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COVID-19: Make Your Own Cinco De Mayo Fun!

Anyone with even a touch of Mexican heritage – and millions more folks round the globe (except, maybe, the French) – will be celebrating today. It’s Cinco de Mayo, the anniversary of the victory of Mexico over France in the Franco-Mexican War in 1862. And the traditional way to celebrate is to feast!

Taco Bell Lock Down Taco Bar - © 2020 Taco BellThe Taco Bell Take-home Taco Bar package: It’s okay, I guess.
But you can do much better with your own two hands.

For those of us in the snowy north, Cinco de Mayo is also a first taste of summer, and Mexican / Tex-Mex fare is the idea way to celebrate that annual milestone. The bold flavours, colours and textures remind us that hibernation time is over, in spite of the continuing COVID-19 lock down. Cinco de Mayo this year provides a unique opportunity to get a hands-on feel for Mex and Tex-Mex by setting up your own family Taco and/or Burrito Bar!

Why not just order in?

A good question, especially for the culinarily challenged. There are lots of restaurants offering an array of Cinco de Mayo specials for take-out and delivery. Many of those specials involve Family Packs which provide all the food and do all the prep work needed to present your family with a sumptuous Taco Bar. But that takes a lot of the fun out of it for me. If you agree, here’s a guide to recipes and techniques you can use to whip up your own Taco Bar for Mexico’s big day! There’s no better time than now, when you have lots of time…

Tortilas

For Tacos, provide lots of Corn Masa Taco shells, crispy or soft as your taste dictates. For Burritos, have lots of Soft Flour Tortillas on hand. Wrap either kind of soft Tortillas in kitchen foil and warm in a 170 F oven for 15 minutes or so just before serving to optimize their flavour and foldability. Your Burrito Tortillas should be at least 9 in. / 22.5 cm in diameter or the resulting Burrito will be so small it won’t hold nearly enough filling. If you can get Jumbo Four Tortillas (12 in. / 30 cm) or larger ones, go for it!

Beef Scramble

Contemporary Tacos almost demand Ground Beef Scramble, in spite of the vast variety of Meats actual Tex-Mex fans put in them. Make your ground Beef Scramble with a little water in the bottom of the pan top generate steam that will help the Ground Beef break down into fine, even-sized bits. Pour off the excess Fat before adding Spices and Seasoning. You can use Ground Pork or a mixture of Beef and Pork if you want. In any case, you’ll want to add a little Ground Chili Pepper and a good Pinch of Salt along with a touch of ground Cumin and Coriander to your taste.

Other Meats

If you are particularly keen on making great Tacos and/or Burritos, you’ll want to experiment with one of the other traditional Mexican Meat dishes that go well in a shell or Wrap. Carne asada, (grilled beef) is classic and easy. Carnitas are shreds of Pork that’s been slow-cooked for at least 4 hours until fall-apart tender. Pollo Asado is marinated, grilled Chicken redolent with the flavours of Garlic, Cumin and Citrus.

Rice

Tex-Mex Rice is as essential to contemporary Burritos as Shredded Lettuce is to Tacos. The main players flavour-wise are Garlic and Salsa (a neat shortcut in the recipe I’ve linked to) along with a handful of Corn Kernels. Follow the prep instreuctions exactly. Don’t use pre-cooked / leftover rice. You’ll just get an ungodly mess. You can use this Rice in any Mex or Tex-Mex dish that calls for it, or just as a yummy side.

Beans

Do go to the (minimal) trouble of making your own Refried Beans. I use canned Pinto or Black beans and whiz half of the batch in the blender or food processor before placing all of the beans in a fry pan to simmer and soften further. Add a good pinch of Salt and Chopped Jalapeños (or ground Chili Pepper) plus a little Ground Coriander to your taste, and stir gently to keep from sticking until thick and creamy.

Lettuce

Shredded Lettuce is a must for Tacos; not so much for Burritos. I use Romain for most of my Shredded Lettuce applications since the head can simply be laid on its side and sliced through it laterally with a sharp knife. But aside from its ease of prep, I like Romain’s flavour and texture.

Cheese

Use Shredded Cheddar or Monterrey Jack (if you can get it). Sprinkle on top of Tacos (the last ingredient you add to the stack) or on top of your Burrito fillings just before wrapping.

Salsa

Just get a big jar of your favourite Red Salsa form the store and present in a pretty bowl. Or… You can splurge and make your own Pico de Gallo. No cooking involved, and the piquante flavours of fresh Jalapeño, Lime, Tomato Onion and Cilantro will stand up to whatever other ingredients you have on your Bar. This traditional Salsa from northern Mexico (also known as ‘Salsa Fresca’ or ‘Salsa Cruda’) is, to my taste, far preferable to the Tomato-heavy runny red stuff in the jars.

Other goodies…

I also like to serve small bowls of thinly-sliced Jalapeños and Spanish Olives, finely chopped Red Onion, and Chopped Tomatoes. Individual tastes in Tacos and Burritos vary so widely that you’re bound to disappoint someone at your feast if you leave these out. Of course, this is a much more important consideration when serving a large crowd; not so much a concern when preparing a Taco or Burrito Bar for your immediate, locked-down family.

And there you have it…

… Make your Cinco de Mayo celebration a proper fiesta! Put on your own Taco or Burrito Bar for family supper tonight…

~ Maggie J.