February 11, 2009 3:00 PM
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Mexican Feast For Cinco de Mayo
(CBS)
Monday is an important national holiday in Mexico - Cinco de Mayo.
That's a great excuse for folks north of the border to indulge in the feast, and The Early Show's "Chef on a Shoestring" served up plenty to get the party started on Saturday.
Scott Linquist is executive chef of the newly-opened Dos Caminos, in the Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. He's a co-author of Dos Caminos' cookbook, "Mod Mex: Cooking Vibrant Fiesta Flavors at Home" (Andrews McMeel).
Linquist only had our shoestring budget of $40 to work with for his mix, featuring guacamole and chicken tacos. The menu: Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde, Chips and Guacamole, Chipotle-Marinated Chicken Tacos, Tacos Al Pastor with Roasted Pineapple Pico de Gallo, and Kiwi Margarita Raspado with Fruit Ceviche.
FOOD FACTS
Tacos Al Pastor: Similar to the Greek gyro, and translates to "shepard style." Tacos Al Pastor is a dish that was developed in Puebla, México and traditionally is served with grilled pineapple on top. Tacos al pastor, although less-widely available than other styles in fusion Mexican cuisine, are one of the most popular tacos served in taquerias both in Mexico and U.S. Latino neighborhoods.
Pico De Gallo: Pico de gallo, Spanish for "rooster's beak," is the term generally referring to a fresh condiment made from chopped tomato, onion, and chiles (typically jalapeños or serranos). Other ingredients may also be added, such as lime juice, fresh cilantro, avocado, cucumber, or radish. Pico de gallo can be used in much the same way as Mexican salsas or Indian chutneys, but since it is less liquid, it can also be used as a main ingredient in dishes such as tacos and fajitas.
Chipotle: A chipotle is a smoke-dried jalapeño chili used primarily in Mexican, Mexican-American, Tex-Mex, and Mexican-inspired cuisine. Chipotles are a key ingredient that impart a relatively mild, but earthy spiciness to many dishes in Mexican cuisine. The chiles are used to make various salsas. Chipotle chiles can also be ground up and combined with other spices to make a meat marinade known as an adobo.
Raspado: Raspado is similar to a snow cone. You get the granular texture by scraping the ice with a fork several times throughout the freezing process.
Ceviche: Usually, ceviche is a chilled citrus-marinated seafood salad, popular in many Latin American countries. On Saturday, Linquist used a variation of the classic ceviche by replacing the seafood with fresh fruits. His ceviche accompanied the homemade kiwi raspado served as dessert.
RECIPES:
Fresh Guacamole
Serves 4
2 Tbls. finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 Tbls. finely chopped yellow onion
2 Tbls. minced jalapeno or Serrano chilies, seeds and membranes removed if desired
2 Large ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
2 Tbls. cored, seeded, and finely chopped plum tomato
2 tsps. freshly squeezed lime juice
4 Cups warm tortilla chips, for serving
1/2 tsp. Kosher or coarse salt
In a medium-sized bowl or molcajete, manually mash together 1 teaspoon of the cilantro, 1 teaspoon of the yellow onion, 1 teaspoon of the chile, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Add the avocadoes and gently mash with a fork until it is chunky/smooth.
Fold the remaining cilantro, onion, and chile into the mixture.
Stir in the tomato and lime juice, adjust the seasonings to taste and serve with a basket of warm tortilla chips.
That's a great excuse for folks north of the border to indulge in the feast, and The Early Show's "Chef on a Shoestring" served up plenty to get the party started on Saturday.
Scott Linquist is executive chef of the newly-opened Dos Caminos, in the Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. He's a co-author of Dos Caminos' cookbook, "Mod Mex: Cooking Vibrant Fiesta Flavors at Home" (Andrews McMeel).
Linquist only had our shoestring budget of $40 to work with for his mix, featuring guacamole and chicken tacos. The menu: Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde, Chips and Guacamole, Chipotle-Marinated Chicken Tacos, Tacos Al Pastor with Roasted Pineapple Pico de Gallo, and Kiwi Margarita Raspado with Fruit Ceviche.
FOOD FACTS
Tacos Al Pastor: Similar to the Greek gyro, and translates to "shepard style." Tacos Al Pastor is a dish that was developed in Puebla, México and traditionally is served with grilled pineapple on top. Tacos al pastor, although less-widely available than other styles in fusion Mexican cuisine, are one of the most popular tacos served in taquerias both in Mexico and U.S. Latino neighborhoods.
Pico De Gallo: Pico de gallo, Spanish for "rooster's beak," is the term generally referring to a fresh condiment made from chopped tomato, onion, and chiles (typically jalapeños or serranos). Other ingredients may also be added, such as lime juice, fresh cilantro, avocado, cucumber, or radish. Pico de gallo can be used in much the same way as Mexican salsas or Indian chutneys, but since it is less liquid, it can also be used as a main ingredient in dishes such as tacos and fajitas.
Chipotle: A chipotle is a smoke-dried jalapeño chili used primarily in Mexican, Mexican-American, Tex-Mex, and Mexican-inspired cuisine. Chipotles are a key ingredient that impart a relatively mild, but earthy spiciness to many dishes in Mexican cuisine. The chiles are used to make various salsas. Chipotle chiles can also be ground up and combined with other spices to make a meat marinade known as an adobo.
Raspado: Raspado is similar to a snow cone. You get the granular texture by scraping the ice with a fork several times throughout the freezing process.
Ceviche: Usually, ceviche is a chilled citrus-marinated seafood salad, popular in many Latin American countries. On Saturday, Linquist used a variation of the classic ceviche by replacing the seafood with fresh fruits. His ceviche accompanied the homemade kiwi raspado served as dessert.
RECIPES:
Fresh Guacamole
Serves 4
2 Tbls. finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 Tbls. finely chopped yellow onion
2 Tbls. minced jalapeno or Serrano chilies, seeds and membranes removed if desired
2 Large ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
2 Tbls. cored, seeded, and finely chopped plum tomato
2 tsps. freshly squeezed lime juice
4 Cups warm tortilla chips, for serving
1/2 tsp. Kosher or coarse salt
In a medium-sized bowl or molcajete, manually mash together 1 teaspoon of the cilantro, 1 teaspoon of the yellow onion, 1 teaspoon of the chile, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Add the avocadoes and gently mash with a fork until it is chunky/smooth.
Fold the remaining cilantro, onion, and chile into the mixture.
Stir in the tomato and lime juice, adjust the seasonings to taste and serve with a basket of warm tortilla chips.
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