October football means “Mexican” theme

It was a cold but beautiful day in Lexington, KY when we decided to host a Mexican themed tailgate party for about 30 people. Don’t want to be slaving over food, so this menu (as most of mine) are intense in the preplanning stage, so that when the actual tailgating rolls around, we (as hosts) can visit and have fun ourselves. Here was the menu we chose:

RECIPES

Guacamole
(Adapted from Silver Palate)
4-5 avocados
2 TBSP white onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 TBSP fresh cilantro, minced
1-2 plum tomatoes, chopped finely
3 scallions, chopped
2 jalepeno peppers, seeded and chopped
3 TBSP fresh lemon juice
Tabasco, to taste
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Mash avocados so the consistency is still chunky. Add all remaining ingredients. Allow a bit of time to blend and serve with tortilla chips.

7 layer Mexican Dip

In a glass pie plate layer the following: refried black beans, 2 mashed avocados mixed with 2 TBSP lemon juice, a mixture of 1/2 packet of taco seasoning mix and 1/2 cup mayo and 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 small can chopped black olives, chopped scallions, 3-4 plum tomatoes chopped, shredded cheddar cheese. Serve with sturdy tortilla chips.

CARNITAS
This recipe serves at least 10 people – depending on how hungry!

1 4-5 pound lean boneless pork loin roast, with excess fat removed
1 cup salsa verde
1 large onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp seasoned salt
2 tsp pepper

On the side, buffet style:
2 dozen warm corn and/or flour tortillas
1 cup frijoles negros
1 cup thick sour cream sauce
1 can sliced olives (optional)
2 cups Chihuahua or Jack cheese, grated
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 avocados, sliced and sprinkled with lime juice
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed and diced
2 bunches of whole radishes, stems removed
1 cup salsa fresca
1 cup salsa verde

Place pork roast in 9 x 14 pan. Rub garlic into the roast. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with salsa verde and onions. Loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake at 300 degrees for four and a half hours, or until fork tender.

Remove roast from oven. Cool until you can touch the meat comfortably. Remove from pan and place on cutting board. Skim fat off pan juices. Using two forks, shred the pork. Remove fat from meat. When all meat is shredded, return it to the pan and mix the pan juices thoroughly into the pork.

Return to oven. Cook, uncovered for 30 minutes or until pork is crispy on top. Remove from oven. Turn pork. Return to oven and cook another 20 minutes, until pork is crispy on top and there is almost no liquid left in the pan. Serve as suggested above.