Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army's victory over Napoleon III's (nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte) French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. It's celebrated widely in the US with food at the centre of all the celebrations. If you'd like to bring a little 'cinco de mayo' colour into your meals this week, here are some ideas for dips, drinks, mains and desserts.
Dips
Guacamole is a must, so grab those avocadoes and start mashing.
Another go to is Salsa, here's our speedy salsa recipe
Boil the kettle and plunge a couple of tomatoes into hot water (pierce the skin a few times first)
Meanwhile chop a couple of spring onions or half a very small onion
Mix in a bowl with some chilli powder (1/2 teaspoon or more if you like it hot) and a pinch or two of smoked paprika and a minced clove of garlic
After 10 mins peel the skin from the tomatoes and chop them very finely
Pop the flesh and seeds into the onion and spices bowl
Finish with a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper & some chopped coriander if you have it
Drinks
Once again, a Margarita would go down
very well on this special day but I am going to try Horchata. It's a rice and cinnamon based drink. This recipe uses almond milk but I should imagine or oat milk would work really well too making it a lactose free refreshing mocktail to enjoy in a big pitcher. These creamy drinks will also help should you overdo it with the fiery chillies which can feature in many Mexican foods 😁
Taco Platter
A platter based meal is great for our Flexitarian families. Simply lay everything out and individuals can build their own tacos according to their dietary needs. As well as the sour cream, the salsa and lots of chopped peppers and lettuce, you can fry off some chicken in Mexican spices for the omnivores and use the same spices with some black beans and tofu for the vegetarians and vegans. This recipe from Well Plated is worth a look.
Cinco de Mayo Desserts
Well churros, obviously! Flan is of course very traditional too, but how about adding some Mexican flavours to a family favourite dessert? Try adding some tequila and lime to cupcake buttercream to make them Margarita themed. For something low effort but looks pretty show stopping, try this Cocoa-Nutty Lime Tart
Feliz Cinco de Mayo!!