Fiesta Foods for Cinco de Mayo
by Jennifer Anderson, Managing Editor of Allrecipes.com
Every year on May 5th (el Cinco de Mayo), Mexico commemorates its miraculous victory at
the Battle of Puebla in 1862. This triumph created a new sense of national pride, and
on Cinco de Mayo.
we celebrate the proud heritage of the Mexican people with parties, parades, dancing and
feasting. With so many people of Mexican descent living in the United States, Cinco de
Mayo has become as important an occasion in the US as in Mexico! No matter what your
ancestry, though, this holiday is a great occasion to gather with friends and explore
the flavors of Mexico! The weather's getting warmer and the days are getting longer.
What better occasion than Cinco de Mayo to pull the barbeque out of storage, string up
some lanterns, and throw a backyard fiesta! We've got pointers for some favorite Mexican
and Mexican-American foods to make your fiesta a screaming success.
Salsa
Go all-out for your Cinco de Mayo fiesta and make your own salsa. It's not difficult to
do, and once you taste homemade salsa, you may never want store-bought again! Your basic
fresh salsa has tomatoes, chiles, onions, garlic, cilantro, lime juice or vinegar, and
salt. You can save time by chopping the tomatoes in the food processor. Core them and
cut them into quarters, and then pulse them in the food processor just until they've
reached the consistency you want for the base of your salsa.
- Use Roma tomatoes for a drier, chunkier salsa and round tomatoes for a juicier salsa.
- Use white onions; they taste better than yellow ones for eating raw.
- Try some variations: replace the tomatoes with diced mangoes, cucumbers or tomatillos.
- Try adding fresh, raw corn or a can of drained and rinsed black beans to your salsa.
- Adjust the heat in your salsa by switching the kind of peppers you use. Anaheims
are mild; poblanos are a bit hotter, jalapenos a bit hotter still; serranos are even
hotter, and habaneros will set your mouth on fire!
Margaritas
Give that syrupy-sweet bottled margarita mix a rest and make your margaritas from
scratch. There is no single definitive recipe for the perfect margarita, but most
connoisseurs agree that there are three main components that belong in every frosty
salt-rimmed glass: tequila, orange liqueur and lime juice. First, the tequila: choose
a moderately-priced bottle. There's no need to buy premium brands; the superior flavor
will be covered up by other ingredients. Next comes the orange liqueur. There are
several different kinds you can use, from the more straightforward sweetness of
triple sec or curacao to the rich complexity of Cointreau or Grand Marnier. The
orange liqueur is what gives a margarita its sweetness. Then, of course, there's the
lime juice. At least once, you should try squeezing your own limes and taste the
difference! To save some time and mess at your fiesta, mix up your tequila, orange
liqueur and lime juice in a big pitcher beforehand. When you're ready to make a batch
of margaritas, just pour some of your magical mix over ice and blend or shake!
Fajitas
Just like thousands of people who will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo, fajitas have a
mixed Mexican-American heritage. They were first made by Mexican and Texan cowboys,
who developed this signature method for grilling the rations of skirt steak they
received for the trail, although nowadays it's just as common to make fajitas with
chicken, seafood or even tofu. There are two factors that give fajitas their
distinctive flavor: the marinade and the cooking method. Fajita marinade always
contains lime juice and garlic, and often onion, cilantro, oregano cumin, chiles
and sometimes tequila. When it comes to cooking fajita meat, there's just no
substitute for grilling. If you are using skirt steak, pound it thin, cook it no more
than medium-rare and slice it across the grain for maximum tenderness. And don't
forget -- no fajita feast is complete without sauteed onions and green peppers, pico
de gallo, shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream and a big pile of soft, warm flour
tortillas.
Flan
This traditional Mexican dessert of creamy custard crowned with rich, toasty caramel
looks complicated but is really very easy to make. Many recipes call for individual
custard cups, but if you don't have any you can just as easily use a pie pan and slice
the flan into wedges for serving. Customize your flan recipe by replacing 1/4 cup of
the milk with rum or your favorite liqueur, or try mixing in orange zest or shredded
coconut. To provide gentle, even heat, flan recipes will ask you to bake the custard
in a water bath -- a roasting pan full of water, in which you set the flan dishes.
Bring the water to a boil before you pour it into the pan or it will take a very long
time for the oven to heat it up. When it's done, the flan will be firm around the edges,
but it will still be wobbly in the middle; the texture will even out as it cools.
