Hopefully, your Cinco De Mayo will be warm, if not, this food might warm you up. In case you're fuzzy on what Cinco De Mayo is:
Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more enthusiastically by Mexican descendants in the United States than in its native Mexico. The day celebrates the victory of the Mexican Army versus the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Often it is mistakenly called Mexican
Independence Day. Mexico had actually declared its independence on September 16, 1810, fifty years earlier.
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HORCHATA (For Kids)
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1 quart warm water
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
Whole cinnamon sticks, optional, for serving
Directions
In a blender, combine the rice and warm water. Blend for 1 to 2 minutes until the rice breaks up but does not form a powder. Let the rice mixture stand in the refrigerator for 6 hours or up to overnight.
Strain the rice mixture into a container through a fine-mesh sieve or several layers of cheesecloth to remove the rice solids.
Pour the rice water into a blender and add the milk, vanilla and almond extracts, cinnamon, and sugar. Blend for 1 minute until well combined and smooth. Serve the horchata over ice with cinnamon sticks as stirrers.
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TEQUILA REFRESCA (For Adults)
Ice cubes
1 ounce tequila, white or gold
Dash Campari
6 ounces grapefruit soda,(recommended: Fresca)
Small wedge fresh pineapple, grapefruit, and lime
Directions
Fill a goblet or rocks glass with ice cubes. Add the tequila and a dash of Campari to give the drink a slight blush and balance the sweetness of the soda. Top off with the grapefruit soda. Skewer the fruit and stir into the cocktail. Drink.
Serve with a plate of wedged pineapple, a small bowl of your favorite chili powder, and coarse salt, for dipping.
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MEXICAN ALBONDIGAS SOUP
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons cooking oil
4 cups water
2 (10-1/2-ounce) cans condensed beef broth
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (2 cups)
2 medium carrots, sliced (1 cup)
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup snipped cilantro or parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup long grain rice
Preparation:
In large saucepan cook onion and garlic in hot oil till onion is tender but not brown. Stir in water, broth, and tomato paste. Bring to boiling; add potatoes and carrots. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile combine egg, cilantro or parsley, salt, oregano, and pepper. Add ground beef and uncooked rice. Mix well. Form mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
Add meatballs, a few at a time, to the simmering soup. Return soup to boiling; reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes or till meatballs and vegetables are done.
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TINGA POBLANA DE POLLO
Serves: 6 to 8
8 chicken thighs
lb. good quality chorizo
6 red potatoes, diced
4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
8 ripe, whole Roma tomatoes
4 chipotle chiles
1 white onion, sliced thin
1 tsp cumin 1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs Mexican oregano (not Greek)
1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced
1 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or feta cheese
Over a medium heat, bring the chicken, salt, pepper and garlic powder, with water to cover, to a simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the chicken to cool in the water, until you are able to handle it. Remove the skin and coarsely shred the meat. Set aside.
Over a high heat, in a sauté pan, char and blister tomatoes on all sides. Do not use oil. Remove from heat and add the chicken stock and chipotles. Cool. Pour into a blender, puree until smooth. Set aside.
Put the chorizo and onions in a stockpot, cook over medium heat. When the chorizo releases some of its oil, add the diced potatoes. Reduce heat to low. Cook until the potatoes have browned and slightly tender. Add cumin, oregano, pepper, shredded chicken and the pureed tomato mixture. Simmer 10 minutes. Add salt to taste. Serve in deep bowls, top with avocado and cheese, with a side of corn tortillas and Mexican beer.
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MOLE POBLANO
Serves: 12
1 chicken or turkey
11 ancho chiles
6 mulatto chiles
3 chiles chipotles adobados
3tablespoons chili seeds
5 pasilla chiles
4 oz almonds
4oz peanuts
8oz. sesame seeds
2oz pumpkin seeds
1 bar dark chocolate
6 allspice
6 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
A pinch aniseed
4 tomatoes
10 green tomatillos
3 cloves garlic 1 medium onion
3 tortillas
1 stale white bread roll
1/2 lb.lard
2 Tbs vinegar
Clean and boil the chicken or turkey. Cut into pieces, and fry them in the lard. Puree the tomatoes and the chipotle chiles, adding them to the chicken. Cooked through, then add one quart of chicken broth.
For the Mole sauce, toast the sesame seeds. Fry the bread, set aside.
Next fry the tortillas.
Fry the chili together with the almonds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, aniseed, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice. Grind together adding a little water. Throw in the toasted and peeled tomatillos, onion and garlic. Continue to blend, returning to heat and slowly mix in one quart of stock. To prevent sticking, stir continually, thicken over a low heat.
Add the mole sauce to the poultry and tomato purse. Stir well. Grind chocolate to a powder and then sprinkle over the sauce. Blend thoroughly, then bring to a boil and thicken. Remove from heat; add vinegar and one tablespoon of hot lard.
Serve one piece of chicken on each plate with a helping of mole. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over top.
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FLAN
8 eggs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cups white sugar
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Prepare a 9 inch round cake pan.
In a blender, combine eggs, condensed milk and vanilla and blend until smooth. In medium sauce pan, cook the sugar, stirring constantly, until it liquefies. Remove from heat when it begins to turn a light brown, pour into the waiting pan. Pour the egg mix over the liquefied sugar.
Next you need to line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place the baking dish on the towel. Then place the roasting pan on oven rack. Fill the roasting pan with water halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
Bake for 70 minutes in the preheated oven, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove pan from water and allow cooling completely (1 hour). Run a knife along the edge of the pan, place a serving plate on top, and invert.