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Home > Sangre Celestial > How hope survives in a single recipe
Podcast: Sangre Celestial
Episode:

How hope survives in a single recipe
Category: Arts
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2025-08-01 19:00:00
Description: At a time when our government is trying to redefine who gets to call themselves an American, it's good to remember that here in the United States, and especially in Los Angeles, we have one of the longest tables in the world when it comes to global variety. So many stories we share on Good Food center the food of people who came to this country from somewhere else. Sisters Linda Svitak (left) and Lee Svitak Dean co-wrote "Kitchens of Hope" along with Christin Jaye Eaton. Lee Svitak Dean and Linda Svitak are sisters in Minnesota who collaborated on Kitchens of Hope: Immigrants Share Stories of Resilience and Recipes from Home . The book, which started as a cookbook and evolved to include personal narratives, gives voice to people who come from widely different circumstances but are all using food as a way to hold onto what was left behind. "Kitchens of Hope" shares the culinary journeys of people who have immigrated to the United States. Courtesy of University of Minnesota Press. "Food has never been more important in creating a peaceful world," Lee says. "We, as the authors, are firm believers that there's no better way to understand anyone, whether friend or foe, than by sharing a meal with them. There's just no substitute for the connections that you make when you're breaking bread with another person. We really hope that the pages of this book open a wider world for readers and one with a better understanding of immigration, and it certainly did for us as the writers." Proceeds from the book are going to The Advocates for Human Rights , an organization that aims to promote and protect human rights worldwide. You can always add more walnuts to this cake if that's how you prefer to decorate it. Photo by Tom Wallace. Walnut Cake Makes 1 (9-inch) layered cake Serves 10 to 12 Ingredients 2 cups chopped walnuts (see Note) 2 eggs, separated 1 cup granulated sugar 11⁄2 cups flour 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk, divided (see Note) 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature, plus more to grease the pan Instructions Preheat the oven to 350°F. Arrange the walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, transfer the walnuts to a plate, and cool completely. Finely chop the walnuts. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan with butter. Beat the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the egg yolks and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour and half (7 ounces) of the sweetened condensed milk, and mix until creamy. Put the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl and stir until the baking soda is dissolved. Stir the vinegar mixture into the cake batter. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake until golden brown and fully cooked on the inside (use a toothpick to check), about 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool to room temperature. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and the remaining sweetened condensed milk, and beat on medium speed until smooth. Cut the cooled cake in half horizontally. Use a spatula to spread half of the frosting on top of the bottom layer. Put one-fourth to one-half of the toasted walnuts on top of the frosting, then place the other half of the cake on top. Use a spatula to spread the remaining frosting on the top of the cake. Scatter the remaining walnuts on top of the frosting. To frost the sides of the cake, prepare additional frosting and use additional walnuts for decoration. Reprinted from Kitchens of Hope: Immigrants Share Stories of Resilience and Recipes from Home by Lee S. Svitak and Christin Jaye Eaton, with Lee Svitak Dean; photography by Tom Wallace. Published by the University of Minnesota Press. Copyright 2025 by Linda S. Svitak, Christin Jaye Eaton, and Lee Svitak Dean. Photographs copyright 2025 by Tom Wallace. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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