A Cinco de Mayo Feast - The Magical Melting Pot on Yahoo! Food

A Cinco de Mayo Feast - The Magical Melting Pot on Yahoo! Food: "A Cinco de Mayo Feast"

Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday that dates back to the 1860's in the town of Puebla, Mexico, when the townspeople defeated a French army, despite being significantly outnumbered. It has come to symbolize determination and the ability to prevail against difficult odds. The holiday has been embraced by Mexican Americans who celebrate in their cities with parades, music, dancing, and of course, traditional foods.
In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we've prepared a Mexican feast that can be made relatively quickly. For appetizers we have a delicious guacamole, chunks of chorizo hard sausage, and queso blanco (Mexican white cheese, somewhat similar to Monterey Jack). For the main course we have beef fajitas with flour tortillas and Mexican red rice. You can easily substitute shrimp or chicken for the beef, or if you're having a large crowd, you can make them all. I like to use a wok to make my fajitas, because it enables the meat and vegetables to brown nicely, rather than steam. For dessert we have polvorones de nuez (melt in your mouth nut cookies that are popular at Mexican celebrations, and are one of my very favorite cookies), and Mexican hot chocolate, spiced with cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, and a touch of cayenne. Enjoy!
Guacamole(for 8 people as an appetizer)
4 ripe Hass avocados1/2 cup finely diced sweet onion1 medium tomato, seeds removed and finely chopped Juice of 2 limes1 1/2 teaspoons salt4 tablespoons chopped cilantro (fresh coriander)1 serrano chile, seeds removed and finely chopped (optional)
1. Squeeze the lime juice into a little bowl.
2. Mash the avocados with a fork and place in a medium size bowl.
3. Add the lime juice, salt, chopped tomato, cilantro, and if you like a little heat, the chopped serrano chile.
4. Taste for salt and spice level. If you like, add more salt or serrano chile.
4. Serve in a bowl with tortilla chips on the side for dunking.
Fajitas(serves 6)
Beef (chicken or shrimp) and marinade1 1/2 lbs. beef round or skirt steak, cut in strips for stir fry (or chicken breast, cut in strips, or medium shrimp that have been peeled and deveined)Juice of 1 1/2 limes1 teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon chili powder1 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 cloves finely minced garlic1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons olive oil for stir-fry
1/3 cup chopped cilantro (fresh coriander)
Vegetables and marinade 1 red bell pepper, cut in quarters, then cut in strips1 large onion, cut in half, then cut in slices1 tomato, seeds removed, then cut in strips 1 teaspoon of saltJuice of 1/2 lime1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon chili powder1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil for stir-fry
1. Combine the beef (chicken or shrimp) and their marinade ingredients. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. When ready to prepare, combine the vegetables and their marinade. Toss to coat well.
3. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large wok. When hot, add the vegetables and cook over medium high heat until lightly browned, but still a little crunchy.
4. Place sautéed vegetables in a bowl.
5. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil for the beef (chicken or fish) in the same wok. When hot, add the beef and stir-fry over high heat until cooked through. Reduce heat to medium, add the vegetables and chopped fresh cilantro to the wok, and toss to distribute evenly. Cook another two minutes.
6. Serve with flour tortillas.
Mexican Rice(serves 6)
2 cups long grain white rice3 tablespoons vegetable oil3 cloves finely chopped garlic3/4 cup finely chopped onion1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper1 28-ounce can diced tomatoesApproximately 3 cups chicken broth 1 teaspoon ground cumin 2 teaspoons salt
1. Heat the vegetable oil in a wide pot.
2. When hot, add the chopped garlic, onion, and green pepper. Cook over medium heat, until the onion turns translucent, but not brown.
3. Add the rice and stir to coat. Cook approximately 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add the diced tomatoes. (Reserve the liquid.)
5. Measure the remaining tomato liquid from the can and add enough chicken broth to equal 4 cups total.
6. Add the liquid, salt, and ground cumin to the pot. Stir and cover. Simmer over medium low heat approximately 20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.
Mexican Nut Cookies(makes about 3 dozen cookies)
1 cup butter, softened1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for "dusting"1 teaspoon vanilla extract2 cups flour1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter. Then in order, add the salt, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, vanilla, flour, and chopped nuts.
3. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
4. The most common shape is a 1-inch size ball, however, crescents and ring shapes are also popular. Form the dough into the shape you prefer and place on the baking sheet.
5. Bake approximately 15 minutes for the ball, and slightly less for the crescents and rings. The cookies should be a light golden brown when done. Leave on the cookie sheets until cool, but still slightly warm. If you proceed to the dusting stage while the cookies are hot, they may crumble and fall apart. If you wait until they're cold, the powdered sugar won't adhere as well.
6. To dust with powdered sugar, place about 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a pie plate. Place several cookies on the plate and sprinkle powdered sugar over them using a sieve or strainer. Store in an airtight tin.
Mexican Hot Chocolate(4 6-ounce servings, or 3 8-ounce servings)
3 cups milk(If available) 3 tablets of Mexican chocolate such as Ibarra, Abuelita, or Moctezuma brands, often found in the hispanic foods section of your grocery store
If not available you can make your own chocolate blend using:3 1-ounce squares of semi-sweet baking chocolate2 cinnamon sticks6 whole cloves1 teaspoon vanilla extractA "pinch" of cayenne pepper (if you like spice)
1. In a double boiler, heat the milk and chocolate tablets, or if you're making your own, the semi-sweet chocolate, cinnamon sticks, cloves, vanilla, and optional cayenne. If adding the cayenne, use just a pinch, because a little can create a lot of heat!
2. Stir until the chocolate is melted and uniformly incorporated. If making your own chocolate, strain the liquid to remove the cloves and cinnamon sticks.


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