Day of the Dead

I trust we all made safely through Halloween with many a treat and just a few tricks...

And now, a mere two days later, it is time to celebrate Dia de Los Meurtos or Day of the Dead (which is Friday, Nov. 2). Day of the Dead is a fascinating Mexican tradition that combines native Aztec and Roman Catholic practices and beliefs. One of my favorite parts of this tradition is the making of beautiful tiny sugar skulls with names of the departed on them, and then a relative or friend eats the skulls. So different and so pretty at the same time.

In honor of Day of the Dead, I am planning a little celebration with some close friends for Friday evening. I want something both low-key and slightly authentic feeling for the evening. I'm having eight people total for dinner and since our tiny table only seats four, I'll be serving this menu up buffet style.

My Dia de Los Meurtos Menu:

Bobby Flay's white salsa and tortilla chips (recipe below)

Dead Man's Bread (recipe below)

Chicken in Pipian Sauce

Mexican Flag rice

Calabacitas con Chile (Zucchini and Chile) (recipe below)

Pumpkin in Syrup (recipe below)

Don't forget the margaritas!

Now for the recipes:

Bobby Flay's Sour Cream Salsa

2 cups sour cream
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 jalapeno chiles, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve cold with tortilla chips.
*note - this gets better if you let is sit in the fridge for an hour or two before serving

Dead Man's Bread
From Frida's Fiestas

7 1/2 cups flour, sifted
2 cups sugar, plus additional for dusting
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter
2 packages active dry yeast, dissolved in 5 tablespoons warm milk
12 small eggs
1 tablespoon lard
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

Mound the flour in a bowl and make a well in the center. Place the sugar, butter, yeast, eggs, lard, cinnamon, vanilla and milk in the well. Work into a dough and knead until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too soft, knead in more flour.

Shape into a ball, grease and flour it lightly, and place in a greased bowl. Let stand in a warm place for 2 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. Cover with a towel and refrigerate overnight.
Shape the dough into balls the size of a peach. Decorate the tops with strips of dough to look like bones. Place the rolls on a greased baking sheet and let rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours or until doubled.

Dust with sugar and bake in a preheated 350 degree over for 30 minutes, or until the bottoms sound hollow when tapped.

Calabacitas con Chile (Zucchini and Chile)
Mexican Family Favorites Cook Book

2 pounds zucchini, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
3 fresh tomatoes, chopped
4 to 5 cooked and chopped green chiles
salt and pepper to taste
dash garlic powder
2/3 cup shredded jack cheese

Cook zucchini over medium heat until tender. Drain. In a skillet, heat oil and saute onion. Add tomatoes, green chiles and seasonings. Stir well and cook over reduced heat for a few minutes. Add cheese and cover. Cook for one to two minutes until cheese is fully melted.

Pumpkin in Syrup
Frida's Fiestas

1 1/2 cups water
4 pounds (10 1/2 cups) dark brown sugar
1 pumpkin (about 10 pounds)

Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring often to make a syrup.
Peel the pumpkin, cut into chunks, and remove the fibers and seeds. Score the pulp in diamond shapes.

Arrange the pumpkin chunks in a large enamel saucepan, place the first layer skin side up and the remaining layer skin side down. Add the syrup, cover and cook over medium heat for about 2 1/2 hours, until the pumpkin is well soaked in syrup and has turned a deep caramel color.