What to make for Cinco de Mayo?

[Dakki]

A couple of points:

May 5, while not the most important national celebration (that would probably be September 16, followed by November 20) is a major holiday in Mexico, moreso in in the area surrounding Puebla, as noted.

The battle itself (May 5 1862) was a tactical victory for the Mexican side, marked by the brilliance of defending General Ignacio Zaragoza, who led a largely untrained, unequipped force against a professional army who outnumbered his troops 2:1. The conduct of the French attack was marred by several mistakes, including frontal attacks against entrenched positions, inadequacy of supporting artillery and perhaps most importantly, the assumption that the people of Puebla were friendly towards the French and would greet them as liberators, to borrow a phrase.

Strategically the battle was far less significant. Reinforcements were received by the French, the support of the Conservative faction in Mexico was negotiated and Puebla was taken on May 17 of 1863, followed by Mexico City on June 7. This paved the way for the establishment of the Second Mexican Empire, a virtual French puppet state, although with strong support from the Conservative faction. The legitimate government, meanwhile, withdrew to the north of the country, where they held on until support in the form of arms and money began to flow from the United States, which had just finished fighting its own Civil War. The French forces withdrew in 1866 and Maximilian held on, supported by Conservative die-hards, until he was finally captured on May 15 1867, court-martialed and shot on June 19 of the same year.

Anyway!

I'm making turkey in mole poblano (literally, in the style of Puebla). Call it the obvious choice.

[kalypso]

Dakki, I'm with you...I'm making Mole Poblano, but I'm waiting till Saturday because I won't have the time tomorrow.

[Goatjunky]

1000 Mexican Recipes by Marge Poore is a fantastic book. Never let me down

Edited May 4, 2011 by Goatjunky (log)

[Darienne]

Time for Cinco de Mayo 2012. Not to mention the one year anniversary of splitting the back of my head open and being in ER most of the night.

We are having Cream of Poblano Soup recipe, Capirotada - haven't settled on a recipe as of this morning and am looking at about 6 , and yesterday made some Salami de Chocolate recipe which Ed likes and I think is so-so only (which may be my doing???). Not exciting...but then we don't eat much for supper.

And oh, I have three homemade frozen yogurts in the freezer, including Margarita. I'll eat anything with lime and Tequila in it.

Who else is celebrating just cuz?

[Doodad]

Daughter is coming over and we are all making sous vide conchinita. I have the orange and spices frozen to put in the bag and the daughter started the pickled peppers and onions last night. Popping it in the bath this evening.

[Darienne]

Daughter is coming over and we are all making sous vide conchinita. I have the orange and spices frozen to put in the bag and the daughter started the pickled peppers and onions last night. Popping it in the bath this evening.

Puerco pibil. My favorite. I've never had anything sous vide and I'm afraid it's still a bit beyond my comfort level.

Comer bien.

[dcarch]

Although these were made on 05/05. Since I never tried to be authentic, I can’t really call this a Cinco De Mayo dinner.

Nopales – Fun and interesting taste, with Tilapia and gulf shrimps.

Sea Scallops ceviche – You can’t make bad ceviche if you start with super fresh quality scallops.

Chicharron – Pork skin cracklings. Actually a very healthy snack. No fat, and baked only, not deep fried.

Cherimoya – heavenly tropical fruit, which tastes like bananas +strawberries + pineapples

dcarch

[Darienne]

Wonderful photos as usual. I haven't seen a Cherimoya in our area for over 5 years now. Perhaps they come in and I've just missed them. No Latino population where we live.

Please kind sir, walk me through how you make your Chicharrones. I just put a mess of pork skins and fat in the freezer cause I couldn't deal with trying to figure out what to do next and pick which recipe to use. Thanks.

[dcarch]

Thanks Darienne.

Chicharrones making:

1. Get pork skin and trim off as much fat as possible.

2. Marinate in flavor of your preference overnight.

3. Cook in boiling water fro many hours until skin is very soft.

4. Scrape off any fat you find, and cut into small pieces.

5. Use a dehydrator to completely dry out the skin. Must be absolutely dry.

6. Pre-heat oven to 400 F.

7. Bake and keep watching while skin is being baked. It only takes a few minutes.

dcarch

[Darienne]

Thanks, dcarch. I'll save your method.

[EatNopales]

Bump.... had a very small family gathering this year and continued the tradition of cooking dishes specifically from the Zacapoaxtla region of Puebla.

To nosh... Roasted Dry Chickpeas & Favabeans tossed with Arbol Chile powder, salt & Key Lime; as well as Maize Tostado (basically artisinal / traditional Corn Nuts)

Libation... Maracuya (Passion Fruit) Agua Fresca & Maracuya-Rum Ponche (that part of the country doesn't do much Tequila, Mezcal or Beer... instead they go with Aguardiente, Anise & Herbal moonshines as well as a wide range of tropical fruit punches)

Rounds of Camote (Roasted Sweet Potato) topped with Esquites in the Zacapoaxtla style (sweated Corn Kernels & Epazote with slightly wilted tender Verdolaga / Purslane then seasoned with Key Lime Juice & Crema) to make a little salad that is mounted on the Sweet Potato rounds... the whole thing then sprinkled with Cotija & Chile Powder

Trajineras (Roasted Nopales trimmed into bite size, canoe shaped vessels... topped with Guacamole then tied with spring onion greens)

Tamales Zacapoaxtla (Minced Chicken, Roasted Poblano, Onions, Dried Fig & Almond sauteed in Tomato-Almond-Dried Fig Sauce)... unlike typical tamales North of the Border... these have lots of texture & color.

Lomo en Frio (Pork Loin marinated with Key Lime, Marjoram, Mex Oregano & Allspice... roasted then served thinly sliced at room temperature with a drizzle of Peanut-Arbol salsa)

Zacapoaxtla style Fruit Salad (Mixture of Tropical & Stone Fruit are the distinguishing features of fruit mixes in that area)

For dessert we ordered a custom made Tres Leches Cake from Lola's (local Mex market chain)... really, really good... Chocolate Cake, Strawberry filling, Whipped Cream frosting with lots of artificial colors in the design )

[Darienne]

Sounds wonderful. I had to look up a lot of the words. And disappointed with no photos, particularly for the Trajineras. How do you tie something with spring onions...or are the onions very long with tensile strength?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Darienne, spring onions are a type of young green onions (incidentally, down here we'd call them cebolla blanca) - you use the leaf/scape part, cut into narrowish ribbons. They're a traditional tamal tie in Ecuador, when the tamales are savoury. The leaves are remarkably fibrous, but very soft when young and quite excellent for this sort of thing.

[EatNopales]

Sounds wonderful. I had to look up a lot of the words. And disappointed with no photos, particularly for the Trajineras. How do you tie something with spring onions...or are the onions very long with tensile strength?

Hi Darienne... the Mexican onions have extra long green tops.. and then you blanch them briefly to get them pliable & resistant.

Buen provecho!