South Philly Review

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During his commencement address at Stanford University a few years ago, the late Steve Jobs told the graduates to “stay hungry, stay foolish.”

Wise words, indeed.

We hunger for knowledge, compassion, love, understanding, sustenance and many other things. “Don’t take yourself too seriously” are words I’ve lived by. Although I do not suffer fools lightly, sometimes it is good to roar with laughter and just be downright silly.

I recently enjoyed a good laugh as soon as I began to read “The Dead Celebrity Cookbook: A Resurrection of Recipes from More Than 145 Stars of Stage and Screen” by Frank DeCaro, a former writer and film critic on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” He collected recipes from stars who have gone to that great stage, TV studio and movie house in the sky.

Since Tuesday was All Saints’ Day followed by the Day of the Dead, a religious rite held in Mexico, Brazil, Spain and other mostly Latin-American countries, I thought it would be a hoot to toss a dead celebrity party using recipes from Latino stars.

The book contains 25 chapters and is organized in a humorous way. “Thank You For Feeding a Friend” is a tribute to “The Golden Girls.”

“Watching the Detectives Cook” salutes everyone from Raymond Burr to Peter Falk. Hollywood hoofers are saluted in “Dance This Mess Around” while the great Lucille Ball has her own chapter “I Lunch Lucy.” Dead sitcom moms features seven recipes including Harriet Nelson’s favorite chicken, Isabel Sanford’s Boston chicken and Donna Reed’s bisque tortoni. Talk show hosts, a gay bash, which includes Truman Capote’s fettuccine, Peter Allen’s baked snapper and Andy Warhol’s stuffed cabbage, considers international fare.

Here are recipes from “A South-of-the Border Buffet.”

“Hispanic stars of early Hollywood were pioneers who opened the doors for generations of Latino actors to follow,” DeCaro wrote. “Yes, some of the roles they played, the ruthless bandito, the fiery sex bomb, were stereotypical. But these trailblazers were as essential to the motion-picture industry of the silent era as their modern day counterparts are to the Hollywood of today’s blockbuster era.”

Dolores del Rio’s Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 pound of fresh tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil or lard
2 small cans of green chilies, finely chopped
Salt, to taste
2 pounds of Queso Oaxaca, shredded
12 tortillas
1 pint of sour cream

Directions:
In a large sauté pan, over medium heat, cook the onions in the oil or lard until they are translucent, for about five minutes. Add the tomatoes and chilies and heat through. Season with the salt and add the cheese, cooking until it begins to melt.

In a separate, lightly greased pan over medium heat, warm the tortillas one-by-one, until soft.

Remove the tortillas from the pan. Put some of the mixture in the middle of each tortilla and roll. Spoon on some sour cream and serve.

Serves six.

Note from Phyllis: I do not know which size can DeCaro is referring to when he says “small” can of chilies. I assume they contain 3 to 4 ounces of chilies. I would use corn tortillas in the enchiladas.
Mexican-born actress Dolores del Rio (1904-1983) was a cousin of Ramon Navarro. She appeared in “Flying Down to Rio” with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and worked with Elvis Presley, director John Ford and Richard Widmark.

Ramon Novarro’s Guacamole