Fiesta
thoughts
Our unusual
spring with sunshine and warmth bordering on heat, has me thinking of other borders,
namely ones to the south. May is quickly approaching and with it the Cinco
de Mayo celebrations. It is not an
American holiday, but we seem to have adopted the spirit of it and are happy to
savor all those tempting flavors. After all, the Union forces were sent to the
Texas/Mexican border with offered assistance to finish the battle.
My first
appreciation of Mexican food came from a trip to California many, many years
ago. So, when I returned and decided to
reproduce some of those flavors in what I then named my Philadelphia tacos, I
discovered that the only way you could buy a soft tortilla on the East Coast
was in a can. Fortunately time has remedied that deficiency.
About the
same time I had the fortune to do graduate work in a laboratory with an
excellent technician named Manuel Ponce de Leon. He used to dare me to eat some
of the hot peppers he would bring for his lunch. Not willing to admit that my Northern heritage had not toughened
my taste buds to deal with ‘fire’, I accepted the challenge and in a couple of
months I had learned to eat ‘hot’ food. Pigheadedness will do that to you! In a
less confrontational vein, while he was not ready to tell me if he had
discovered “the fountain of youth” he generously shared his version of
guacamole. This wonderful flavored dip,
with a mild to moderate level of ‘heat’, in no way resembles the green pureed
version we are accustomed to everywhere.
Chunky
Guacamole
Chop finely
and combine in a small bowl: 2 slices of red onion, 1 small seeded jalapeño
pepper, 1 medium tomato, scant teaspoon of salt and 2 tsp. white vinegar. Scoop
out the flesh of a large ripe avocado, chop and add to the mixture in the bowl.
Fork mash a bit of the mixture and adjust seasoning with vinegar and a dash of
Tabasco. Or if you like it hot, with a
few of the seeds from the jalapeño pepper. I usually leave the avocado seed in
the mixture with the notion that it will slow the process of oxidation, even if
not rigorously proven. Serve with a bowl of corn chips and it is likely to
disappear before you need to worry about any oxidation.
To serve a
moderate size group, tamale pie is easy to prepare and can be prepared ahead of
time. Tamale pie is actually a beef, bean and corn casserole with a cornmeal
and cheese topping. It can be quite filling and looks pretty and festive on the
table.
Tamale
Pie
In a
skillet brown 1 pound lean ground beef and remove to a bowl. In a tablespoon of
remaining fat sauté 1 large onion and 1 medium green pepper chopped, for 5
minutes, stir in 2 minced cloves of garlic, 3 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. cumin
(optional), 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. sugar, 2 (8 oz.) cans seasoned tomato sauce, 1
(14 oz.) can pinto or black beans rinsed and drained, 1 ½ cups whole kernel
corn drained and the browned beef. Simmer 10 –15 minutes until thick. Turn
mixture in a 11x9x1 ½ inch baking dish.
To make the
topping: stir ¾ cups cornmeal in 2 cups cold water with ½ tsp. salt and 1
Tblsp. butter. Bring to a boil with stirring and cook until thickened. Stir in
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar. Spoon corn/cheese mixture over meat mixture,
making narrow stripes as for a lattice top pie. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to
40 minutes until top is browned. You
can substitute corn muffin mix with the cheese for the cooked cornmeal topping
if time is of essence.
Fresh pineapple and watermelon
would complement this casserole for desert and with a little imagination you
too can see yourself relaxing at a fiesta south of the border.
(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the
author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the
Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)
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