Make A Festive Menu For Cinco De Mayo

A spring celebration is in order! Start off with guacamole and colorful taco chips in honor of Cinco de Mayo.

Cook up a delicious red mole chicken with chorizo dish adapted from Lourdes Castro, author of “Simply Mexican.” Serve it over a mound of steaming hot white rice and a side salad of jicama, orange and spinach for dinner.

Conclude this festive dinner menu with a dessert of your favorite flan, creamy rice pudding or smooth caramel ice cream topped with chocolate shavings! Bon appétit!

Guacamole(Serves 4-6)1/2 cup white onion, chopped

1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup (lightly packed) cilantro leaves, chopped plus a few sprigs for garnish

1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste

Juice of 1 lime plus lime wedges for garnish

3 firm but ripe Haas avocados

1 plum tomato, seeded and choppedTo prepare:Combine white onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime and salt in the molcajete. If you don’t have a molcajete, use a mortar and pestle. Pound the mixture until it becomes a thick paste, about five minutes.

Or mound the onion in the center of a large cutting board, top it with jalapeño and cilantro. Sprinkle half of the salt over the vegetables and with a chef knife, chop and crush (with the side of the knife) until the vegetables are finely chopped. (The salt helps to draw out the juices and blend the flavors.) Transfer to a non-reactive bowl.

Split the avocado in half, reserve the pit, and scoop out the flesh. In a separate bowl add the avocado, mash with a fork until it is the texture you like. (I like smooth with some chunks.)

Combine the onion/cilantro paste and avocado and stir until well mixed. Add tomato, lime juice, and salt. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Garnish with cilantro. Can hold for about one hour if you place the avocado pit in the center and place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole.Red Mole Chicken With ChorizoAdapted from “Simply Mexican,” by Lourdes Castro, 10 Speed Press, Berkeley/Toronto 2009

(Serves 4-6)4 dried ancho chiles

2 tablespoons of olive oil plus more as needed

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pound fresh Mexican chorizo sausages, casing removed

1 and 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pinch ground cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon coriander

2 tablespoon cider vinegar

2 green unripe bananas, peeled and thinly sliced

About 1 tablespoon sugar, or less to taste

6 to 8 cups cooked white rice, hotTo prepare:Tear anchos into flat pieces and remove the veins and seeds. Place anchos in a dry skillet over medium heat and roast them on both sides until aromatic and softened, about one minute. Transfer anchos to the blender jar, fill with boiling water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain the water from the jar reserving 1 and 1/2 cups water for the sauce. Reserve the anchos in the blender.

Coat the bottom of the skillet with oil over medium heat, add garlic and cook about one minute. Add onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about six minutes. Transfer the onion/garlic mixture to the blender and reserve.

In a large heavy saucepan over high heat, add chorizo and sauté until browned and the fat is released.

With paper towels, pat chicken until dry, season with salt and pepper. Working in batches, sauté the chicken (along with the sausages) until done and browned. Transfer the chicken and chorizo to a large side plate covered with paper towels, pat off excess fat, and reserve.

To make the sauce:

Add the cloves, cinnamon, coriander, and 1 cup of reserved anchos water to the blender with reserved anchos/onions. Blend until it becomes a smooth paste. In the same heavy saucepan over medium heat, coated with fat or oil, add the puree and sauté, stirring constantly until it is dark, thick and aromatic.

Return the reserved meats to the puree along with vinegar and the remaining reserved water. Stir well and simmer partially covered until heated through, about 10 to 15 minutes. Taste, add banana, sugar and mix well. Taste again and adjust the seasonings.

Serve over a bed of white rice.Jicama, Orange, And Spinach Salad(Serves four to six)1 pound jicama, peeled and cut into thin strips

3 limes, 2 juiced and 1 cut into wedges

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 seedless orange, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced

1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

About 1/3 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves

6 to 8 cup fresh baby spinach leaves, washed and spun dry

Avocado oil for drizzlingTo prepare:Peel and cut jicama into julienne sticks, transfer to a bowl, add enough lime juice to completely coat the jicama, sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside to macerate.

Meanwhile peel orange removing the white pith and cut into thin slices and transfer to a bowl. Add onion slices to the oranges and set aside.

In a mixing bowl toss the cilantro leaves with spinach.

Just before serving, drizzle avocado oil over the spinach and cilantro until they glisten, sprinkle with salt, toss lightly, add orange, onion, and jicama and toss to mix the salad.

Divide the salad among salad plates, drizzle with lime juice add a few drops of oil, and serve at once.