating.

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I spread the blankets close to the wall and near the stove while Última prepared the atole. My grandfather had brought sugar and cream and two loaves of bread so we had a good meal. “This is good,” I said. I looked at my uncle. He was sleeping peacefully. The fever had not lasted long. “There is much good in blue corn meal,” she smiled. The Indians hold it most sacred, and why not, on the day that we can get Lucas to eat a bowl of atole then he shall be cured. Is that not sacred?”

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Atole is a traditional New Mexico drink made from finely ground blue corn served with hot milk and sugar. It’s very good, although for someone like me, who doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, it’s not something I ever considered making as an adult. I did, however, start thinking about blue corn in general and wondering how it would taste cooked as a sort of savory oatmeal. I’d never cooked with blue corn before, and when I researched cooking methods, ironically, the grossest-sounding recipe for it was on the New Mexico True website, which included quinoa, pinon and raisins. What the hell? Who in their right mind would cook traditional atole with quinoa and raisins? Blech. So I dug a bit more and found this New York Times recipe for blue corn cakes, which I tweaked a bit and used as a basis for my own unique New Mexico dish – savory blue corn cakes with poached eggs and green chile. You can’t tell me that doesn’t sound divine!

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INGREDIENTS
1 cup blue corn meal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon caldo de pollo (powdered chicken bouillon)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs, room temperature, with the yolks separated
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup melted butter
2 whole eggs, room temperature
1 heaping cup of roasted and chopped green chile, flavored with salt, garlic and olive oil, heated through

METHOD
Mix the blue corn meal, the flour, the salt, the pollo de caldo, and the baking powder together. Set aside.

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Whisk the egg yolks with the heavy cream and the water, then beat the egg whites until foamy, add to the yolk and cream mixture, and stir again.

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Gradually add in the blue corn and flour mixture, and add the melted butter. Stir again, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

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Heat a non-stick pan with a teaspoon of olive oil, and in a separate pan, heat together some salted water with a tablespoon of vinegar. This is for poaching the eggs.

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Form small cakes from the blue corn batter.

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Put the blue corn cakes into the hot oil in the pan. Cook for about 1-2 minutes per side. Lay on a platter.

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Poach the eggs. Stir the hot water and vinegar until you get a good whirlpool action going, then gently crack in the eggs and let cook until they firm up.

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Put the blue corn cakes on a plate, and put a poached egg on top. Season with salt and pepper, then ladle over the hot green chile. Eat with joy and happiness in your heart, because this really is New Mexico soul food, with a twist.

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Published by foodinbooks

I read, I cook, I travel, I love pugs, I drink wine, and I blog about food and books.

27 thoughts on “REPOST: Bless Me, Última by Rudolfo Anaya”

  1. I heard on the news about his death, and immediately thought of you, and your relationship with him, a great lost, no doubt.

    Mis sinceras condolencias.

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    1. Thank you so much. This is definitely something you could probably make for a meatless meal. It already is vegetarian in the sense that it doesn’t have any meat, just eggs. I would imagine you could adapt any type of sauce to go with it. If you are ever able to get your hands on some ground blue cornmeal, Give it a try and let me know what you think. It has a slightly sweet flavor which makes it appropriate for both savory and sweet dishes and a spicier sauce compliments it well.

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  4. I’ll be looking for this book now! Thank you!! And thanks for sharing your memories and the recipe! I love blue corn too…have had some blue corn tortillas in the past that are some of my fondest memories. Please be gentle with yourself today – I appreciate you.

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    1. Thank you so much. I really appreciate that. And and the recipe is actually quite delicious. I was even thinking I could add tequila to the marinated and that would add even more flavor. If you make it let me know how it turns out.

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  6. Try to leave you a comment on this post but didn’t seem to have worked, sometime ago when I Favorited the post, briefly I commented I share the last name with the writer, but not relation to my knowledge, or if one, way far back in the past, according to the family lore I got about my last name.. 🙂

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      1. Yes I read him quite some years ago, as for being relatives, I imagine, a far relation at least, since according to family lore three brothers arrived to Mexico from the Basque country, and each took to a different place, one settled in the Gulf region, other went to New Mexico, and the last one settled in Jalisco, my branch of the family, and most Anaya in the Northwest of Mexico, belong to that branch.
        Of course it’s just a tale from the old people, but recently I was amazed to find out thanks to the internet, the veracity of other old tales I listen as a child from old relatives, stories from the middle of the Nineteen Century. 🙂

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      2. What a wonderful story! I’d never heard that before. Anything with the trope of the three brothers always catches my interest. Isn’t it wonderful to hear those stories again later in life and in a different context, and to make those connection points? I’m going to share that story of the three brothers with all the Anayas I know. You may know this as well, but the original spelling of Anaya was “Analla” with the double-L being pronounced as a Y. Anyway, thanks for commenting and for the marvelous tale of the three Anaya brothers.

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  8. What an interesting book! I’ve never even heard of it before. 🙂 The blue corn cakes look delicious too! I’ve never made them before. So inspiring and beautiful pictures. I always learn about new books and recipes on your posts, Vanessa.

    ❤ Have a great week!!

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    1. Thanks, Jen. It’s an amazing book, very true to the experience of growing up in New Mexico. Rudolfo Anaya is perhaps not as well known in some places as he should be. He’s an amazing writer and his books are mainly all set in New Mexico, so very close to my heart. I recommend starting with either this book or “Alburquerque”, both of which are love songs to our home state and well-written with engaging characters. I appreciate your compliments on the blue corn cakes, too. They were really tasty and I can see further variations on them.

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      1. I bet they were delicious! Everything you cook looks and sounds divine. 😊 I’ll definitely check out both books! Thank you. 💖

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    1. My friend Karen who took the amazing photographs said the exact same thing, that this would be a beautiful brunch dish. I would have to agree. And of course no brunch dish is complete without some type of a champagne cocktail, right? 😉

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    1. Thank you! The recipe was a new one for me and I’m happy it came out good. It’s so simple and I can definitely see making it again for a brunch. I really appreciate the comments! And I encourage you to make it if you can, because it’s really good and easy.

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