If you cannot be with us at Royal Resorts to celebrate Mexican Independence this year, we’ll miss you but we hope that you’ll plan your own little Mexican fiesta and dinner for the evening of September 15 and raise a glass to toast the country you love so much. Here are some ideas for decorations, recipes, drinks and even music.
Get festive with papel picado and piñatas
Get into the Mexican fiesta mood by hanging colorful papel picado cut out tissue paper decorations, a flag or two, sombreros and a piñata. If you have young children this is a great arts and crafts activity to enjoy with them, you can even ask them to draw pictures of their Mexican vacation to decorate the walls.
Need some inspiration? The Royal Resorts Activity team shows you how to make papel picado and piñatas in these recent Facebook videos.
Party food
What’s on the menu for your Mexican fiesta? How about some tasty grilled steak or shrimp tacos for dinner? You’ll need tortilla chips, lashings of salsa and guacamole and here are some tasty recipes you might want to try.
Guacamole
The quantities listed here are given per person and if you plan to prepare this for several people you will need to increase them.
- 1½ avocados per person
- 1 tbsp. chopped onion
- 2 tbsp. chopped tomato
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh coriander
- ¼ tsp. oregano (optional)
- ½ tsp. salt (according to taste)
- 1 tsp. chopped chili serrano (add according to taste)
- Juice of half a lime
- 3 oz. warm tortilla chips per person
Scoop the avocado flesh into a bowl and remove the seeds. Use a potato masher or fork to mash the avocado or leave diced if you prefer your guacamole chunky. Add the onion and tomato, cilantro, spices, salt and finally the chili and lime juice. Serve with warmed tortilla chips.
Chef’s Tips
* If you do not want your guacamole to be too spicy, chop the chili and remove the seeds. Always wear gloves when working with chilies and remember not to touch your eyes and mouth with your hands. Use a separate knife and cutting board and wash them well.
* Adding a few drops of lime juice to your guacamole will stop the avocado going brown; leaving an avocado stone in the bowl until you are ready to serve will also do the trick.
* If the chili proves hotter than you anticipated and your lips and tongue start to burn, lick up some grains of salt for relief.
Frijoles Charros
Note that this recipe makes a large amount of Frijoles Charros so reduce the amounts proportionally!
Ingredients
- 140ml corn oil
- 47g garlic
- 141g sliced bacon
- 340g chorizo sausage
- 293g onion
- 227g cooked smoked ham (leg)
- 275g green bell pepper
- 232g red bell pepper
- 238g tomato
- 34g cilantro (coriander)
- 40g epazote (you should be able to get this at a store stocking Mexican herbs and spices)
- 3.4kg of beans in their cooking liquid (frijoles bayos – bay beans, not the black or kidney beans)
- 15g chicken stock cube
- 15g salt
- 3g freshly ground black pepper
Chop the garlic, onion, bacon, chorizo, green and red bell peppers, tomatoes and pork.
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the garlic and onion, stirring constantly.
Add the bacon, chorizo and fry until golden. Then add the bell peppers, tomato and ham and cook for five minutes. Add the beans and their cooking liquid. Add the chopped cilantro and epazote and simmer for a few minutes. Finally season with chicken stock powder, salt and pepper.
Rajas con Crema
Ingredients
- 2 cups of chili poblano sliced and lightly sauteed until soft
- 2 oz bar of butter
- 1 cup of canned sweet corn kernels
- 1 cup of cream
- 1 cup of grated cheese (Chihuahua cheese is used in Mexico; you could substitute it with Monterey Jack or strong white Cheddar)
Slice the chiles and remove the seeds and veins, the hottest parts of the chili. Always wear rubber gloves when working with chilies and avoid rubbing your eyes or mouth.
Sauté the chili slices in the butter until soft.
Drain the sweet corn and stir into the chilies.
Add the cream and grated cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. You can turn off the stove and put a lid on the frying pan, the cheese will melt.
You can add chopped and sautéed white onion if you wish.
Serve with warm flour tortillas.
Mexican beer, wine, tequila and more
And now to the drinks you are going to serve at your Mexican fiesta and dinner on September 15. Serve your favorite ice-cold Mexican beer, margaritas and make sure you have some tequila for the toast.
If you prefer non-alcoholic drinks, serve refreshing limonada or naranjada with freshly squeezed lime or orange juice, Jamaica or aguas de fruta, water flavored with fruit such as melon, guava, pineapple or mango.
If you would like to serve a Mexican wine, here are some of Grand Residences Sommelier Javier Moreno’s recommendations from the El Faro Grill wine list.
Bodega de los Cedros, Coahuila
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz blend
Pair with meat dishes
Megacero, Bodega Encinillas, Chihuahua
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend
Good with mature cheeses
Laberinto, San Luis Potosi
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Tempranillo blend
Casa Grande Chardonnay
Perfect pairing for Chiles en nogada
Amado IV de Viñas de Garza, Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo and Zinfandel blend
Pair with Mole poblano or oaxaqueño
Apogeo Cava Maciel, Ensenada, Baja California
Nebbiolo
Bodega de Los Cedros Rosé, Coahuila
Malbec and Shiraz blend
Legat Viña de Frannes, Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California
Sauvignon Blanc
Mucha música!
The mariachis always strike up on the evening of September 15. If you are missing your favorite Mexican troubadours, here’s a playlist of some classic mariachi melodies to look for on the Internet.
• El Niño Perdido
• Las Golondrinas
• Cielito Lindo
• México Lindo y Querido
• Guadalajara
• Malaguëña
• El Son de la Negra
• Paloma Negra
• Cucurrucucú Paloma
• El Sinaloense
• La Bikina
• El Rey
• Ella
• Cruz de Olvido
• El mariachi loco
• Sabes una Cosa
• Serenata Tapatía
• Ay Jalisco No te Rajes
• Cocula
• Esos Altos de Jalisco
