My first real food post represents a few new starts for me. Cinco de Mayo is a rather misunderstood day, and in Mexico is not a very important day, but north of the border we have embraced it, especially me. I have told the story many times of being in Larado Texas one Cinco de Mayo, quite a few years ago. Things looked rather festive and I was in the mood for some good eats. I asked some of the people I was working with and they told me about a popular spot. It had neon flamingos on the sign, so instead I asked “where do you eat, when you want a good mexican meal?” I ended up driving a bit out-of-town and turned down the lane of little farmhouse. No sign, so I knocked tentatively. A lovely little round woman opened the door and welcomed me in with a smile that lit up the room. The living and dining rooms were setup with tables. There were no menus. When it was clear that I had no idea what to ask for, she just said “OK. I will bring you some things to try.” I have no idea of the names of most of the dishes that I had, but it was one of the most memorable meals of my life. As the place filled up, the atmosphere was almost familial. Being the outsider, almost everyone spoke to me. I was on the road for a couple of months on that trip and overall people were friendly, but this was the only time I felt at home. This however is only one piece of why I like Cinco de Mayo…. The rest I will save for another time.
This year, Cinco de Mayo was one of the first MondayNightDining experiences, without having to rush off to a rehearsal, so we finally had the time to do it up right. The guest list changed last-minute, but we were able to recover and have Rob come after work to join us. To me Mexican cuisine is not about heat, like many people think, but instead about flavours and freshness. We started with a freshly made Guacamole. I’m afraid to say that Shawn, Steph and I fell upon it with gusto, so no picture with our lovely molcajete. When Rob showed up we just tried to hide the remains of what he had missed. The appetizer was Crepas de Camaron con salsa de chile pasilla (very suculent shrimp wrapped in crepes).
The second course consisted of cod cooked in corn husks, with adobo sauce (pescado Adobado en Hojas de Maiz), Served with Arroz Blanco, Rajas de chile Poblano.
Finally dessert was Mexican bread pudding (Capirotada), and Polvorones (a popular Mexican cookie)
A lovely evening of friends, food, music and memories…
D
Amazing what you can do on a BBQ. The fish wrapped in corn husks was ambrosia – perfectly grilled, and a perfect, moist texture. Of course, the after party – singing hymns with the Cantor of St. Mary Magdalene’s was a perfect “digestif.”