Though some mistakenly call Cinco de Mayo Mexican Independence Day, it actually commemorates May 5, 1862, Battle of Puebla, in which a formidable French army was trounced by a small Mexican contingent under the command of General Ignacio Zaragoza. The victory didn’t result in immediate Mexican independence (that came five years later), but it still holds symbolic significance, particularly in Puebla, as well as in Mexican communities in the U.S.
The holiday brings people together to eat and drink and celebrate cultural pride and that means plenty of mariachi bands and feasting of traditional Mexican dishes such as tacos, enchiladas, and salsa and tortilla chips. And in honor of this, we bring you two recipes worth celebrating over.
Cheesy Baked Burrito
I came across this fabulous baked burrito that hands down is the best I have ever tasted. It looks complicated and with a lot of ingredients, but much of it is probably already in your cabinets.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c. shredded rotisserie chicken
1 c. enchilada sauce
Juice of 1 lime
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 15- oz. can black beans, drained
2 c. cooked white rice
1 c. cheddar cheese, divided
1 c. Monterey Jack cheese
6 large flour tortillas
Sour cream, for serving (optional)
Hot sauce, for serving (optional)
Chopped cilantro, for serving (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce, or until the chicken is fully coated. Toss until evenly combined. Stir in lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Working one burrito at a time, lay a tortilla on a cutting board or clean working service. Add a scoopful each of rice and beans to the center. Add the chicken mixture then top with a small handful each of both cheeses. Reserve about ½ cup of cheese total to sprinkle on the burritos before baking. Roll the burrito tightly and place in a large casserole dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the burritos then sprinkle the extra cheeses on top. Cover until the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and serve with sour cream and hot sauce, if desired.
2017 MARGARITA OF THE YEAR
CORALINA MARGARITA
RED WINE & HIBISCUS
Created by Riesler Morales from Mexico City, Mexico and voted 2017 best Margarita in the world combines red wine and Tequila with a sugar-salt rim resulting in the most truly unique commingling of flavors.
Inspired by an ocean sunset, the Coralina Margarita is both pleasing to the eyes and a breeze to make by not requiring too many ingredients. I do highly suggest that when choosing the tequila pick a good one. A bad tequila just makes a bad Margarita.
Ingredients:
1.75 oz Patrón Reposado or Other Good Quality Tequilia
.75 oz Patrón Citrónge Orange or Other Good Quality Orange Liqueur
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
.75 oz Simple Syrup (Click Here for the Pioneer Woman’s Directions )
.5 oz Red Wine (Mexican, or Other)
Sugar-Salt Rim and Lime for Garnish
Directions:
Combine Patrón Reposado, Patrón Citrónge Orange, simple syrup and lime juice in a shaker tin; add ice and shake vigorously.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass rimmed with sugar-salt rim.
Carefully float red wine on the surface of the cocktail.
Sugar-Salt Rim:
Pulverize 1/4 cup dried hibiscus in a spice grinder. Add .25 cup sugar and .25 cup kosher salt and pulse until combined.
How To Salt The Rim:
First, fill a saucer with a quarter of an inch or so of kosher (not iodized table) salt. Next, moisten the rim of the glass with a lime wedge by cutting a shallow notch into the flesh of the fruit, then slipping it over the rim of the glass, as though to garnish it (as pictured above, bottom left). Now draw the lime along the entire rim, squeezing gently (not so hard that it drips), until the edge is uniformly moistened. It should make a nice clean line.
Now The Secret
You want to make sure the salt goes on the outside of the glass only – not the inside, where it’s liable to fall into the liquid and wreak salty havoc. So, now, rather than pressing the entire rim into the saucer at once, cookie-cutter style, try this: Tip the glass on its side, parallel to the saucer (as pictured above, bottom right). Gently roll the glass’s stem between your fingers, tapping the rim gently in the salt “sandbox” until the entire outer edge is covered. Shake off any loose grains into the sink, and you’re done. Your glass is now ready to be filled with a freshly-shaken Margarita!
Note: Some bartenders suggest stopping halfway, leaving a portion of the glass’s rim bare, so that the salt forms an elegant crescent moon.
So, to all a happy and safe Cinco de Mayo weekend and enjoy every sip and bite!
