Get home deliveryCustomer Service

Register Now

• Sign In
• E-mail preferences

OxfordPress.com

Cinco De Mayo Recipes

By Meridith Ford

Dayton Daily News

This recipe for Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos hails from Puebla, Mexico, so it's perfect for the celebration of Cinco de Mayo. The tinga can be prepared in a slow-cooker or made ahead of time on the stovetop in a Dutch oven. Serve in warm corn tortillas.

SMOKY PORK TINGA TACOS

Makes 10 to 12 servings

1 pound Yukon Gold or red-skin potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces

One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

3 to 4 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, seeded and sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican

3 garlic cloves, peeled, and finely chopped

1 medium white onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick

Salt

4 ounces Mexican chorizo sausage, casing removed, optional *

24 warm corn tortillas

1 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or feta cheese **

2 large avocados, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Spread the potatoes over the bottom of a slow-cooker and top with the pork cubes. In a large bowl mix the undrained tomatoes with the chipotles and the tablespoon of adobo sauce, Worcestershire, oregano, garlic, onion and 11/2 teaspoons salt. Pour the mixture over the meat and potatoes. Cover and slow-cook on high for 6 hours; the dish can hold on the slow-cooker's "keep-warm" function for 4 more hours or so.

When ready to serve, uncover the pork tinga and spoon off the fat accumulated on top. Fry the optional chorizo in an 8-inch skillet until thoroughly cooked, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle on the chorizo over the tinga then stir, breaking the pork into smaller pieces. Taste and season with added salt if needed.

To serve make soft tacos with the filling in the tortillas. Top with crumbled fresh cheese and avocados.

To warm the tortillas: Dribble 3 tablespoons water over a clean kitchen towel, then wrap cold tortillas in it. Slide the package into a microwaveable plastic bag and fold the top over — don't seal it. Microwave at 50 percent power for 4 minutes; let stand 2 or 3 minutes before serving. The tortillas (just 12 at a time) wrapped in a towel can also be steamed for a minute in a vegetable steamer; then let them rest for 10 minutes, wrapped, until ready to eat.

No slow-cooker? Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lay the pork in a 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven and top with the potatoes. Pour the tomato mixture over and cover. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove, then place in the oven and cook for 2 1/2 hours, until the pork is completely tender. Complete the dish as described.

* Mexican chorizo (not to be confused with Spanish chorizo) is not always available at supermarkets. Look for it at ethnic markets such as La Favorita, 1920 E. Third St., International Foods, 4770 Airway Road, and Far East Foods, 116 Woodman Drive. ** Pick up Queso Fresco there and good-quality El Milagro corn tortillas as well.

Instead of making Mexican party fare ahead of time, fix this ultra-easy quick-cooking recipe. Some version of this recipe is a restaurant staple on the Veracruz coast. The recipe can be doubled to serve eight.

CHIPOTLE SHRIMP

Makes 4 servings

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, drained *

1 to 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo

1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil

3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 cup chicken broth

Salt

1 to 1 1/4 pounds 21-25 count peeled, deveined shrimp, thawed

Steamed or baked rice (recipe follows)

1 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Pour the drained tomatoes into a blender or food processor. Add the chipotle chiles and the 1 tablespoon adobo sauce. Process until smooth.

In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat the oil over medium. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant and golden, about 30 seconds. Pour in the tomato mixture. Cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Add enough broth or water to achieve a light tomato sauce consistency. Taste and season with 1 teaspoon salt. The recipe can be made ahead to this point. Cover and refrigerate, then reheat when ready to proceed.

Add the shrimp to the pan of hot tomato-chile sauce. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Stir in a little more broth if the sauce has thickened too much.

Ladle over rice and sprinkle with cilantro.

* Canned fire-roasted tomatoes suggested. The Muir Glen brand is available locally.

TV cook and restaurateur Rick Bayless uses the technique I rely on for perfectly cooked rice — started on the stove and finished in the oven. This traditional Mexican dish is garlicy, and Bayless says that is the version of rice that most of Mexico eats — not the tomato-red preparation Americans think of as Mexican rice. I promise it is nothing like Mexican restaurant rice.

GULF COAST STYLE WHITE RICE

Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil

1 1/2 cups white rice, long or medium grain

1 small white onion, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 cups chicken broth

Salt

3 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Turn the oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the middle. Set a medium (3-quart) ovenproof saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil, rice and onion. Stir frequently until the grains of rice turn from translucent to milky-white, about 5 minutes (do not let brown).

Add the garlic and stir a few seconds until fragrant. Add the broth and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir a couple times, then let the mixture come to a full boil.

Cover the pan and place in the middle of the oven. Bake 25 minutes. Remove from the oven; remove cover, and place a paper towel over the pot. Replace cover and let stand 5 minutes.

Fluff the rice with a fork and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.