By Barbara Beltrami
Ola! When I sat down to write this column and realized it would be published on Cinco de Mayo, I couldn’t resist sharing with you some recipes for popular food from Latinx friends. My repertoire for this type of cuisine is not all that extensive, but here are 3 favorite recipes that will help make Cinco de Mayo a delicious celebration.
Consuelo’s Shrimp Fajitas
YIELD: Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 pounds fresh large shrimp
8 fajita flour tortillas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced into rings
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2” strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2” strips
1 orange or yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/2” strips
3 canned chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce, diced
2 tablespoons chipotle sauce from can
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Peel and devein shrimp and remove tails. Warm tortillas In medium skillet and set aside to keep warm; heat oil over medium-high heat; add onion and bell peppers and saute, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add shrimp and cook another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they start to turn pink. Finally, add the chipotle peppers and sauce, lemon juice and brown sugar, stir and cook another minute.
Place tortillas on individual plates, spoon shrimp mixture in center of each one and serve immediately with sour cream, red or green salsa, shredded cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce and guacamole.
Juanita’s Grilled Grouper Tacos
YIELD: Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound grouper filets, washed, patted dry
One 24-ounce bottle ceviche marinade
1/2 small head green or red cabbage, cored and coarsely shredded
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of one freshly squeezed lime
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
8 flour tacos
DIRECTIONS:
In a nonreactive bowl combine fish and marinade; make sure that fish is completely submerged, cover and refrigerate for 2 t 4 hours. Drain fish and discard marinade. In a medium bowl thoroughly combine cabbage, onion, most but not all of the cilantro, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the lime juice, oil, salt and pepper, 1/2 a teaspoon each of the coriander and cumin; cover and refrigerate.
In a small bowl whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise and remaining cilantro, lime juice and spices; vigorously whisk, then cover and refrigerate.
Grease grill grates, then pre-heat to medium-high; add fish to hot grates, grill, turning once, for about 6 to 8 minutes, until charred on the outside and opaque on the inside. Flipping once, add tortillas to grill to warm, about 30 seconds, slightly charred. Place fish in center of each tortilla, top with cabbage mixture and add sour cream-mayonnaise mixture. Serve with ice cold Mexican beer.
Nestor’s Chicken Quesadillas
YIELD: Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 bell peppers (any color), cleaned and thinly sliced into rings
1 medium onion, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 pound chicken tenders
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon zataar
4 medium flour or corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Manchego cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
4 scallions, clean and sliced
DIRECTIONS:
In a large skillet over medium high heat, warm one tablespoon oil and add peppers, onion, salt and pepper; cook 5 minutes or until, soft. Remove from skillet and set aside to keep warm. Season chicken with salt, pepper and spices, and heat another tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add chicken and, stirring occasionally, cook until golden, about 8 minutes; remove and set aside to keep warm.
Reduce heat to medium-low; heat remaining tablespoon oil; place one tortilla in skillet, add 1/4 each of pepper and onion mixture, chicken, cheeses, avocado and scallions to top half of tortilla. Fold other half over filling and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Repeat procedure with remaining 3 tortillas. Cut into wedges; serve with sour cream, salsa and a green salad.
