COOK'S CORNER GRANDE IDEAS FOR CINCO DE MAYO FEASTING.Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor Celebrate Cinco de Mayo Cinco de Mayo (Spanish; “Fifth of May”) Mexican holiday commemorating the Mexican victory over the French at Puebla in 1862. The French army, better-equipped and far larger than the Mexican army, had been sent by Napoleon III to conquer Mexico. with some delicious creations from two new books. The margarita hails from the recently released ``Mambo Mixers'' (Stewart, Tabori & Chang; $16.95) by Arlen Gargagliano filled with a collection of 50 Latin cocktails and 20 tapas. The small 120-page volume includes lots of colorful photos, and drinks are categorized: classics and variations, champagne, martini-like cocktails, mixed drinks and coolers, sangrias, punches and fruit-filled cocktails, and coffee and dessert drinks. Margaritas vary from city to city and bar to bar, notes the author, but rely on three basic ingredients - tequila, Cointreau or Triple Sec and lime juice. ``The trick to making an excellent margarita is good tequila and fresh lime juice,'' writes Gargagliano. Maria Elena Cuervo-Lorens, a native of Mexico City Mexico City Spanish Ciudad de México City (pop., 2000: city, 8,605,239; 2003 metro. area est., 18,660,000), capital of Mexico. Located at an elevation of 7,350 ft (2,240 m), it is officially coterminous with the Federal District, which occupies 571 sq mi , shares quick and easy recipes from her family and Mexico City restaurants in her newest cookbook, ``Mexican Culinary Treasures: Recipes From Maria Elena's Kitchen'' (Hippocrene Books; $24.95). Among them is the red snapper red snapper: see snapper. cooked in milk, included here, along with her mother's zippy guacamole recipe. ``Her secret (to the guacamole) was, as she used to say, ``a little olive oil olive oil, pale yellow to greenish oil obtained from the pulp of olives by separating the liquids from solids. Olive oil was used in the ancient world for lighting, in the preparation of food, and as an anointing oil for both ritual and cosmetic purposes. and fiery serrano chiles,' '' writes Cuervo-Lorens. The Drunken Salsa recipe ``... is one of the most popular salsas Salsas is a Portuguese parish in the district of Bragança. The population in 2001 is 424, its density is 16.5/km² and the area is 25.76 km². in Mexico. Almost all taquerias serve salsa borracha because it goes so well with the popular tacos al pastor Al pastor, literally meaning "Shepherd Style", is a dish developed in Mexico City likely as a result of the adoption of spit-grilled meat brought by Lebanese immigrants[1]. The dish is similar to the Turkish döner kebab, Shawarma, or Greek gyros. (tacos of thinly sliced marinated pork). Traditionally, this salsa was made with pulque pul·que n. A thick fermented alcoholic beverage made in Mexico from various species of agave. [American Spanish, from Nahuatl poliuhqui, decomposed, lost.] Noun 1. , a fermented alcoholic beverage alcoholic beverage Any fermented liquor, such as wine, beer, or distilled liquor, that contains ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, as an intoxicating agent. When an alcoholic beverage is ingested, the alcohol is rapidly absorbed in the stomach and intestines because it does not extracted from the maguey maguey: see amaryllis. cactus (agave)... . Because pulque is not readily available anymore, beer or white wine is usually used instead.'' CLASSIC MARGARITA Juice of 1 lime, plus 2 lime wedges 1 teaspoon kosher salt (for glass rim) 1 1/2 ounces tequila 1/2 ounce Cointreau OR Triple Sec 1 cup ice cubes Rub rim of a chilled martini OR margarita glass with a wedge of lime. Pour salt onto a plate and press rim of glass into it, turning gently until rim is evenly coated. Shake off excess. In a cocktail shaker, combine tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and ice cubes. Shake well. Strain into prepared glass. Garnish with remaining lime wedge and serve. Makes 1 serving. From ``Mambo Mixers,'' by Arlen Gargagliano. RED SNAPPER FILLETS WITH GUACAMOLE Salt and pepper
6 (6-ounce) red snapper fillets 1 cup 2 percent milk 4 whole black peppercorns 2 basil leaves 1/2 small onion, sliced Peel of 1/2 lime 1 cup Guacamole (recipe follows) Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of fillets and place in a large saucepan. Pour milk over fish and add peppercorns, basil, onion and lime peel. Bring fish to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, depending on thickness of fillets, about 5 to 7 minutes, or until fish is no longer red but still firm and in one piece. Drain fish from milk mixture, place on a platter, and serve at once, topped with Guacamole. Makes 4 to 6 servings. From ``Mexican Culinary Treasures,'' by Maria Elena Cuervo-Lorens. GUACAMOLE 2 large ripe avocados, peeled 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice 1 large ripe tomato, chopped 2 tablespoons minced onion 2 to 4 serrano chiles, finely chopped 1 teaspoon olive oil 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro Salt Reserving the pit, mash avocados with a fork and sprinkle with lime juice. Add tomato, onion and chiles to mashed avocados and mix well. Stir in olive oil and cilantro. Season with salt to taste and serve at once at room temperature with the pit in the middle, covered with the guacamole, to prevent darkening dark·en v. dark·ened, dark·en·ing, dark·ens v.tr. 1. a. To make dark or darker. b. To give a darker hue to. 2. To fill with sadness; make gloomy. 3. . Makes 1 to 1 1/2 cups. DRUNKEN SALSA 3 dry pasilla chiles 3/4 cup fresh orange juice 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tablespoons chopped onion 1/4 cup dark beer OR white wine Salt 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco OR feta fet·a n. A white semisoft cheese usually made of goat's or ewe's milk and often preserved in brine. [Modern Greek (turi) pheta, (cheese) slice, from Italian fetta, slice cheese Stem chiles, shake out seeds and rinse under running water. In a small bowl, soak chiles in orange juice about 10 to 15 minutes or until completely softened. Transfer chiles and soaking liquid to a blender. Add garlic and onion and process until well blended. Pour chile mixture into a salsera or a ceramic bowl, add beer, and season with salt. Serve topped with a generous amount of queso fresco. Good on pork tacos, etc. Makes 1 to 1 1/2 cups. From ``Mexican Culinary Treasures,'' by Maria Elena Cuervo-Lorens. CAPTION(S): 2 photo Photo: (1 -- color) no caption (book: ``Mambo Mixers'') (2 -- color) no caption (book: ``Mexican Culinary Treasures: Recipes From Maria Elena's Kitchen'') |
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