National tequila day

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As if you needed an excuse for margarita night, it turns out there’s such thing as National Tequila Day, which is celebrated this year on Saturday 24th July. Don your sombrero, dust off your cocktail shaker and rustle up these Mexicaninspired delights.

DID YOU KNOW?

It turns out the infamous tequila worm – or "gusano" en Español – is actually associated with mezcal, a close relative of tequilas. In the 1940s the worm was used as a marketing ploy, with tequila brands claiming the worm had aphrodisiac, hallucinatory or even magical properties.

GUACAMOLE

The perfect accompaniment to margaritas, you can’t beat freshly made chunky guacamole and crunchy tortilla chips to dunk in. SERVES: 6-8 INGREDIENTS: • 1 large tomato • 3 ripe avocados • Juice 1 large lime • Handful coriander, chopped, plus a few roughly chopped leaves, to serve • 1 small red onion, fi nely chopped • 1 chilli, deseeded and fi nely chopped • Tortilla chips, to serve

Chop up the tomato to a pulp, then tip into a bowl. Halve and stone the 3 avocados (saving a stone to stop the guacamole going brown) and use a spoon to scoop out the fl esh into the bowl with the tomato. Tip the lime juice, a handful of roughly chopped coriander, the red onion and chilli into the bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Use a whisk or fork to roughly mash everything together. If not serving straight away, sit an avocado stone in the guacamole and chill until needed.

Zingy, tart and moreish, a margarita is the obvious choice for a cocktail on National Tequila Day. SERVES: 1 INGREDIENTS: • 1 part tequila • ½ part triple sec or Cointreau • 1 whole lime, juiced (plus extra for decoration) • A pinch of salt • Ice Chill your glass in the fridge or by fi lling it with ice. Put lots of ice, the tequila, triple sec and lime juice into a cocktail shaker and shake hard for around 30 seconds. Run a lime wedge around the rim of your chilled glass before rolling it in salt. Double strain the mix into the glass and garnish with a slice of lime.

WE USED: Olmeca Altos Plata Tequila 38% ABV £27.50 www.waitrose.com

24th July National Tequila Day

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

If you need something more substantial to soak up those shots, these enchiladas are a defi nite crowd pleaser. SERVES: 4 INGREDIENTS: • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil • 2 red onions, sliced • 2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced • 2 garlic cloves, crushed • 2-3 tsp chipotle paste • 2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips • 400g can black beans or kidney beans • Small bunch coriander, chopped • 500ml passata • 1 tsp ketchup or sugar • 6 medium tortillas • 50g mature cheddar, grated

Heat oven to 200°C ⁄ 180°C fan ⁄ gas 6. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the onions, peppers and half the garlic. Cook for 15 mins, stirring frequently until everything has softened. Stir in the chipotle paste (go for 3 tsp if you prefer more spice), then fry for 1 min. Add the chicken strips, turning them over in the mixture for around 5-10 minutes or until cooked through. Stir in the beans, coriander and 150ml of the passata, then take the pan off the heat. Mix the rest of the passata with the remaining crushed garlic and the ketchup. Divide the chicken mixture between the tortillas, then fold the sides in and roll them up. Pour half of the passata sauce into a square baking dish, then place the enchiladas on top, side by side. Dot over the remaining sauce and sprinkle with the grated cheese, then bake for 25-30 mins until golden brown. Serve on their own or with a green salad dotted with jalapenos.