Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of the Mexican Army's defeat over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5th 1862. The Mexican militia which was led by General Ignacio Zaragoza defeated far better equipped French expeditionary forces on Cinco de Mayo.

Emperor Napoleon III had sent French troops to Mexico to secure dominance over the former Spanish colony and install one of his relatives, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, as its ruler.

Zaragoza won the battle, but the Mexicans ultimately lost the war. Maximilian became Mexico's emperor for three years before the country reclaimed its independence.

Cinco de Mayo History: From Bloodshed to Beer Fest

To commemorate this day in history, we will dine tonight on homemade tamales, Spanish rice, refried beans and a light, airy Mojito inspired cake

Chicken Tamales

Ingredients

Filling

• 1 8-ounce package dried corn husks
  


• 1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed
  


• 4 3-inch-long serrano chiles, stemmed, chopped
  


• 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
  


• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  


• 2 cups low-salt chicken broth
  


• 4 cups (packed) coarsely shredded cooked chicken
  


• 2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  

Dough

• 1 1/3 cups lard or solid vegetable shortening
  


• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (omit if masa mixture contains salt)
  


• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (omit if masa mixture contains baking powder)
  


• 4 cups freshly ground masa dough for tamales (34 to 36 ounces), or make masa dough with 31/2 cups masa harina (corn tortilla mix; about 17 ounces) mixed with 2 1/4 cups warm water
  


• 2 cups (about) low-salt chicken broth
  

Preparation

For filling:
Place husks in large pot or large bowl; add water to cover. Place heavy plate on husks to keep submerged. Let stand until husks soften, turning occasionally, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat broiler. Line heavy baking sheet with foil. Arrange tomatillos on prepared sheet. Broil until tomatillos blacken in spots, turning once, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer tomatillos and any juices on sheet to processor and cool. Add chiles and garlic to processor and blend until smooth puree forms. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add tomatillo puree and boil 5 minutes, stirring often. Add broth. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until sauce coats spoon thickly and is reduced to 1 cup, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Season with salt. Mix in chicken and cilantro. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

For dough:
Using electric mixer, beat lard (with salt and baking powder, if using) in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in fresh masa or masa harina mixture in 4 additions. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in 1 1/2 cups broth, forming tender dough. If dough seems firm, beat in enough broth, 2 tablespoons at a time, to soften.

Fill bottom of pot with steamer insert with enough water (about 2 inches) to reach bottom of insert. Line bottom of insert with some softened corn husks. Tear 3 large husks into 1/4-inch-wide strips to use as ties and set aside. Open 2 large husks on work surface. Spread 1/4 cup dough in 4-inch square in center of each, leaving 2- to 3-inch plain border at narrow end of husk. Spoon heaping tablespoon filling in strip down center of each dough square. Fold long sides of husk and dough over filling to cover. Fold up narrow end of husk. Tie folded portion with strip of husk to secure, leaving wide end of tamale open. Stand tamales in steamer basket. Repeat with more husks, dough, and filling until all filling has been used. If necessary to keep tamales upright in steamer, insert pieces of crumpled foil between them.

Bring water in pot to boil. Cover pot and steam tamales until dough is firm to touch and separates easily from husk, adding more water to pot as necessary, about 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool 1 hour. Cover and chill. Before serving, re-steam tamales until hot, about 35 minutes.)

Spanish Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (can use up to 1/4 cup)
  


• 1 onion, chopped fine
  


• 1 garlic clove, minced
  


• 2 cups long-grain white rice
  


• 3 cups chicken stock*
  


• 1 cup of diced tomatoes, strained
  


• Pinch of oregano
  


• 1 teaspoon salt
  

*Check the instructions on the rice package for the proportions of liquid to rice. They can range from 1:1 to 2:1. If your rice calls for 2 cups of water for every cup of rice, then for this recipe, use 4 cups of stock for 2 cups of rice.

Method:

1 In a large skillet brown rice in olive oil, medium/high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook onion and rice mixture for approximately 4 minutes, or until onions are softened; stir frequently,

2 In a separate sauce pan bring stock to a simmer. Add tomato sauce, oregano, and salt. Add rice to broth. Bring to a simmer. Cover. Lower heat and cook 15-25 minutes, depending on the type of rice and the instructions on the rice package. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

Mojito Cake

Ingredients:

Cake

• 
  
• 1 box white cake mix
  


• 1 cup unflavored carbonated water
  


• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  


• 1/4 cup rum or 1 teaspoon rum extract plus 1/4 cup water
  


• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
  


• 2 teaspoons grated lime peel
  


• 3 egg whites
  

Glaze

• 
  
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
  


• 1/4 cup water
  


• 1 cup granulated sugar
  


• 1/2 cup rum
  

Garnish

• 
  
• 1 cup whipping cream
  


• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  


• 15 fresh mint leaves, if desired
  


• Shredded lime peel, if desired
  

1. Heat oven to 350°F for shiny metal or glass pan (or 325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with baking spray with flour.

2. In large bowl, beat cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter into pan.

3. Bake 28 to 33 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, mix glaze ingredients. Heat to boiling over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium; continue to boil 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until glaze has thickened slightly.

5. Poke warm cake every inch with fork tines. Pour glaze slowly over cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

6. In small bowl, beat whipping cream and powdered sugar on high speed until soft peaks form. Garnish each serving with whipped cream, mint leaf and shredded lime peel. Store loosely covered at room temperature.