🇲🇽 Seasonal collection
Cinco de Mayo Recipes: Tacos, Enchiladas, Tamales and Paletas
Cinco de Mayo marks Mexico's victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. It's a bigger party in the United States than in most of Mexico, where the national holiday is Independence Day on September 16. Cook the originals and the Tex-Mex versions side by side.
🌮 Tacos
Mexico City, Michoacán and the Tex-Mex hard shell.
Tacos al Pastor (Mexico City Spit-Roasted Pork, Made in a Loaf Pan)
Thin sheets of chile-and-achiote-marinated pork layered with bacon, slow-roasted into a sliceable loaf like a trompo, shaved, crisped and served with roasted pineapple, onion and cilantro.
Carnitas (Michoacán-Style Pork Tacos)
Thick slabs of pork shoulder braised in their own juices, then roasted hot until the fat renders and the edges turn golden and crisp, pulled into chunks for corn tortillas.
Baja Fish Tacos (Ensenada-Style Battered Fish)
Fingers of white fish soaked briefly in salt and vinegar, dipped in a light pancake-mix batter, fried crisp and tucked into corn tortillas with creamy slaw, a fried serrano salsa and a mayo-ketchup sauce.
Hard-Shell Ground Beef Tacos (Home-Fried Shells)
The Taco Tuesday classic done properly: corn tortillas fried into U-shaped shells at home and filled with a saucy spiced ground beef, cheddar, lettuce and tomato.
🫓 Enchiladas
Red, green and Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas.
Enchiladas Rojas (Red Chile Chicken Enchiladas)
Corn tortillas rolled around shredded chicken and baked in a smooth red sauce of toasted guajillo chiles and tomatoes, finished with melted Chihuahua cheese, raw onion rings and cilantro.
Enchiladas Verdes (Green Tomatillo Chicken Enchiladas)
Corn tortillas passed through hot oil, rolled around shredded chicken and baked under a tart green sauce of simmered tomatillos, serranos and cilantro, then finished with crema, queso fresco and raw onion.
Enchiladas Suizas (Creamy Green Chicken Enchiladas)
Chicken enchiladas baked in a broiled tomatillo and serrano sauce enriched with cream, under a blanket of melted cheese, Mexico City's famous "Swiss" enchiladas.
Tex-Mex Cheese Enchiladas with Chili Gravy
Corn tortillas rolled around Monterey Jack, cheddar and raw onion, baked under a smooth brown chili gravy of toasted ancho, cumin, garlic and oregano thickened with a roux: the classic Texas enchilada.
🫔 Tamales and dessert
Tamales for the table, paletas to finish.
Red Chile Pork Tamales (Tamales Rojos de Puerco)
Pork shoulder simmered down in a smooth guajillo chile sauce, wrapped in light, fluffy lard-beaten masa and steamed upright in corn husks, the central Mexican way.
Rajas con Queso Tamales (Poblano and Cheese)
Strips of roasted poblano chile and melting cheese tucked into lard-beaten masa and steamed in corn husks, the vegetarian tamal at every tamalada.
Mexican Mango Paletas
Ripe mango, a squeeze of lime and a spoonful of sugar blended and frozen on a stick: the fruit paleta that made a Michoacán village famous.
Mexican Hot Chocolate (Chocolate Mexicano)
Mexican tablet chocolate, already sweetened and spiced with cinnamon, melted into hot milk and beaten with a wooden molinillo until it foams.