Let’s Talk Food: Today is Cinco de Mayo

Today, May 5, is not only Children’s Day but also Cinco de Mayo, and a great reason to have a Mexican dinner tonight.

To start, an appetizer of shrimp and octopus seems to be in order.

Coctel de Cameron y Pulpo

Serves: 8

Bring to a simmer in 6 cups cold water:

8 ounces octopus, cleaned

2 bay leaves

1/3 large onion, peeled and chopped

Reduce heat and gently simmer until octopus is tender, about one hour.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer octopus to a bowl and reserve 1 1/2 cups cooking broth. Hold octopus under running cold water and rub off skin. Cut onto 1/2-inch pieces.

Increase heat in pot to high, bringing octopus broth to boil. Add:

1 pound medium shrimp

Cook one minute. Remove pot from heat, pour broth into a bowl, cover pot with shrimp, allowing them to “steam” for five minutes. Fill pot with cold water to stop further cooking.

Drain into colander, peel, discarding peels and tails.

Combine in a small bowl:

3/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup hot sauce, preferably Mexican hot sauce

Set aside.

Combine in a large bowl the shrimp, octopus and:

1 small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

2/3 large onion, peeled and chopped fine

3/4 cup ketchup/hot sauce mixture

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 1/2 cups reserved cooking liquid

Mix well, season with salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Just before serving, pit, peel and slice:

1 large avocado

Spoon shrimp and octopus mixture into small bowls and top each with avocado slices and spoonful of remaining ketchup/hot sauce mixture.

An easy chicken burrito would be to purchase a cooked rotisserie chicken on your way home from work this afternoon, along with flour tortillas, a can of black beans, salsa and shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

Chicken and Black Bean Burrito

Serves: 4

In a small saucepan, bring to a boil:

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Stir in:

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken breast

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Combine:

3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup refrigerated fresh salsa

Have ready:

4 (8-inch) flour tortillas

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Cooking spray

Spoon 1/4 cup bean mixture and 1/2 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese, roll up.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add two burritos. Place a heavy skillet on top of burritos and cook for three minutes on each side. Remove from pan and repeat procedure for other two burritos.

For drinks, my favorite is agua de hibiscus, or hibiscus tea. At many Mexican restaurants, (check out Maui Tacos at the Prince Kuhio Plaza), there are two drinks to choose from, agua de hibiscus and horchata (cinnamon rice milk).

Agua de Hibiscus, or Hibiscus Tea

Makes: 1 quart

Place in a medium saucepan:

4 cups water

3/4 cup sugar

Add:

1/2 cinnamon stick

2 thin slices fresh ginger

4 whole allspice berries

Bring to boil. Remove from heat and stir in:

1 cup dried hibiscus flowers

Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Strain into pitcher and discard the hibiscus and spices.

Serve with ice.

Horchata

Serves: 6-8

Combine in blender, pulse to coarsely grind:

4 cups water

1 cup long-grain white rice, rinsed

Transfer to a large bowl, add another 4 cups water, soak at room temperature for three hours.

Puree rice mixture in a blender in batches until smooth. Stain through a fine sieve into a pitcher. Mix in:

1/2 cup sugar, or to taste

Chill. Just before serving, stir horchata. Pour into ice-filled glasses, garnish with:

Cinnamon sticks

Dusting of Mexican ground cinnamon.

Small bites

Here are some ingredients used in Mexican cooking you might be wondering about:

• CAL is calcium hydroxide, or slaked lime or masons lime, that is boiled with field corn to prepare it for masa or corn dough.

• Canela is a cassia, or true cinnamon, and is softer in texture and flavor than the cinnamon we know.

• Hojas de milpa are corn leaves and are easier to spread the masa to make tamales than corn husks because they are smooth.

• Manteca is lard.

• Masa harina is powdered hydrated masa.

• Queso anejo is aged cow’s milk cheese. It is crumbly and has a sharp Parmesan flavor.

•••

“Kodomo No Hi,” or Children’s Day, became a national holiday in 1948 in Japan and is observed on the fifth day of the fifth month. It is a day to celebrate children’s personalities and happiness.

On our recent trip to Kyoto, we planned to buy “koi nobori,” or carp, for our new grandson, Quentin, who is nearly 3 months old. The Chinese first started this tradition as they believed the carp swam upstream and became a dragon. There usually is one koi for the father, one for the mother and one each for the children.

The department stores all have a section for Children’s Day. There are “kintaro,” or dolls, and “kabuto,” or helmets, that are displayed to show strength of their children. We had sticker shock as went through looking at the miniature helmets and dolls. They were in the thousands of dollars and our friend, Eina, said grandparents bought these items as most parents with young children could not afford them.

Traditionally, mocha wrapped in “kashiwa,” or oak leaves, are served. My friend, Noko Yoshida, said it is traditional to serve the newborn grains of very soft rice.

Email me at audreywilson 808@gmail.com if you have questions.