Recipes for the fifth of May
Eight dishes that make a full table, from a starter to a drink. Every recipe scales to the number of people you are feeding.
Guacamole
Starter · serves 4 · 15 minutes · vegetarian
The word comes from the Nahuatl for avocado sauce. The classic version is chunky, sharp and made in a mortar, with nothing in it that hides the avocado.
Salsa roja asada
Starter · serves 8 · 25 minutes · vegetarian
A charred table salsa. Roasting the tomatoes, chiles and garlic dry gives a smoky depth that a raw salsa cannot match.
Tinga poblana
Main · serves 6 · 1 hour
Shredded meat in a smoky, tomatoey chipotle sauce, a dish of Puebla that has spread across Mexico. Pile it on tostadas or into tortillas.
Mexican red rice
Side · serves 6 · 45 minutes · vegetarian
Fluffy, tomato-tinted rice, fried before it is simmered. The frying step keeps the grains separate.
Esquites
Street snack · serves 6 · 25 minutes · vegetarian
Corn kernels cooked in a pan, then dressed in a cup with mayonnaise, cheese, chile and lime. It is the cup version of elote, the grilled corn on the cob.
Poblano strips in cream
Side · serves 4 · 35 minutes · vegetarian
Roasted poblano chiles cooked with onion and cream. Spoon it into tortillas, or serve beside grilled meat.
Hibiscus cooler
Drink · serves 8 · 25 minutes · vegetarian
Dried hibiscus flowers steeped into a tart, ruby drink. It is sold from big glass jars at taquerias across Mexico.
Horchata
Drink · serves 8 · 20 minutes plus soaking · vegetarian
A creamy chilled rice drink with cinnamon. The Mexican version is made from rice rather than the tiger nuts of Spain.
Planning for a crowd? The fiesta planner turns a guest count into quantities and a timeline.