RECIPES FOR CINCO DE MAYO
Or just have Beer, chips and salsa
Mexican Frittata
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound dried Chorizo, cut into ½-inch slices, sautéed and drained
6 tablespoons olive oil
6 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 Roasted Green Bell Peppers, seeded and diced
2 cans Artichoke Hearts, drained and dried with paper towels, sliced lengthwise
one 28-ounce can peeled, seeded and Diced Tomatoes, drained for 1 hour
Salt to taste
2 cans mild green chilies, drained and diced
2 to 4 Jalapeños, seeded and chopped
18 Eggs, graded large
¼ cup Whole Milk
freshly ground Black pepper
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or aged Mexican cheese
1 cup chiffonade of fresh Basil leaves
½ cup chopped fresh Cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon dried Mexican Oregano
4 to 6 ounces butter, divided
DIRECTIONS:
1. Sauté the chorizo slices in a large sauté pan and place onto paper towels to drain. Reserve.
2. Add as much oil as necessary to the same pan and sweat the onions in the oil until just browning. Prepare the tomatoes, artichokes, roasted peppers, chilies and jalapeños. Add to the onions with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has cooked out. Remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon and allow to cool. Add the cooked and drained chorizo to this mixture. *May be made to this point up to several hours ahead or the day before and kept refrigerated.
3. Beat the eggs until well mixed but not frothy and add the milk. Add the vegetables, cheese, a good quantity of pepper and salt to taste. Add the basil, cilantro and oregano, and stir everything together.
4. Melt the butter in two 12-inch non-stick frying pans until just foaming. Pour half the egg mixture into each pan, lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes, or until the eggs are set but the top is still a bit runny.
5. Place the pans under a broiler for 30 seconds to 1 minute for the tops to brown. Loosen the frittata with a rubber spatula and slide each onto a decorative platter. Cool to room temperature.
PRESENTATION SUGGESTIONS:
Cut into wedges when cooled to room temperature. Serve with the wedges stacked on a large serving platter surrounded with lots of fresh herbs and perhaps some marinated artichoke hearts cut into quarters.
SERVES: 12
Mexican Style Pasta Salad
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound imported Italian Farfalle
1 tablespoon coarse Black Pepper
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons Kosher Salt
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup sliced, pitted, Black Olives
1 cup sliced, pitted, Green Olives
½ cup grated Carrots *
½ cup grated Zucchini *
½ cup grated Yellow Squash *
1 cup canned Red Kidney Beans, rinsed well
1 cup canned Garbanzos (Chick Peas), drained and rinsed well
2 Roasted Red Peppers, cubed
1 Roasted Yellow Pepper, cubed
2 Roasted Banana Peppers, cubed
1 can Baby Corn, sliced
1 cup sliced Pickled Okra
1 cup sliced Pickled Nopalitos, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces Jalapeño Jack Cheese, cut into ¼ inch dice
1 cup fresh Cilantro, washed, dried and chopped
2 cups toasted Pepitos (Pumpkin Seeds)
DRESSING
¾ jar Peppercorn Ranch Salad Dressing
½ packet Taco Seasoning Mix
2 tablespoons Capers, chopped coarse if large
1 teaspoon ground Cumin
2 teaspoons Chili Powder
Kosher Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Most of the above ingredients can be purchased at supermarket salad bars to eliminate much of the prep time.
DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook farfalle in boiling salted water with black pepper, garlic and annato seeds until al dente. Drain well and place into very large non-reactive mixing bowl. Add the olive oil to the hot, drained pasta and stir well with a wooden spoon or mix well with your hands, being careful not to break the pasta.
2. Prepare all other ingredients, placing them into a large non-reactive bowl. When they are all prepared, transfer them into the pasta and mix well with your hands.
3. Prepare the dressing, tasting for seasoning. The dressing should taste over-seasoned since it will be "diluted" by the large amount of pasta. Pour over the pasta salad and mix well with a wooden spoon, being careful not to break the pasta.
SERVES: 16
Cilantro Pork Tenderloins
INGREDIENTS:
½ large bunch Cilantro, washed and dried, including the stems
6 large Garlic cloves, crushed and minced
2 Shallots, chopped
1 Jalapeño pepper, minced fine (optional)
½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for marinating only)
1 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper or to taste
2 Pork Tenderloins, left whole
Salt to taste
GARNISH:
Fresh Cilantro Sprigs
DIRECTIONS:
1. Prepare the marinade with the first 5 ingredients.
2. Wipe the tenderloins with a damp paper towel and dry. Place them into a gallon size plastic bag with a zipper closure and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag, forcing most of the air out of it, and roll it around in your hands to make sure all the marinade is evenly distributed over the pork. Place the bag into the fridge and let sit overnight. If you remember, roll it around again several hours later, but it's not that important.
3. Remove the pork from the fridge about 1 hour before cooking.
4. Preheat your grill or grill pan or sauté pan and remove the meat from the marinade, wiping off any excess oil. Just as you're ready to place the pork onto the grill or grill pan or sauté pan, sprinkle the meat with salt and additional pepper on all sides.
5. Grill over medium-high heat, turning several times, until the meat is nicely browned on all sides and registers an internal temperature of 150° F. on an instant-read thermometer. 6. Remove to a platter and let sit for about 10 minutes for the meat juices to redistribute.
7. Slice on the diagonal and serve.
PRESENTATION SUGGESTIONS:
Serve with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes (recipe below) or your favorite Mashed Potatoes and some grilled or steamed Asparagus.
SERVES: 4
Kaylyn's Jalapeño Popper Dip Recipe
INGREDIENTS
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (we just leave the packages out until they're room temp)
• 1 cup mayonnaise (works better if it's at room temp, so start with a new jar)
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
• 2 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
1. Stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chilies and jalapeno peppers. Pour mixture into a microwave safe serving dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Microwave on High until hot, about 3 minutes. (we added even more Parmesan and browned it in the oven to give it a bit of a crust, but that's optional)
Spicy Pepper Vodka Martini
12 ounces Pepper Vodka, recipe follows
1 1/2 ounces dry vermouth
Crushed ice
1 fresh jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced, or pickled jalapeno pepper slices
In a cocktail shaker, combine the vodka, vermouth, and crushed ice. Shake well, then strain into 4 chilled, tall martini glasses. Garnish with thin jalapeno slices, as desired, and serve.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 1 week
Pepper Vodka:
1 (750-ml) bottle best quality vodka
1 fresh red jalapeno or red Fresno pepper, slit in 1/2 lengthwise, stem left intact
1 fresh green jalapeno pepper, slit in 1/2 lengthwise, stem left intact
1 fresh Serrano or green cayenne pepper, slit in 1/2 lengthwise, stem left intact
2 cloves garlic, peeled
Pour out enough vodka from the bottle in order to make room for the peppers and reserve for another use. Carefully add the peppers and garlic to the vodka, pouring out more liquid if need be. Cap and let stand at room temperature until the vodka acquires the desired heat, about 1 week.
Serve, or remove the peppers and keep in the freezer.
Yield: about 3 1/4 cups
Guava-jalapeno Margarita
3 jalapeno chiles
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons tequila
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons lime juice (from about 5 limes), plus extra wedges for rims, optional
1/4 cup orange liqueur (recommended: Cointreau or Grand Marnier)
3 tablespoons guava juice
Coarse salt or margarita salt
Put 2 jalapenos into a small bowl and top with 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons tequila. Cover and refrigerate for a day. Pour the spicy tequila into a pitcher and add 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chilled lime juice, the orange liqueur, and the guava juice, and refrigerate again until chilled. Put salt into a small plate and use lime wedge to moisten the rims of margarita glasses. Halve, remove the seeds and thinly slice the third jalapeno. Garnish each glass with 1 slice. Pour the chilled margarita mixture into the glasses. Serve.
Cinco de Mayo Drink Recipe
Ingredients
2 oz Tequila
1 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Grenadine
Cinco de Mayo Directions
Shake well with lots of ice. Strain into glass. Garnish with fresh lime wedge if desired.
Peach Tequila Drink Recipe
Ingredients
1 1/2 oz Tequila
4 oz Peach Juice
4 oz Pineapple Juice
Peach Tequila Directions
Pour ingredients into an ice-filled collins glass. Add lime juice, stir and drop lime slice into drink.
Peach Margarita Drink Recipe
Ingredients
1 oz Tequila
1 oz Peach Schnapps
1 dash Grenadine
1 oz Sweet and Sour Mix
Peach Margarita Directions
Pour tequila, peach schnapps, and sweet and sour over ice in a margarita glass. Add grenadine, stir slightly, and serve.
Fisting in a Mexican Prison Drink Recipe
Ingredients
1 oz Tequila
1 splash (fresh) Lime Juice
2 oz Cranberry Juice
Fisting in a Mexican Prison Directions
Shake the tequila, cranberry juice and the lime juice in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes. Strain into a salt-rimmed cocktail glass with a lime wedge, and serve.
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