Fresco y Verde

¡Feliz cinco de mayo!

How many of you know the story behind the celebration that is cinco de mayo? I see a few hands raised out there, but contrary to popular belief, it is NOT Mexican Independence Day! That’s September 16. Cinco de mayo commemorates the win of a small army in the town of Puebla during the Mexican war for independence against the French in the 1860s. It’s not a huge celebration in Mexican communities in the United States, but rather a day that’s an excuse to celebrate. It’s also not a large celebration anywhere but in the town of Puebla in Mexico!

There you have it. Your Spanish culture lesson for the day. And now for a bit of grammar: you may notice that I only capitalized the “F” in my greeting above rather than writing it Feliz Cinco de Mayo as we would in English. This is because in Spanish, only the first letters of holidays are capitalized, and days and months are never capitalized unless they begin a sentence.

Ok, ok, I’ll take my Spanish teacher “hat” off now.

You all knew that the foodie Spanish teacher blogger would make Mexican food for dinner tonight. You could’ve seen it a mile away, right? Well, you’re right! I had a few things brewing in my head over the last few days, and they came together tonight in a lovely harmony.

First, I made some homemade salsa verde (or green salsa, for you gringos out there).

Roast at 425 degrees for about 40 minutes:

* 2 large poblano peppers, whole

* 2 jalapeño peppers whole with stems removed

* 1 lb. tomatillos, husked and rinsed

* 2 cloves garlic

Then process in a food processor or blender with:

* 1 onion

* 1 clove garlic

* 1/4 c. cilantro

* juice of 2 limes

* salt

Chill and enjoy!

What did I enjoy with my salsa verde? I roasted a lovely pork tenderloin in a chili-lime marinade (I would’ve preferred to grill, but our gas grill is acting funny and won’t go above 350 degrees!) and also made a friend’s recipe for Mexican rice. I’ll post that recipe as soon as I get her clearance to…and if I don’t get permission, sorry! It’s her family recipe! I made myself a platter that I’m sure I’ll be dreaming about in days to come.

Chile-lime pork tenderloin

salsa verde

avocado

sour cream (fat free of course)

limes

Mexican rice

Tortillas on the side

I think I need a miniature ice cream, or perhaps a cake in a bowl… Cake in a bowl makes me miss Ericka, which makes me miss Portland, which makes me think of Andrea and Mama Pea… oh word association…when I go there, it’s definitely time for rest.

¡Que tengan una noche buena, y una mañana fantástica! (I hope you have a great evening, and a fantastic tomorrow!) It just sounds better in Spanish, doesn’t it?

Tagged as: chiles, dinner, food, fun, holiday, Mexican, pork, rice, simple, simple recipe, spicy, spring