Cinema, Cuisine and Cocktail : "Frida"

This upcoming Tuesday November 2nd will be Los Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead). The holiday, which is celebrated by many in Mexico and by some Mexican Americans living in the United States and Canada, is to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died.



I've learn in my research that the holiday was a favorite of Frida Kahlo. I've loved Frida for many many years (since I was a child and I saw one of her paintings at a museum once), so I can't think of another way to celebrate Los Día de los Muertos than to watch "Frida", drink some tequila and enjoy some yummy yummy Mexican food... making sure I fix up an extra plate for Frida and Diego!!!

Chicken Escabeche

Recipe Courtesy of Group Recipes

Ingredients

6- boneless, skinless chicken breast
1- cup white wine vinegar
2 medium onions cut in half
3 carrots
1 celery stalk
1 bay leaf
1 sprig freah thyme
1 sprig fresh oregano
salt and pepper to taste

For the Sauce:
2 - onions , peeled and sliced
5 -carrots , peeled and sliced
10- garlic cloves
1/2-1 cup- olive oil
3 -bay leaves
4 - sprigs fresh oregano
3 - sprigs fresh thyme
2- cups white wine vinegar
1/2 - cup water
How to make it

Directions:

Combine the chicken breasts with the 1 cup vinegar, 2 medium onions, 3 carrots, celery stalk, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper.
add water to cover and cook until nearly tender.
while the chicken is cooking , make the sauce;
saute the onions, carrots, and garlic in the oil until the onion is translucent.
add the herbs and saute a minute longer.
add the vinegar and water and simmer for 10 minutes
when chicken is cooked through, remove from the cooking liquid and discard the liquid.
add the chicken to the sauce, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes.
remove from the heat and let the chicken in the sauce cool a bit before serving. Can be served warm (with rice)or cold (with salad).

Calaveras De Dulces ( Mexican Sugar Skulls)

Recipe Courtesy of Food.com

Ingredients:

1 egg white (essential for hardening of the sugar)
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
7 cups confectioners' sugar
2 cups cornstarch
vanilla extract or anise extract or cinnamon extract (if you plan on eating these - optional)
food coloring

Directions:

1 You will also need candies, for decorating the eyes.
2 Combine the egg white and water until foamy.
3 Add extract (if using) and corn syrup.
4 Add confectioners sugar; you'll end up having to use your hands to incorporate all of it.
5 Sprinkle 1 cup of the cornstarch on a work surface and knead the sugar paste in the cornstarch until it's smooth.
6 Form a ball and wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap; chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
7 Pinch off some of the sugar paste to use with food coloring for decorations.
8 With the rest of the paste you should have enough for about 8 skulls; they don't have to be very big, less than the size of a small fist.
9 Sculpt the piece of sugar paste into a skull shape, smoothing the surface as you go and forming eye sockets, etc.
10 (You can find some really good examples on various sites on the internet--).
11 You'll find that the paste gets softer and softer the warmer it gets-- if it sticks too much, add more cornstarch.
12 Add food colors (and extracts, if using) to the sugar paste that you set aside; generally the brighter the colors the better.
13 If you wish, you can add enough water to form more of an icing and it can be squeezed onto the skulls, if not, forming decorations by hand is okay, too.
14 The skulls are generally"cheery" looking and colorful, not particularly scary.
15 Finish by using candies in the eye sockets.
16 Now your skull is ready to dry.
17 Simply let it sit out in a dry, warm place for a few hours or up to a couple of days based on weather conditions.
18 When dry, it's ready to display.

Frida and Diego's Love Potion

Recipe Courtesy of Darboven Trading

Ingredients:
1 part Frida Kahlo Tequila Blanco
1 part limoncello lemon liqueur
1 part champagne
Mint

Directions:
Add ingredients in a lowball glass with ice. Garnish with mint and enjoy!

Yummm! Camarones al Ajillo (Shrimp with an Abundance of Garlic)

One of my favorite restaurants in NYC is Burrito Loco Greenwich Village.

I've spent many terrific nights in that restaurant with friends and family, having a blast, enjoying their delicious margaritas and sinking my teeth in their DELICIOUS Camarones al Ajillo...Shrimp with an Abundance of Garlic... as their menu used to call it...or "Garlic Shrimp" (which I think is a lot less poetic!).

Camarones al Ajillo

(Recipe Courtesy of Epicurean)

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup pure Spanish olive oil or more to taste
4 to 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2-1/2 to 3 pounds prawns or extra-large shrimp, shells and heads left on
juice of 2 limes
salt to taste
pinch of dried oregano
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
dash of Tabasco sauce, optional

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over low heat, heat the oil until it is fragrant, then cook the garlic, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Raise the heat to medium, add the shrimp, and cook, stirring, until they turn pink, 5 minutes. (If you prefer extra oil, add it along with shrimp.) Add the lime juice, salt, oregano, and parsley, and stir well. Correct seasonings and add Tabasco.
2 Transfer to a heated serving platter and serve immediately, accompanied by crunchy bread to soak up the garlic-flavored oil.

This dish is great accompanied some chips, salsa and guacamole... and don't forget the Blue Margarita (My Fave!!!!)

Blue Margarita

(Recipe Courtesy of Super Cocktails)

Ingredients:

Tequila
Blue Curacao
Lime Juice

Quantities for one drink:
1 1/2 oz Tequila
1 oz Blue Curacao
1 oz Lime Juice
Coarse Salt

Blending Instructions:

Rub rim of cocktail glass with lime juice
Dip rim in coarse salt
Shake tequila, blue curacao, and lime juice with ice, strain into the salt-rimmed glass, and serve

So if you can't make it to Burrito Loco in NYC, try this recipe for a bit of a Fiesta wherever you are!