It’s Cinco de Mayo week! For the first five days of May, I plan to share a Mexican-food themed recipe to help you celebrate Cinco de Mayo, or perhaps just enjoy a nice snack, dinner or dessert.
According to History.com, Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. This battle occurred during the Franco-Mexican War, which came to fruition when France (along with Britain and Spain) sent ships to blockade Mexican ports after Mexican President Benito Juárez quit paying interest on his country’s foreign debts.
Long story short, France decided it wanted to conquer Mexico. Mexico did not want to be conquered, so it fought back. When the U.S. got involved after the Civil War, France decided it did not want to take on two countries, so it simply quit sending reinforcements to its imperial government in Mexico. And Mexico got to remain Mexico.
Let’s start with some starters! First up is homemade guacamole. I consider making guacamole more of a process than a recipe, but nevertheless I have included a recipe below. I substituted a yellow onion and green chilis in place of a green onion and jalapeno pepper called for in the original recipe simply because I had them on hand. I also added tomatoes because I love them. It’s a process, not a hard and fast recipe, remember?
Homemade Guacamole
Ingredients:1 ripe avocado 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
1 very small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons green chilies juice from 1/2 lime
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
tortilla chips, for serving Instructions: Halve the avocado lengthwise and scoop out the flesh into a small bowl. Use a fork to mash the avocado to a desired consistency. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well incorporated. Serve with tortilla chips or as a condiment to a main dish.
Author: adapted from Cooking from the Farmers’ Market as seen on What Megan’s Making
Next up is salsa made with roasted green tomatoes and tart apples. I found this recipe in Fresh Every Day: More Great Recipes from Foster’s Market. The cookbook contains many other unique salsas, like roasted red pepper salsa and grilled pineapple salsa, that I would also like to try. Since I really like tomatoes, I opted for a green tomato salsa this time around. (I found green tomatoes at my local farmer’s market).
The salsa tasted good…but different. I like fruity flavors, like Riesling wine and Lambic beer, so the sweet, fruity taste of this salsa worked for me. However, if you are a spicy, red tomato salsa traditionalist, this salsa will likely be better served as part of sampler rather than as a meal’s main salsa.
If you would like to see more Mexican-themed foods before tomorrow’s post, check out my Cinco de Mayo board on Pinterest. Enjoy!
Day 1: The Appetizers Day 2: The Main DishDay 3: The Side Dish
Day 4: The Drink
Day 5: The Dessert
- 4 medium green tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 Granny Smith apple, roughly chopped
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2 tablespoons green chilies, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 lime, juiced and zested
- Mix all of the ingredients except the cilantro and the lime in a bowl.
- Place the mixture on a baking sheet and roast in a 400 degree F oven for 30-35 minutes until the tomatoes are soft to touch.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
- When cool, scrape all of the ingredients, including the juices, into a large bowl.
- Add in the cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice.
- Stir to incorporate, season with more salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Yummy, looking forward to the recipes. Might be a weekend meal for us.
I hope you see something you like. (And sorry for the dig on taco night on the third day post).
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