A Local Cinco de Mayo

This year, bring Mexico to your Cinco de Mayo celebration but with North Carolina-grown specialties! Throw a local fiesta by offering your guests a taco bar filled with local fish, shrimp, pork, chicken, beef and much more. Top your tacos with seasonal farmers’ market finds. You can even wash down your Mexican fare with an almost-local margarita.

Baja Style Fish Tacos

Ingredients

Beer Batter:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup dark Mexican beer

Cream Sauce:

• ¹⁄₃ cup mayonnaise
• ²⁄₃ cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons water
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fish Tacos:

• Oil, for frying
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 2 pounds skinned halibut cut into 5 by ½-inch strips
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Corn tortillas
• 2 cups shredded cabbage or lettuce
• 2 cups tomatillo salsa, for garnish, optional
• Pickled jalapenos, for garnish, optional

Directions

For the Beer Batter:

Mix the flour, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Gradually add in the beer while whisking. Set aside and let the batter rest for 15 minutes before using.

For Cream Sauce:

Add the mayonnaise and sour cream to a medium bowl. Whisk in the lemon zest, lemon juice and water. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper (can be made 3 days ahead, covered and refrigerated).

For the Fish:

In a large skillet, over medium heat, add enough oil to reach a depth of 1-inch. Heat the oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350° F or when the end of a wooden spoon sizzles when inserted into the oil.
On a large plate, combine the flour and salt. Season the fish pieces all over with salt and pepper and coat with the flour. Working in batches, dip the fillets in the beer batter and coat on both sides. Fry in the hot oil until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Make tacos with the tortillas and fish and top each with cream, shredded cabbage or lettuce, tomatillo salsa and pickled jalapenos, if desired.

Wine-Braised Pork Tacos

Ingredients

• ½ pound bacon, thinly sliced crosswise
• 2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, quartered
• 1 stalk celery, quartered
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and seeded
• 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 6 pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups dry red wine
• ½ orange
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 to 2 cups beef stock or broth
• ½ cup sour cream
• 12 to 16 corn tortillas, warmed
• ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
• Fennel slaw, for serving (below)

Directions

Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat until crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Add the onions to the drippings in the pot; cook, stirring, until golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Meanwhile, finely chop the carrot, celery, garlic and jalapeno in a food processor. Preheat the oven to 325° F.

Pat the pork dry. Season with salt and pepper. Warm the olive oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the pork on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Transfer the meat to a plate.

Add the carrot mixture to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes. Stir in the onions and tomato paste; cook 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil, then simmer until reduced by half, about 8 minutes.

Return the bacon and pork to the pot. Squeeze in the orange juice, then add the spent peel. Add the oregano, bay leaves and enough stock to reach the top of the pork. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook about 3 hours.

Transfer the pork to a bowl using tongs, then shred. Season with salt and pepper. Strain the sauce and return to the pot; add the solids to the bowl with the meat (discard the bay leaves and orange peel). Boil the sauce over high heat until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream and season with salt and pepper. Fill the tortillas with the pork; drizzle with the sauce and top with the cheese and slaw.

Fennel Slaw:

Mix ¼ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons orange juice, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 minced jalapeno, ½ teaspoon each dried oregano and cumin, and some fennel fronds in a large bowl. Toss with 2 thinly sliced fennel bulbs, 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage, 4 sliced scallions, 4 strips crumbled bacon, and salt and pepper.

Brisket Tacos with Red Cabbage

Ingredients

• 2 heads garlic, unpeeled and halved crosswise, plus 6 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 4 to 4 ½ pounds brisket
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 3 large red onions, halved and thinly sliced
• ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 16 to 20 small flour tortillas
• Red cabbage slaw, for topping (below)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Place the halved garlic heads in a single layer on a sheet of foil. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt. Fold the foil into a packet; roast until tender, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the brisket: Pulse the 6 garlic cloves in a food processor to make a paste. Season both sides of the brisket with salt, pepper, the paprika and chili powder. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add the meat to the pot in a single layer and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Remove the meat from the pot and spread with the garlic paste.

Drain the oil and wipe out the Dutch oven. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil to the pot and warm over medium heat. Add the onions and cook 5 minutes. Season with salt and stir in the brown sugar; cook 5 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and cook 2 minutes. Return the brisket to the pot, add the wine and simmer, 25 minutes. Add the stock and bay leaves and return to a simmer. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook until the meat is tender, 2 hours to 2 hours, 30 minutes.

Remove the brisket from the pot and let rest 15 minutes. Meanwhile, discard the bay leaves and put the pot with the braising liquid over medium heat; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin and whisk into the liquid. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Thinly slice the brisket against the grain and toss with some of the roasted garlic sauce. Warm the tortillas; fill with the brisket and top with slaw.

Red Cabbage Slaw:

Combine 1 small head shaved red cabbage, 4 sliced scallions, 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, a splash of olive oil and a dab of Sriracha in a bowl; season with salt. Set aside to allow the vinegar to work its magic.

Shrimp Tacos

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small white onion, minced
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, chopped
• 1 cup canned tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 corn tortillas
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Lime wedges, for serving
• Hot sauce, for serving

Directions

In a large heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bell pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree, oregano, bay leaf, and smoked paprika. Cook for another 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside. Remove the bay leaf and discard.

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Lay 2 tortillas, flat on the bottom of the pan, side by side. Put a small mound of cheese on 1 side of each tortilla. Wait until the cheese melts slightly, about 1 minute, and then add about 2 tablespoons of the shrimp mixture to each tortilla. Fold the tortillas over into half-moon shapes and cook to melt the cheese completely, another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter and keep warm.

Repeat with the remaining tortillas, cheese, and shrimp mixture. Arrange the tacos on a serving platter and serve with lime wedges and hot sauce on the side.

Chipotle-Lime Chicken Tacos

Ingredients

• 1 bone-in, skin-on whole chicken, rinsed and dried
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 lime, zested and juiced (lime halves reserved)
• ¼ cup water
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely minced into a paste
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Generously season the chicken, on the outside and inside of the cavity, with salt and pepper, to taste. With your fingers, put some of the lime zest under the skin of the chicken. Sprinkle the lime juice over the chicken and put the halves into the cavity. Put the chicken in a roasting pan, breast side up, and add ¼ cup of water to the bottom of the pan. Roast the chicken until the internal temperature registers 165° F on an instant-read thermometer, when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh.

Remove the chicken from the oven to a carving board, let sit until cool enough to handle.

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, minced chipotles, remaining lime zest, and salt and pepper, to taste.

Once the chicken has cooled, pull the meat from bones and shred.

Put some of the shredded chicken on each tortilla, top with chipotle cream and garnish with some zest from the remaining lime. Serve with lime wedges.

Rice and Black Bean Pilaf

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown rice, uncooked
• 2 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh chopped oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
• 1 large carrot, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon dried chili flakes
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley leaves

Directions

Place rice and chicken broth in a saucepot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook rice, covered, until tender and all the liquid is absorbed, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover, and fluff with a fork.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, celery, carrot, cumin and chili flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender but not mushy, about 6 minutes. Stir in black beans and cook until just warmed through, about 1-2 minutes.

Combine onion-black bean mixture and hot rice in a serving bowl and toss to combine. Garnish with parsley.

Homemade Guacamole

Ingredients

• 2 ripe small Hass avocados
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 small plum tomato, seeded and finely chopped
• ½ small yellow skinned onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• Corn tortilla chips, for dipping

Directions

Cut avocados in half around the pit. Separate the halves. Pop out pit with spoon, then scoop flesh of avocados into a bowl. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the avocados. Squeeze the juice with the lemon halves facing cut-side up, allowing the juice to spill down over the sides of the lemon into the bowl. This method keeps the seeds in the lemon and out of the guacamole. Add garlic, jalapeno, tomato, onion and salt to the bowl. Mash and mix the ingredients into a chunky dip using a fork. Serve with corn tortilla chips.

Frozen Strawberry Margaritas

Ingredients

3 cups ice

Directions

Puree strawberries, orange-flavored liqueur, lime juice, 3 tequila, honey and a pinch of salt in a blender. Add ice and blend until smooth. Divide among 4 stemmed glasses; garnish with strawberries dipped in sugar.