A la carte: Spice up the big game with south of the Border themed snacks

Instead of having beer and wings on Super Bowl Sunday, try serving Mexican dishes for a south of the Border themed party. Make a big batch of tacos, enchiladas or quesadillas to serve along side these great dishes. If margaritas are too fancy for the big game, buy a case of Mexican beer and chill ahead of time.
If your party is rather small you can cut the recipes in half, or enjoy the leftovers on Monday.

Guacamole
4 ripe Haas avocados
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
8 dashes hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium tomato, seeded, and small-diced
Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of their shells into a large bowl. Immediately add the lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss well. Mash together and add onion and tomato. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper.

Chile Con Queso, Revved Up
2 lb package Velveeta Cheese
1 lb package Hot Breakfast Sausage
1⁄2 large onion
1 regular can Rotel (either Regular or Extra Hot)
1 7-oz can diced green chilies
1 to 3 finely diced jalapeno peppers, optional.
Chop the onion and brown with the breakfast sausage. Drain excess fat from pan. Cut Velveeta into cubes and add to warm skillet. Add Rotel and green chilies, and stir together over low heat until mixture is melted. Add finely diced jalapenos, stir together, and serve warm with tortilla chips. Serve in a crock-pot, stirring frequently. Queso can be frozen flat in Ziploc bags and reheated.

Aunt Gail’s Salsa
You can serve this as a side salad or with chips as a salsa.

(Heather Holland / Western Herald) Aunt Gail’s Salsa

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can sweet corn, drained
½ cup chopped green pepper
½ cup chopped red pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
Dressing:
1 cup sugar
½ vegetable oil
¾ cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Combine dressing ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for two minutes. Remove from heat and cool. When cool, pour over vegetables and beans, cover and refrigerate overnight. Drain most of the juice before serving.

Mexican Rice
2 ripe tomatoes (about 12 ounces), cored and quartered
1 medium onion, preferably white, peeled, trimmed of root end, and quartered
3 medium jalapeno chilies
2 cups long grain white rice
1/3 cup canola oil
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 ½ teaspoons table salt
½ cup minced fresh cilantro leaves (I omitted this)
1 lime, cut into wedges for serving
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Process tomatoes and onion in food processor until smooth and thoroughly pureed, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl if necessary. Transfer mixture to liquid measuring cup; you should have 2 cups (if necessary, spoon off excess so that volume equals 2 cups). Remove ribs and seeds from 2 jalapeños and discard; mince flesh and set aside. Mince remaining jalapeño, including ribs and seeds; set aside.
Place rice in large fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear, about 1 1/2 minutes. Shake rice vigorously in strainer to remove all excess water.

Heat oil in heavy-bottomed oven safe 12-inch straight-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven with tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat, 1 to 2 minutes. Drop 3 or 4 grains rice in oil; if grains sizzle, oil is ready. Add rice and fry, stirring frequently, until rice is light golden and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and seeded minced jalapeños; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in pureed tomatoes and onions, chicken broth, tomato paste, and salt; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil. Cover pan and transfer to oven; bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring well after 15 minutes.

Stir in cilantro and reserved minced jalapeño with seeds to taste. Serve immediately, passing lime wedges separately.

Emeril’s Layered Margaritas
12-ounce can frozen limeade
1 1/2 cups premium 100 percent agave tequila
3/4 cup Grand Marnier, or triple sec
Ice
8 lime wedges
1/2 cup coarse salt
1 cup strawberry puree, recipe follows
1 cup mango puree, recipe follows
4 strawberries
4 mango slices

In a blender, combine limeade, tequila, and Grand Marnier. Fill with ice and blend until smooth. Place the coarse salt in a shall dish or saucer. Wet the rim of 4 glasses with a lime wedge and dip the glass into the salt to coat.

Pour about 1/4 cup of the margarita into each glass. Top with about 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree. Top with more margarita followed by the mango puree. Top with the remaining margarita. Garnish with a strawberry on the rim of the glass and a slice of mango.

Strawberry puree:
2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons sugar

Combine ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, just until the mixture will puree. Puree should be thick.

Mango Puree:
6 mangoes, seeded, peeled and sliced
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons sugar

Combine ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, just until the mixture will puree smoothly. Puree should be thick.

Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=3516

Posted by HeraldAdmin on Jan 29 2009. Filed under Recipe, Weekend Scene. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
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