Hola - it's a phiesta!

When a teenager asks to have a party many images leap into the mind of a parent.  Most of them are ones you don't wish to play out in your home.  Our children therefore steer away from the party word and instead suggest they would like to arrange a small gathering to celebrate their birthday or the end of exams or whatever.  I always call this thing "not a party" - until Phoebe & I were sitting down to discuss the food preparations for this year's birthday "not a party".   Her favourite cuisine is Mexican and as the event morphed from a planned barbeque and salad to a Mexican evening I coined the term Phiesta.  She made me promise not to say it in public, so this is just between us.  Don't tell anyone.
All good events start (and/or finish) with a cocktail (see last week's entry) so we began the evening with the ubiquitous Margarita.  I always thought I didn't like this drink and was pleased to see the back of a bottle of tequila which had been lurking since Phoebe made a batch of Margarita cupcakes a year or two ago.  It turns out I was mistaken and we now have to replace the bottle. 
To make the perfect Margarita, fill a glass with ice, add 1 1/2 oz tequila, 1 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz cointreau.  Stir until chilled.  You can make this in a salt rimmed glass or not.  Just one and you too will be planning a phiesta.
I should note that you need to buy a good quantity of limes, chillis of various kinds & avocados.  We started with tostaditas.  These involved topping good quality round corn chips (we used Mexicano) with a salsa, morsel of something meaty and a pinch of salad.  The first was prawns tossed in garlic & olive oil then sauteed.  This was assembled with a dab of almond salsa on the corn chip,  then a couple of shreds of iceberg lettuce, a small slice or two of perfectly ripened avocado. Then the prawn, another dollop of salsa & a sprinkling of finely chopped coriander or if like me you are averse, flat leaf parsley.  I used prawn cutlets & removed the tails after cooking. 
Make a quantity of almond salsa - it will be popular as a dip.  Take 2 dried guajillo chillis & tap out the seeds.  Soak them in boiling water for half an hour.  I bought them at Moore Wilson or you can probably buy them on line.  When they are done soaking, roughly chop them & blend them in a processor with 2/3 cup sour cream (I use Zany Zeus), 1/2 cup blanched roasted almonds, 1/2 cup grated cheddar, 2 tbsp coriander/ parsley, zest of a lime plus 3 tsp juice, salt & pepper.  Add more lime juice to taste & to get to a consistency you like.
Second tostadita was chicken.  Cut a chicken breast in half to get two thin flat pieces. Marinade in 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 clove crushed garlic, salt & pepper.  This is enough for two breasts.  Cook the chicken in a pan until golden and slice or shred.
To assemble, spread the corn chip with refried beans then top with a slice or 2 of chicken, a dollop of lime crema then top with a little pile of julienned radish & coriander/parsley.
To make refried beans, heat a little oil in a pan and soften 1 finely chopped onion with 2 cloves crushed garlic.  Add 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 tsp finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and cook for a couple of minutes.  If any teenagers mistake the chilles for tomatoes & eat three before realising the error, a glass of milk will help.  Don't ask me how you get three down before you notice they're not tomatoes! Back to the pan.  Add 2 tins of beans - you could use pintos or really whatever YOU like.  I used Westbrae organic chilli beans which was a mix of black, pinto & kidney - not flavoured which the label suggested but I assume intended for use in chilli or refried beans.  Cook gently for a few minutes to heat through then crush half the beans with a fork or other mashing implement.  Don't be precise - you just want some beans mashed & some not.  Stir through coriander/ parsley and 2 tbsp sour cream.  Oh, and add parsley/coriander to the list above.
To make the lime crema, mix 1/2 cup sour cream with 1/2 cup thick yoghurt, 1 clove crushed garlic, zest of a lime, 1 tbsp lime juice, salt & pepper.
I made an interesting dip with tomatillos & avocados.  I have sometimes bought tomatillos fresh at Moore Wilson but on this occasion I had to buy tinned.   Blend the tin of drained tomatillos with 1/2 cup coriander/parsley, 1 clove crushed garlic, 2 avocados, 2 tbsp lime juice, salt & pepper, tabasco to taste.
When I make guacamole I usually just mash avocados with a splash of lemon or lime & some hot sauce.  I went to a bit more trouble and the result was amazing.  Pound 1/2 small very finely chopped red onion, 1 lge finely chopped red chilli, 1 clove crushed garlic, 1/2 cup finely chopped coriander/parsley, 1 tsp sea salt, in a pestle & mortar until you have a smoothish thick paste.  I initially tried to blend it but you really need to go down the pounding path.  Transfer to a large bowl & scoop in 2 large perfectly ripened avocados with lime juice to get the taste & consistency you want.  Fold in some extra of the green herb you are using
For the main event we did tacos filled with pork carnitas and a vegan version with refried beans (sans sour cream).  I got 1 1/2 kilos pork shoulder, skin off, fat on, and cut it into approx 3 cm chunks.  Put it into a large roasting pan and toss with 2 cloves crushed garlic, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp sea salt, 2 tbsp water & cover tightly with foil.  Braise at 170 for an hour and a half.  It will be exceedingly tender.  When it's cooled remove the fat and drain off most of the liquid - leave about 2 tbsp.  I made this the day before & refrigerated overnight.  To serve put the pork in a saute pan & sprinkle over 2 tbsp soft brown sugar.  Cook over a high heat until the meat is golden brown & caramelised then sprinkle over the juice of a lime & let it bubble up.
We put dishes of the pork, beans, all the dips, a dish of shredded lettuce, and a pico de gallo on the table with plates and pieces of parchment paper (for ease of handling and left them to have what they wanted. 
Pico de gallo is a fresh tomato salsa.  Dice 2 cups tomatoes  - if they seem liquidy, sprinkle on a little salt & leave them to drain in a colander for 1/2 an hour.  Combine them with 1 clove crushed garlic, 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion, 1 finely chopped red chilli, 1/2 cup finely chopped green herb, juice of a lime, olive oil - I used Olivo's chilli infused - salt & pepper.
For afters, I made a chocolate cinnamon chilli cake.  This is sooo easy & so delicious.  Melt 200g butter & 200g dark chocolate in a large bowl over a pan of hot water.  Use the bowl you are going to mix the cake in. Stir in 1 cup caster sugar & 1 tsp vanilla extract & leave to cool.  Mix in 4 lightly beaten eggs, 2 tbsp flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cayenne.  Pour into a greased, lined 20cm cake tin and bake 25 mins at 170.  It may not seemed cooked but you want a delicate almost crisp crusty top with something sludge-like within.  Leave to cool completely in the tin.
 To serve dust with icing sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp each cocoa & cinammon.  I think it would be nice to dust over a paper doily to make a pretty design but we didn't appear to have one.  Must buy some.  Serve with whipped cream infused with vanilla extract, and candied pepitas.
Pepitas are pumpkin seeds.  Combine an egg white (not beaten) with 1/2 cup caster sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon & 70g pumpkin seeds.  Spread this on a lined baking tray & bake at 170 for 10 mins turning once.  To turn it I laid another piece of paper over the top & flipped it then peeled off the first piece.  It was still a bit sticky in parts but it crisps up when cooled.  Break it into bits to serve.
We also served Margarita cupcakes - the vegan version.  These called for coloured sugar crystals & it just happened that we had bought Phoebe a tin of these from Dean & De Luca in NYC.
And in case you were wondering, in spite of the Margaritas and Corona beer served with lime wedges and eating slightly messy food on their knees, the house looked almost as tidy when the phiesta-goers left as when they arrived.  When one reveller came into the kitchen looking for something to mop up a spill, Peter asked how large, wondering whether to provide a sheet of paper towel or the whole roll.  The response - approximately 50 millilitres!