Cinco de Mayo is more than a day to eat tacos and drink margaritas.
The fifth of May commemorates the victory over invading French forces at the battle of Puebla in 1862, a day of pride celebrated in the U.S. by Mexican communities in California since the Civil War. The celebration didn’t become mainstream until savvy marketers and brewers back in the 1980s promoted it as a day to party hardy comparable to St. Patrick’s Day.
Cinco de Mayo has become the unofficial kickoff to summer, the harbinger of warm-weather entertaining, which is reason enough to throw a fiesta filled with Mexican foods, beers and libations. It’s a feat more easily accomplished, thanks to the abundance of authentic commercially produced Mexican foods.
Counted as a vital ingredient and the first Mexican product on the market are canned chiles. The base of countless Mexican dishes, chiles were the first packaged in 1890 by Emilio Ortega, the founder of Ortega Foods. Ortega based his packaged products on his mother’s authentic recipes that date to the time of the Battle of Puebla – recipes any home cook can successfully recreate for a home fiesta.
Cinco De Mayo lands on a Sunday this year, a bonus for local restaurants and destinations hosting events, as it stretches the holiday into a three-day weekend. Here are some picks to toast Cinco de Mayo and the upcoming summer:
Arzola’s Fajitas + Margaritas is celebrating Cinco de Mayo and the restaurant’s second anniversary. The double celebrations kick off on Friday, May 3, and runs through Monday, May 6. Join Arzola’s free Queso Club and beat the rush with early access from 11 a.m. to noon on Friday and Saturday.
Westport Plaza Cinco de Mayo, Sunday, May 5, will debut the new green space created at the center of the re-born district. Westport’s first outdoor event will kick off at noon with live acts playing throughout the day. On the green space, look for lawn games and convenient bars serving margaritas. Great restaurants ringing the plaza include Fuzzy’s Taco Shop with more than 30 flavor combinations of margaritas and beer-itas, Trainwreck Saloon, and Westport Social.
The second annual Delmar Loop Taco Crawl will take place on Sunday, May 5, from 4 to 8 p.m. Check in at the Moonrise Hotel and get a passport good for one margarita and five tacos from five participating Loop businesses. Eclipse Restaurant at the Moonrise is serving Blackened Tilapia Tacos with cilantro lime crema and a frozen margarita with Libelula Blanco Tequila. The Loop Peacock Diner will celebrate with homemade Tamales and Tacos al Pastor, as well as Aqua Fresca de Pina to quench any thirst. Magic Mini Golf and Pin Up Bowl join the fun with more Mexican-inspired specialties. Return to the Moonrise Hotel for the after-party.
SqWires’ Livin’ la Vida Loca in Lafayette Square celebrates Cinco de Mayo with house-made tamales featuring traditional flavor combinations, including cheese and jalapeno, chicken with green sauce or pork with red sauce. Grab-and-go Jalapeno Margaritas are available in the Market at SqWires, along with tortilla chips, tequila, local salsas and Peach Jalapeno Shrub, perfect to flavor the margaritas, courtesy of Heirloom Bottling.
Celebrating at home? In honor of Cinco de Mayo, Ortega Foods has shared the following recipe with Gazelle readers:
Stuffed Poblano Peppers
6 large poblano peppers, sliced in half lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed
1 tablespoon oil
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 package Ortega Taco seasoning, mild or spicy
1 cup cooked white rice
1 cups black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
1 (15 ounce can) diced tomatoes
1 ½ cups shredded jack cheese or queso blanco
2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Lay peppers on the pan in a singe layer, drizzle oil over them and bake for 10 minutes.
To make filling, heat the tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Add garlic and taco seasoning, along with 2 tablespoons of water. Mix together, then add rice, black beans, corn and tomatoes. Add ¾ of the cheese, then divide filling among peppers. Top with remaining cheese and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
