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Oscar2

Dec 1, 2007, 9:28 AM

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Christmas Dinner?

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December 1st, Christmas is just around the corner and since my good Mother’s got to old to host the family gatherings, traditionally for the last 12 years or so, the whole family celebrates Christmas to my house. Thanksgiving is held at my sisters house and its then we pick a name as to who we give presents to.

In addition, we usually discuss what to make for Christmas dinner. This year, we wanted to get away from the traditional turkey and/or ham and go Mexican. So we’re thinking, tamales, frijoles, arroz, salsa, tortillas, maybe menudo with all the accoutrements, and/or chili verde. Not sure.

I wanted to bring, get or make something really down home Mexican. How about rompope, or maybe Buñuelos (what are Buñuelos and is this appropriate) or churros? I don’t want to over do it but yet needs balance to the meal but I still feel something totally Mexican is missing but can’t guess what it is. Maybe some kind of Mexican appetizer?

If you were providing a family Mexican Christmas dinner for 20 what would you like to serve?

(This post was edited by Oscar2 on Dec 1, 2007, 12:26 PM)

Rolly

Dec 1, 2007, 10:19 AM

Post #2 of 13 (4434 views)

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Re: [Oscar2] Christmas Dinner?

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chorros? = churros?

manuelos? = buñuelos? http://rollybrook.com/bunuelos.htm

Rompope is OK, but how about something a little different? http://rollybrook.com/ponche.htm maybe with rum.

Maybe discada with hot tortillas http://rollybrook.com/discada.htm

For an appetizer, how about ceviche on tostadas?

Rolly Pirate

Anonimo

Dec 1, 2007, 10:55 AM

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Re: [Oscar2] Christmas Dinner?

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Traditional Mexican Christmas Eve dinners often have bacalao* and romeritos**. I can tolerate small amounts of the first but can hardly stand the second. (Although once I had the romeritos in mole, and they wern't so bad.)

How about Mole de Guajalote with camotes a lado?

Provecho,
Anonimo

*Prepared salt cod

**Odd greens, with the unique ability to capture and retain unusual quantities of sand; often served with tortitas de camarón seco; small, fried and highly aromatic patties of ground dried shrimp, breadcrumbs and eggs.

Oscar2

Dec 1, 2007, 12:32 PM

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Re: [Rolly] Christmas Dinner?

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Rolly, thanks for the Buñuelos name fix plus as usual, your well displayed step-by-step pictorial which is always a pleasure. The wife said the Discada looked interesting and it brought to mind something along the lines of lengua. Not sure yet.

Anonimo, Hmm, mole, one of my favorites, always, and I completely forgot about it. Although unintentional memory failure, I think its because I know how hard it is to find just the right mix for that hint of chocolate edged by aromatic spices. Definitely a good one.

If it were you or anyone else doing the dinner layout, what would be on your dinner list?

MazDee

Dec 1, 2007, 6:56 PM

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Re: [Oscar2] Christmas Dinner?

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I like Anonimo's idea of serving a mole, maybe chicken instead of turkey, plus a stuffed roast pork loan (or Rolly's stuffed pork dish) for those who don't like mole. All my cookbooks are packed (I am moving houses in a couple of days) but it seems like Diana Kennedy might have a pork loan with prunes or something else kind of sophisticated to contrast with the mole. Assuming you are NOB, you should use commercial bottled mole paste. Ask your Mexican grocery to recommend one. Then I would like a nice corn custard, something with nopales, lots of tortillas and rice. Beans if you want, but it is a heavy meal! Salsas for sure. To start, some ceviche on tostadas would be nice. I like rompope but would leave it til after dinner. I am full already.

Anonimo

Dec 3, 2007, 5:17 AM

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Re: [Oscar2] Christmas Dinner?

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Oscar; if you have a source for fresh cranberries, you could have a cranberry "pico de gallo" to serve alongside the turkey.

Provecho,
Anonimo

Oscar2

Dec 3, 2007, 9:28 AM

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Re: [MazDee] Christmas Dinner?

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MazDee, quite honestly, this meal preparation and serving stuff is way out of my league. By no stretch of the imagination am I a cook and I’m a bit embarrassed for not having been better at it. Most of my life has been one of being a techy and production. I would have answered sooner but as you suggested I contacted a Mexican grocer to do a little cursory research. So I called my local Torterilla/Carnecería, La Reina 2.

Its “Mexican expat” customer base is in the thousands, due, obviously, to the quality and tremendous assortment of supplied Mexican food. They handle a very large assortment of fresh-daily Pon Dulce, carnitas, tamales, tacos de lengua, Al Pastor, cabeza, chicharrón, platos Mexicanos sabrosos, Menudo, Masa para Tamales and on and on. With all of this readily available I still have decision, decisions to make as to what to put on the table.

Looking toward appetizers, keeping authentic, Mexican candy made of Camote, Cocadas maría o blanca, y ñamecito de leche. I know I probably misspelled but corrections are welcomed. Arroz y leche con canela and even Pastel de Flan is a possibility. If I were to serve Pan Dulce, a favorite, there is a Mexican chocolate which comes in about 2 ½ in. round tablets. When cut up and ground, it is absolutely sinful. To dip Pan Dulce in this hot chocolate is wonderful but I am not allowed to have it based on calorie intake but hey, what the heck, its Christmas.

In addition, the same goes for some very delicious Aguas served and sold in the five-gallon jars on restaurant counters. They are usually Red, Creamy White and Green in color. I think the names are Cochota, Jamaica y Limon. Either Cochota or Ochota, the white Agua in the jar is a favorite. Probably this in a server of some sort would work.

As you can see, upstairs the wheels are turning and starting early will give me more time to keep getting ideas to put something nice on the table for Christmas.

(This post was edited by Oscar2 on Dec 3, 2007, 9:35 AM)

Oscar2

Dec 3, 2007, 10:00 AM

Post #8 of 13 (4345 views)

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Re: [Anonimo] Christmas Dinner?

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Anonimo, yum, cranberry pico de gallo sounds like a great Mexican sub for a traditional dinner but the family decided to do something a bit different this year. In the 12 years we’ve been having Christmas dinners for the family, its always been turkey, and ham. On some occasions, I believe we had pork roast and prime rib.

You know, quite honestly we have other dinners here as well, like for Mothers day and birthdays. What we have been noticing allot is we put out such a large assortment of appetizers and adorn them in these fancy little plates with dips and all that goes with it, everyone that comes over picks and picks and picks and by the time the meal is served, they’re just not that hungry any more. So routinely, we divvy up a bunch of left over’s and the different family members take it home for another time.

This year, it will be buffet style and I believe we should cut back on all those appetizers.

esperanza

Dec 3, 2007, 10:42 AM

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Re: [Oscar2] Christmas Dinner?

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Might be less expensive and less work in the long run to cut back on the pork roast and the ham and the turkey and just have a few more appetizers!

Man, you'd have to put a bunch of sugar in those cranberries to make anything approaching an edible "pico de gallo" with them. But if you'd like to try a traditional pico de gallo (as an appetizer, of course), here's a recipe for the real deal:

Pico de Gallo
(Rooster's Beak)

1 jícama, peeled and diced 1/4"
2 navel oranges, peeled and diced 1/2"
1 chile serrano (or more, per your family's tolerance for picante), minced fine
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
sea salt to taste

Mix all ingredients in a ceramic or glass bowl and allow to rest in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours. Mmm...delicioso!

Provecho!

PS: That white creamy drink you mentioned is horchata, made from rice and cinnamon.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

(This post was edited by esperanza on Dec 3, 2007, 10:45 AM)

MazDee

Dec 3, 2007, 2:35 PM

Post #10 of 13 (4326 views)

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Re: [Oscar2] Christmas Dinner?

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Oscar, I guess I was mentally planning my own buffet, not yours, sorry! Your original idea of tamales and beans sounds equally delicious. Along with that, how about having a couple of taco fillings and toppings for do-it-yourself tacos, like carnitas and maybe carne asada or lengua (or whatever your shop does best). Lots of tortillas. And a dessert selection for your sweet tooth. (I have a feeling you definitely want to leave room for the sweets! I am one of those who has another tamale instead. My guests are lucky to get ice cream, unless someone brings a dessert). BTW, I noticed a horchata mix when I was in a Mexican grocery in Oregon, so you can probably get that where you are, and make some.
Whatever you do should be great. Buen provecho.

Oscar2

Dec 4, 2007, 12:05 PM

Post #11 of 13 (4296 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Christmas Dinner?

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Might be less expensive and less work in the long run to cut back on the pork roast and the ham and the turkey and just have a few more appetizers!

Esperanza, oh boy, your appetizer plan sounds filling, sinister and absolutely delicious. Your Pico de Gallo sounds very tasty. I spoke to my son about it and he said he’s also had some very tasty Mango Pico de Gallo. If this isn’t enough, well, I called my La Reina 2, (local Torterilla/Carnecería) and spoke to the sales lady about a number of Mexican dishes.

MazDee, since Chile Verde is a consideration, the lady at La Reina said they would be open Christmas day. If we liked she would have their cooks make us up a fresh batch of Chile Verde (salsa only) and sell it to us fresh for $3.99 US per quart. My wife will make pork roast, then slice it up into small pieces, add it to the Chili Verde and let it simmer until the juices marinate well into the pork. If it were you making the Chili Verde, is there something special or different you enjoy adding to it?

The lady also mentioned that they sell Flan in small boxes that is mixed accordingly and added to a crusted pie pan, baked and set in fridge to cool before serving. Flan is a favorite.

You mentioned rather than eating something sweet, you’d opt for another tamale, well I’ll remember you when I have that extra tamale and wash it down with a nice piece of Flan pie……..

esperanza

Dec 4, 2007, 12:47 PM

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Re: [Oscar2] Christmas Dinner?

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MazDee, since Chile Verde is a consideration, the lady at La Reina said they would be open Christmas day. If we liked she would have their cooks make us up a fresh batch of Chile Verde (salsa only) and sell it to us fresh for $3.99 US per quart. My wife will make pork roast, then slice it up into small pieces, add it to the Chili Verde and let it simmer until the juices marinate well into the pork. If it were you making the Chili Verde, is there something special or different you enjoy adding to it?

Oscar, rather than make a pork roast, suggest to your wife that she buy as much fresh pork leg she needs (as lean as possible) and ask the butcher to cut it in inch-and-a-half cubes. I flour the cubes and brown them till they're just golden in lard or oil, then add the cubes to the salsa verde in a pot that fits and allow the pot to simmer for about an hour and a half or two hours. You have to add a little water from time to time, and check to make sure that the pork cubes and salsa aren't sticking to the pot. The pork comes out fork tender and the salsa verde has all that porky goodness simmered in.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Oscar2

Dec 4, 2007, 1:55 PM

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Re: [esperanza] Christmas Dinner?

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Esperanza, the “lean pork cuts,” flowered and browned solicited from my wife a quick broad toothy smile and a pinch on my shoulder, as if I just rolled four winning sevens at a Vegas crap table.

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The pork comes out fork tender and the salsa verde has all that porky goodness simmered in.

Hmm Good …………. Laugh