I have to express my gratitude. The nanny that looked after my children was Nena, the most loving and wonderful person. She became part of our family. When my children were grown, she looked after my mother with tender care and devotion. Now she takes care of my father. Nena is like a sister to me and is beloved by my children and my nieces and nephews.

Living in Los Angeles, I learned to cook Mexican-style beef and chicken, black beans and refried beans and all varieties of salsas and salads.

Together, Nena and I would make taquitos, a rolled-up tortilla stuffed with chicken or mashed potatoes that is then fried to crispy perfection. We would make yummy cheese enchiladas. And we would make extra cheesy chile rellenos — poblano chiles stuffed with cheese, dipped into a batter and fried then smothered in a red salsa. I loved the simple garnishes used in Mexican cuisine — shredded lettuce and cabbage, grilled onions and hot chili peppers.  

Very often, we would have pozole, a traditional Mexican soup made with hominy and meat or chicken. (Nena referred to hominy as maiz. Hominy undergoes a process of removing the hull which softens the kernels of corn, making them easier to digest and much more nutritious.)

When the kids got older, Mexican food was their absolute favorite, and mine, too. It reminded me so much of the Sephardic food I grew up with. The red rice, the beans, the slowly stewed meat and chicken. The abundance of fresh vegetables and the spicy depths of flavor.

On Shavuot, it became a family custom to have a Mexican dairy meal with enchiladas, rice, beans and salads.

Over the years, whenever I have to entertain a sizable crowd or a birthday party or a graduation celebration, I go with a Mexican fiesta. It’s so easy to decorate with colorful tablecloths along with bouquets of fuchsia, orange and yellow flowers.

I love that the menu makes it easy to feed a big crowd. I have lots of soft tortillas on hand. I make a big pot of shredded chicken with a green enchilada sauce and a big pot of shredded beef in a red enchilada chili sauce. I make lots of refried pinto beans, white rice and a big grilled corn salad. And I serve homemade guacamole, a variety of salsas, corn and flour tortillas and crispy corn chips. Everyone helps themselves and makes their own tacos and everyone always goes back for a refill because you can never get enough of this delicious food.

Margaritas and mojitos, bottles of cerveza (beer) with wedges of lime and pitchers of homemade lemonade make the perfect pairing for this meal.

Sharon and I are very lucky to be part of a close circle of friends. It helps that our husbands and our kids like each other too. Sometimes we won’t see each other for months because everyone is busy and it’s hard to coordinate schedules. When we were long overdue in celebrating a few of our friends birthdays, Sharon and I hosted everyone in my back yard with a special candlelit Mexican dinner party. The food was good, the air was perfect and it was so nice to just laugh and be together.

—Rachel

As a young girl in Sydney, Australia, I was gifted a graphic t-shirt that featured the starry lights of Los Angeles. Printed underneath were the words City of Angels and that’s when I realized that Angeles referred to angels.

When my family moved here, I was very struck by the Spanish and Mexican influences on this city and state. The food. The street names. The architecture. It was a radical shift from the very British colonial style I had grown up with and was used to.

Living here, I began to learn Spanish and I learned to love Mexican food. I loved the crispy taco shells filled with flavorful ground beef, tomato salsa and fresh iceberg lettuce. I loved refried beans and red rice and sweet corn. I loved that every party I ever attended was guaranteed to have crispy tortilla chips and a big bowl of guacamole (with a prominently featured avocado pit in the middle to prevent browning).

As an adult, I find it fascinating that some of the most indispensable ingredients in the kitchen are foods indigenous to Mexico — tomatoes, avocados, sweet potatoes, beans, squash, corn, chili peppers, cacao and vanilla.

How could we live without any single one of those foods? I know that all of them feature in my recipes. Though I will say that I’m especially obsessed with avocado. There is no salad or sandwich or sushi roll that isn’t enhanced by the nutty, earthy, creamy flavor of a just ripe avocado! I always have a stockpile of hard avocados in my refrigerator and one or two (or three or four) avocados ripening in my fruit bowl.

With Cinco de Mayo (and summer) coming up, Rachel and I wanted to inspire you with these wonderfully simple, bright and healthful recipes for pulled beef and a grilled corn salad.

—Sharon

Grilled Corn Salad Recipe

You know spring is in the air when you start to see fresh corn on the cob in the markets. I’m so excited to start making grilled corn salads with herby cilantro and a creamy dressing of mayo, lime and tajin. I’m also fond of making an Israeli salad and tossing in grilled corn and avocado.

– Rachel

6 ears of corn

3 Roma tomatoes, cut in a small dice

3 Persian cucumbers, cut in a small dice

1 Tbsp avocado oil

1 cup mayonnaise

3-4 juicy limes

1 bunch chopped cilantro

1 Tbsp Tajin seasoning

Salt to taste

Remove the husks and silks from the corn. Grill on high heat, turning every 3 to 4 minutes until lightly charred on all sides. Remove from the heat and let stand until cool enough to handle.

Place the corn on a cutting board and cut the kernels from the cob. Place in a large bowl.

Add the tomatoes and cucumbers.

In a food processor or blender, combine mayonnaise, lime juice, half the chopped cilantro and tajin. Taste and adjust the seasonings by adding salt or lime juice, as necessary.

Add the dressing and the rest of the chopped cilantro to the grilled corn and mix until the dressing is fully combined.

Place in a serving bowl and top with an additional sprinkling of Tajin.

Serve with shredded beef and warm tortillas and enjoy!

 Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Mexican Style Shredded Beef 

3lbs boneless chuck roast or brisket

1 large purple onion, sliced 

4 large garlic cloves

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 limes, juiced 

1 28oz can mild red enchilada sauce

1 Tbsp brown sugar, optional 

1 bunch roughly chopped cilantro, divided 

Place onion on the bottom of crock pot, then put the roast on top. Add garlic cloves. 

Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the roast. 

Pour the lime juice over the roast, then add the enchilada sauce and brown sugar. 

Place half the chopped cilantro into the pot.

Cover and cook on low setting for 8 hours. If roast is still tough after 8 hours, simply recover and cook for another 1 to 2 hours, until the meat is fork tender. If using an instant pot, use pressure cook mode and set to 2 hours

Remove the roast from the crockpot and place on a cutting board or baking sheet and shred the beef with two forks. 

Place the shredded beef back in the pot and mix with the broth and onions. 

Add the remaining cilantro. 

Storage:

Allow shredded beef to cool completely and then transfer to an airtight food storage container.  Refrigerate for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. The Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from their collaboration on events for the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. Follow them
on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food. Website sephardicspicegirls.com/full-recipes.