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Mexican Holiday Getting Ready For Cinco de Mayo

Posted on Apr 15, 2010 under Mexican Recipes | No Comment

Recipes for Cinco De Mayo by Chelsie Kenyon

Cinco de Mayo is a wonderful festive Mexican holiday.

Whether you’re planning a huge party or a family barbecue for Cinco de Mayo, here are a few recipes that range from traditional Puebla cuisine to quick-and-easy ideas. Which ever recipes you choose they will add flavor and fun to your menu.

Cinco de Mayo is a fun celebration full of brightly colored decorations, dancing, mariachi music and even parades. Here are some ideas for your party menu to make your Cinco de Mayo fiesta delicious and memorable!

Authentic Puebla

Cinco de Mayo is most celebrated in Puebla, where the famed Battle of Puebla took place on May 5, 1862. Here are some traditional recipes of Puebla that you can serve to make your Cinco de Mayo event a special Mexican holiday

Traditional Molé

The story behind this sauce tells of two nuns surprised by a visitor. They had little in the way of food and so they used a molcajete to grind every ingredient they could find and simmered it in liquid until it thickened into a sauce.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients:

12 guajillo chiles, roasted, skinned, stemmed and seeded
3 tomatoes, roasted and peeled
1/4 cup lard
1 onion, peeled and sliced
8 garlic cloves
1 stick of cinnamon torn into small pieces
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
1/4 cup unsalted peanuts or unsweetened peanut butter
1 clove
1/4 cup masa
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon anise seeds
1/4 cup raisins, soaked in water to soften (optional)
3 peppercorns
4 cups chicken broth

Preparation:

Note: The traditional way is to mash all of the ingredients except the broth, with a molcajete (mortar and pestle) but a blender will also do the job just fine.Heat the lard in a large saucepan. Add in the onions and garlic and cook until translucent. In a blender, puree the peanuts then add in the oregano, cinnamon, anise, peppercorns, thyme and cloves and blend with the tomatoes. Puree to make a smooth paste. Add in the onions and garlic and puree again. Finally, add chiles to blender to puree into a smooth paste.

Add the chicken broth to the pot and add the pureed ingredients. Make a roux, by mixing the masa with a 1/4 cup of the chicken broth. Mix the roux into the broth and whisk until mixture is smooth. Add the pureed ingredients and simmer for 1 hour, covered and then simmer uncovered until sauce has thickened.

Camote

Sweet potatoes are native to the tropical areas of Mexico and parts of America. They were a large part of the Mayan diet and are now widley used in Mexican Cuisine, especially in the state of Puebla. Try this delicious baked sweet potato dish as your next side dish. *Note- Sweet Potatoes are different than yams. Yams have an orange flesh and a thin, somewhat waxy skin.

Ingredients:

4 large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup butter
1-2 dashes cinnamon (optional)

Preparation:

Peel sweet potatoes and cut them into approx. 1 inch cubes. Place them in a buttered oven-safe dish, cover and bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees. Then remove and top with the remaining butter, honey and cinnamon. Bake uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy these authentic Mexican recipes.