food Cinco de Mayo at Home
A Crash Course on History and Food for the Fifth By Morgan Banno
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Mexican Street Corn (Elote) For herbivores, Mexican street corn is an easy appetizer or side dish that’s both quick to prepare and full of flavor. If you can’t find cotija cheese, substituting with Parmesan or crumbled feta will give you a flavor profile similar to the real deal. Serves six Six ears of corn, husks removed ½ cup Mexican crema or sour cream ½ cup mayo 1 clove garlic, minced ¼ tsp ground chipotle powder 2 tsp freshly grated lime zest 2 tbsp lime juice (from 1 lime) ½ cup cotija cheese
Method: Grill corn over high heat. If husks on: Soak for 30 minutes before grilling to ensure no burning. Turn every five minutes for even cooking. If husks off: Spray corn with nonstick spray or wipe with oil to ensure no sticking. Grill on high heat until desired char. Combine crema, mayo and garlic. Remove corn from grill and slather with crema mix. Combine cotija cheese and chipotle powder. Roll corn in cotija cheese and sprinkle with lime zest, cilantro and salt as desired.
MORGAN BANNO
MORGAN BANNO
It’s time to prep your stomach (and liver) for Cinco de Mayo – perhaps the most misunderstood holiday in the states. Despite popular belief, the May 5 party is not a celebration of Mexican Independence. Instead, it’s a day that commemorates Mexican victory over the French in the May 1862 Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. It’s a relatively minor historic footnote for a country with Mexico’s storied past, but nonetheless, every year millions of Americans find it a welcome excuse to consume Mexican favorites. Cinco de Mayo was popularized in the 1930s, partly due to President Franklin Roosevelt’s “Good Neighbor Policy” with Central and Latin America that encouraged friendly relations beyond our southern borders. In the 1960s, Mexican-Americans and Latinos across the country adopted the holiday as a way to showcase their cultures and food. Cinco de Mayo celebrations are thrown around the states, with some of the best bashes in Chicago and Houston. Cities like Chandler, Arizona, even hold annual Chihuahua-racing events. But Los Angeles claims the title for the premiere, most “authentic” Cinco festivities in the United States – celebrated, oddly enough, on the last Sunday of April. Known as Fiesta Broadway, LA’s Cinco de Mayo party boasts entertainment and vendors galore, with loads of Mexican-inspired nosh and plenty of tequila. Because of its roots in Puebla, Mexico, the official dish of Cinco de Mayo is the regional favorite, Mole Poblano de Guajolote: braised turkey legs in a rich sauce of blended chilies and Mexican chocolate. You can find the recipe for Mole Poblano de Guajolote by reading this article online, but I’m sharing some of my other Cinco de Mayo favorites you can easily recreate for your own celebration.
Mexican Shrimp Cocktail Step up your Cinco de Mayo game with a Mexican-inspired shrimp cocktail! For this recipe, I
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