GOYA products approached us again for a fun cooking post for Cinco de Mayo. And I said of course we’ll do it!

I’ve said before, I’m not a trained cook, but my love for cooking is strong. And fixing a dish for Cinco de Mayo would be fun.

Cinco de Mayo means many different things to many people. Here in the U.S.A. it’s about parties and drinking—and I don’t have a problem with that, except that I like to think more about the reason behind the day. To me, it’s a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican Army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867). It is not a huge holiday in Mexico, but over the years it has become a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage in the U.S.A.

Adding some mole flavors to the carne–ground turkey and pork with seasonings.

Now with the history of Cinco de Mayo behind us, I’ve chosen a dish that has flavors of a mole that’s fun to share with family and friends. To do a real mole, it takes time to prep and cook slowly. My quick version from start to serving takes roughly three hours. As most cooks know, the prep portion sometimes take more time than the actual cooking.

In this dish I used ground turkey and pork with Goya’s seasonings (garlic, comino, oregano), salt and pepper. I melted down some chocolate with 75% and 90% cacao with chili flakes and cayenne pepper, while Goya’s chile ancho soaked in some hot water.

In a sauté pan I had some leeks going and in the blender there were whole roasted tomatoes waiting for the chile anchos to join them with a little lime juice and añejo tequila.

The final dishes

The chopped almonds, sesame seeds and leeks are mixed into meat (see photos). At the end, I ended up with two tasty dishes: carne over leftover mac and cheese, and two tostadas with Goya’s refried black beans, plain yogurt (or sour cream), and meat. Both were garnished with Jicama, limejuice, queso fresco,and a little paprika. For dessert, pumpkin ice cream.

I also thought it would be fun to suggest a few films to enjoy for the day or evening.

Here’s the list:

• For the kids – Moana, Kubo, Zootopia, Finding Dory, The Jungle Book or The BFG.
• For the older crowd – La La Land, Rings, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Puerto Ricans in Paris, Doctor Strange, or Mad Max Anthology.

As a sentimental favorite, it would be nice to watch the original 1931 Spanish-language version of Drácula, starring Mexican actress Lupita Tovar–the same Lupita Tovar who starred in Santa, Mexico’s first talkie, eighty-five years ago. She was actress Susan Kohner’s mother and grandmother to filmmakers Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz. Tovar passed on November 12, 2016 at the age of 106. — A.O.

Photos: ©2017 Angela María Ortíz S.