A Delicious Cinco de Mayo Fiesta By Catering Expert and Cookbook Author Patricia Mendez
A Delicious Cinco de Mayo Fiesta
By Catering Expert and Cookbook Author Patricia Mendez
Image: Paul Sapiano from San Diego, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Cinco de Mayo (May 5) originated as Mexico celebrated its independence from Spain in 1862. This holiday celebrates freedom and liberty, virtues dear to the American and the Mexican people. Since America is a melting pot, our citizens have the opportunity to adopt many wonderful customs and celebrations that are brought from home countries by immigrants. On March 17th St. Patrick’s Day is a day when anyone can be Irish! In the same spirit of celebrating our diverse cultures, Cinco de Mayo is a wonderful opportunity to gather friends and family for a fiesta and enjoy delicious Mexican-inspired dishes. Play some fun Latin music and celebrate our blessings of liberty and freedom with your loved ones.
Since I live in Southern California, I have visited Mexico many times. The street food is fabulous in Mexico. The vendors serve delectable bites of all sorts but tacos are my favorite. Please find my recipe for Carne Asada Street Tacos below. The Carne Asada is a marinated grilled steak bursting with savory flavor and delicious with fresh salsa served in warm corn tortillas. Your family will love them! Serve them with the Fiesta Salad, homemade Pinto Beans and Spanish Rice. Serve Mexican Paletas for dessert. Paletas are delicious frozen fruit bars that give a light ending to your fiesta!
Carne Asada Street Tacos
Makes 10 to 12 servings
6 to 7 pounds skirt steak (also called flap meat)
Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
Adolph’s Meat Tenderizer
Garlic salt
Barbecue spice (spice aisle)
3 or 4 large lemons
1 can beer (any brand)
3 dozen small corn tortillas, for serving
Light a fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to medium-high. The steak should be no more than 1/4 inch thick. If the steak you have purchased is thicker, slice it widthwise (horizontally) with a very sharp knife until you have 1/4-inch-thick slabs Place a layer of skirt steak on the bottom of a large bowl. Lightly sprinkle all four seasonings on the steak and squeeze some lemon juice over the meat. Turn the meat over and repeat. In addition, sprinkle some beer on this side of the steak. Put your finger over the top of the beer can or bottle so you can just sprinkle it; you do not want to wash all the spices off. Repeat with another layer of steak, seasoning both sides and sprinkling with lemon juice and beer until you have finished all the steak. You will not have used the entire can of beer. Marinate in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
Grill until sizzling (3 or 4 minutes per side). Put in a pan and cover with aluminum foil while you are grilling the remainder of the steak. Chop large pieces of grilled steak into bite-size small pieces with a sharp knife or scissors and serve on warm corn tortillas with Salsa Cruda.
Note: Warm corn tortillas by wrapping in a moist paper towel and heating in the microwave for 1 minute. Keep warm in a clean dish towel or tortilla warmer. You may also heat them one at a time over the stove burner and keep warm in clean dish towels or a tortilla warmer.
Salsa Cruda
3 fresh Anaheim chilies, seeded and chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped finely
2 tablespoons white onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, peeled, chopped finely
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 fresh Serrano chilies, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1-2 limes)
Salt & pepper to taste
Add all ingredients in a bowl and salt and pepper generously to taste.
NOTE: Tomatoes taste best served at room temperature. I recommend that you make this salsa about an hour before serving and do not refrigerate for best taste. If you like your salsa spicy, simply add a few dashes of red pepper sauce such as Tapatio or Cholula and stir.
Fiesta Salad
6 cups romaine lettuce
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ fresh mint, chopped
6-8 radishes, washed and sliced
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded & sliced into thin strips
¼ cup pumpkin seeds or crushed tortillas strips for crunch
Creamy Salsa Dressing
1 cup low fat buttermilk
½ cup salsa, good quality purchased or from recipe above
¼ cup light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lime juice, fresh squeezed
Pinch sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix ingredients for salad together and chill. Mix ingredients for Creamy Salsa Dressing and chill. To serve, toss salad with dressing and season to taste.
Pinto Beans
1 lb. of pinto beans
½ lb. of salt pork or thick sliced bacon.
Rinse beans in a colander under water. Put in pot and cover with about 2 quarts of water. Rinse salt pork, add to pot and season with about a teaspoon or two of garlic salt. Bring to a boil and then lower the flame to very low and let beans simmer for 2-3 hours. Be careful to check beans every 20 minutes or so and if needed, add a little water because the beans absorb it. Taste and add more salt if necessary. The beans are done when they acquire a rich, savory sauce and the beans are tender. Serves 8-10.
Spanish Rice
1 ½ cup of long grain rice
1- 4 oz. can of tomato sauce
3 cups of HOT water
3 teaspoons of chicken bouillon (or 3 cubes dissolved in the 3 C of hot water)
Brown the rice in 2 tablespoons of oil, stirring constantly in medium to large frying pan. After the rice is browned, add about ½ of the can of tomato sauce, the water and chicken bouillon. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of garlic salt, stir and then cover and let simmer on low flame for 20 minutes.
Patricia Mendez is the author of the award-winning cookbook, “Easy Entertaining for Beginners”. She and her husband Augustine reside in Torrance with their miniature dachshund, Spanky.
