A Cinco de Mayo V!VAlicious Recipe
Published on May 3, 2021
We don’t need a reason for Mexican food or margaritas, but if we did, Cinco de Mayo is the perfect opportunity to celebrate and enjoy a V!VAlicious Mexican dish and cocktail provided by V!VA Whitby Shores’ Executive Chef, Robert, and Culinary Services Manager, Kelly.
Enjoy this recipe with family and friends in the spirit of this traditional holiday!
Beef Carnitas
Olive Oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 pounds beef stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 large, unpeeled orange wedge
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add beef; sauté 5 minutes or until beef is browned on all sides. Stir in broth, sugar, salt, and pepper; nestle orange section into beef mixture. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 ½ hours or until beef is tender. Remove from heat and discard orange. Continue simmering, uncovered, 8 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.
Avocado Crème
2 avocados, peels and seeds removed
6 sprigs fresh cilantro (you can include the stems; if you just want to use cilantro leaves, you’ll need about 1 cup of lightly packed leaves)
1/2 cup sour cream (see note)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
Juice from 1 lime
Combine avocados, cilantro, sour cream, salt, water, and lime juice in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add more water, if needed, until the crema is still thick but pours easily off a spoon. Taste the crema and add some more lime juice or salt, if needed. If you’d like some spice add a pinch of cayenne pepper or some hot sauce.
Apple Cabbage Slaw
2 apples, shredded
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
2 green onions sliced
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried dillweed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Core but do not peel apples. shred apples toss together apples, cabbage, carrot, and onions.
Whisk together vinegar, oil, water, sugar, mustard, salt, dill weed, and pepper; pour over vegetables and toss to coat well. Let stand for at least 15 minutes or for up to 6 hours.
Pico De Gallo
1 cup finely chopped white onion (about 1 small onion)
1 medium jalapeño or serrano pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped (decrease or omit if sensitive to spice, or add another if you love heat)
¼ cup lime juice
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, more to taste
1 ½ lbs ripe red tomatoes (about 8 small or 4 large), chopped
½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (about 1 bunch)
In a medium serving bowl, combine the chopped onion, jalapeño, lime juice, and salt. Let it marinate for about 5 minutes while you chop the tomatoes and cilantro. Add the chopped tomatoes and cilantro to the bowl and stir to combine. Taste, and add more salt if the flavors don’t quite sing. For the best flavor, let the mixture marinate for 15 minutes or several hours in the refrigerator. Serve as a dip, or with a slotted spoon or large serving fork to avoid transferring too much watery tomato juice with your Pico. Pico de Gallo keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.
Margarita
Coarse sea salt
Silver tequila 1.5 oz.
Triple sec .5 oz.
Margarita mix, or fresh lime juice with simple syrup
Lime
Splash of club soda (optional)
You will need a cocktail shaker a tall glass and a good amount of ice to begin.
Line the rim of your glass with lime juice; you can use your fresh lime wedge for this.
Tip your glass into the course sea salt to create a salted rim.
In a cocktail shaker, add a good amount of ice cubes, and 1 1/2 ounce of tequila, and 1/2 ounce triple sec. and pour approximately 5 to 6 ounces of your margarita mix.
Secure the lid on your cocktail shaker and shake vigorously until you can feel the tin very cold on the outside.
Fill your salted glass with ice cubes then pour your cocktail mix.
Top with a splash of club soda or 7-Up if you desire a sweeter taste.
Garnish with a lime wedge and a straw.
