Cinco Celebration

Coming together over cilantro and limes

The Cinco Sour is a cross between a Margarita and a Paloma.

Our travel back from Wyoming was swift this time. We flew, instead of driving and coming back to sea level gradually. We drove up to Jackson in snow on Wednesday morning and that night we were breathing the sweet fragrance of white lilacs by our back door in State College, PA.

Our vivacious pod of friends had lots of weekend plans. The Kentucky Derby was on Saturday and Cinco de Mayo on Sunday, so party party. And it is morel season here, so John crawled around the woods for most of Friday and came home with a trayful. So many things to savor in the rich Mid-Atlantic.

Cinco de Mayo is an opportunity to celebrate Mexican heritage much like St.Patrick’s Day provides an occasion to toast all things Irish. The May 5, 1862 victory of Mexico over France in Puebla is a dim memory, even in Mexico, but beer distributors embraced the holiday in the 1980s to sell product and it has. Cinco de Mayo rivals the Superbowl in beer sales.

But my spirit of choice for the holiday is tequila, specially made into a craft cocktail with lots of sour notes to complement rich guacamole and salty chips. It’s a match made in heaven.

With our four food-centric couples, the Cinco de Mayo dinner party proved Oscar Wilde’s words true—“Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.”

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas and a version of Carne Asada graced the Cinco de Mayo dinner table in Shingletown.

Hosts Nina Morgan and Sam Hargrave provided a bright venue and a Creamy Green Chicken Enchilada dish as well as Jalapeno Cornbread and Guacamole. Joann and Bob Dornich brought Hakurei turnips and carrots with a tasty dip and a Cucumber Salad with cilantro. Kim Tait and Bob Anderson arrived with a marinated flank steak ready to grill and served it with a Rice and Kidney Bean Risotto that they topped with grilled scallions and lots of lime and cilantro. The Dornich’s fresh pineapple with berries and lemon bars made for a sweet finish.

Shrimp, salads and cornbread provide flavor contrast.

The Corr’s contributions included two recipes from a young Mexican woman I used to work with in Longmont, CO at the Kitchen Store. Chef Ximena Castro went to culinary school in Mexico City and taught classes at the store until the pandemic hit and the store closed. She now lives in Texas with her husband Gerardo and two small children and I’m sure she is still cooking up a storm. Ximena’s recipe is posted on the Longmont, CO Foodie Friends website by Denise Milligan and is used with permission.

Her Pork Refried Bean Recipe was a hit, especially with Bob Dornich, since it was the one dish that didn’t have cilantro besides the Cornbread. Her Salsa Roja, with roasted Roma tomatoes, was delicious and bright with cilantro. I made a shrimp recipe based on one from Rick Bayless’s book Authentic Mexican that had 10 cloves of garlic —and some cilantro—also a Napa Cabbage Slaw with—yes—cilantro!

Chef Ximena Castro’s Frijoles Puercos with a crusty cheese topping.

Frijoles Puercos – Refried Beans with Pork

(1)

1 pound/2 ½ cups dried pinto beans, cooked  (see link below)

half an onion, diced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

OR substitute canned pinto beans (see Tips)

1-2 Chipotles in Adobo, with sauce

6 slices bacon, cut into one-inch pieces

1 pound Chorizo, removed from casings, if needed, and break into small pieces

(2)

1 large onion, diced

2 slices garlic, peeled

Vegetable oil (small amount) as needed

Salt to taste

10 ounces Chihuahua Asadero, or Oaxaca cheese (sub mozzarella if necessary). Shred.

(3)

Prepared Tostadas (store-bought)

Sliced avocado

Shredded lettuce

Diced tomato

Minced cilantro

Salsa—red or green or both

Onion—sliced

Jalapeno

Crema

OR—Serve as a dip with tortilla chips and salsa

Steps

1. Prep all ingredients

2. Cook (1).  Drain, reserve liquid.  https://www.allrecipes.com/article/how-to-cookpinto-beans/  OR -- See Tips below.

3. In a blender or food processor, blend cooled beans with chipotles and part of the reserved bean liquid til smooth and creamy

4. Sauté bacon in a large, deep skillet until halfway cooked.

5. Add chorizo to bacon and sauté until meat is nearly done

6. Add (2) to the meat mixture and cook til the onion is translucent and the meat is browned and crumbly

7. Don’t drain fat from meat unless it’s excessive.  Add bean mixture to skillet with meat.  

8. Stir mixture over medium heat, scraping the bottom of the skillet and adding a little oil or water as needed until the mixture is cooked and has thickened a bit.

9. Add cheese to the mixture, and stir over medium heat until melted. (Or top with cheese, like I did, since it took some tracking down to find it)

10. Serve warm as dip, or as tostadas with any combination of (3)

TIPS

1.        For cooking beans:  No need to sauté or cut up / mince onion and garlic.  Just peel, cut off ends, and toss into pot with raw beans.

2.        Canned beans are fine if you’re in a hurry. For 1 lb Dried Pinto Beans = approx 4, 15oz cans beans.  Drain, and reserve liquid to add as needed.

Note: I struggled to find the right cheese here in Central PA and made do with a Queso Blanco and a grated Cotija which formed a nice crunchy top. Any cheese would be fine.

Cinco Sour

Makes one quart to be served over lots of ice

1 cup tequila

½ cup Triple Sec

½ cup Tait Farm Lime Mint Shrub

1 ½ cups freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

½ cup lime juice

Or individual (makes a 6-ounce drink or divide into two glasses and top with sparkling water to make two drinks)

2 ounces tequila

One ounce Triple Sec

One ounce Tait Farm Lime Mint Shrub

One and a half ounces grapefruit juice

One half an ounce of lime juice

Fresh mint

Lime wheel

Pour ingredients over lots of ice to serve and garnish with mint and a lime wheel. No cilantro in this one.