Every year Catholics commemorate Holy Week with a series of events that lead to Easter Sunday. People take off work to go to these special services that commemorate the life and death of Jesus and the dinner menu this week is extra special. Many people don’t eat meat, particularly on Thursday and Friday of Holy Week and it’s often difficult to come up with fish or vegetarian options that will keep your family full. That’s why we’ve put together a couple of delicious recipes that would be great options for this time of the year!
Traditional Ceviche
1 cup of white fish cut in small pieces (Sea Bass, Striped Bass, Sole or Flounder)
1/2 an Onion
Bunch of Cilantro
5 Limes
½ cup of Tomato
1 tspn of black pepper
½ Serrano pepper
Mix all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl.
Let it rest for at least 20 minutes in the fridge.
Makes 1 serving
Shrimp and Mango Baked Samosas
1 tablespoon expeller-pressed canola oil
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 serrano chiles, finely chopped (remove the seeds first for milder flavor)
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds, plus extra for topping the samosas
3/4 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 pound peeled, deveined medium shrimp (31/40 count), chopped
1 small mango, diced (about 1 cup)
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (16-ounce) tube biscuit dough
Flour, for rolling dough
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chiles, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and garam masala and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in shrimp, mango and salt, and cook until shrimp are just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and stir in cilantro. Allow to cool.
Capirotada
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
Method:
Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes. Discard cinnamon sticks.
Combine bread, raisins, almonds, and butter in a large bowl. Drizzle with warm sugar syrup, tossing gently to coat. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with cheese. Cover with foil; chill 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Serve warm.
Chiles Rellenos
6 poblano chile peppers
5 plum tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
1/2 small white onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1 tablespoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
3 large egg whites plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
Vegetable oil, for frying
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Method
Char the chiles on the burner grate, turning with tongs, until blackened all over. Or char the chiles under the broiler.
Let them soften.
Transfer the charred chiles to a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag and close. Let stand 10 minutes. The chiles will steam in the bag, making them soft and easy to peel.
Gently rub the chiles with paper towels to remove as much skin as possible. It’s okay if a few flecks remain-they’ll add flavor, so don’t rinse them off.
Using a paring knife, make a slit across the top of a chile just below the stem, leaving the stem intact. Starting from the middle of the slit, slice lengthwise down to the tip of the pepper (cut through only one layer). Open the chile like a book and pull out the seeds and inner membranes. You may need to use a paring knife to loosen the top of the seedpod. Repeat with the remaining chiles.
For the sauce, puree the tomatoes, onion and garlic in a blender until smooth. Warm the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the tomato puree and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally; the sauce will be broth-y. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.
For the filling, place the cheese in a bowl, then add the oregano, crumbling and rubbing it with your fingers to release its flavor. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
Fill each chile with about 1/4 cup cheese mixture. Fold in the sides to cover the filling, then thread 2 toothpicks across the seam to form an X. You will probably need to make a second toothpick X to secure each chile so the filling doesn’t leak out when you fry.
Beat the egg whites with a mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the egg yolk and beat 3 more minutes.
Batter and fry. Heat about 1 inch vegetable oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F.
Dredge: Pour flour into a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. One at a time, coat the stuffed chiles with the flour.
Batter: Holding each chile by the stem, lower it into the egg batter to cover completely. Let any excess batter drip off.
Fry: Add the chiles to the hot oil, 1 or 2 at a time; fry, flipping once with tongs, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
Nopales Salad (Cactus)
Ingredients
8 small nopales cactus paddles
2 roma tomatoes, large diced
1 small onion, sliced
2 serrano chiles, seeds removed and minced
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon lime zest
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
salt to taste
Method
Place a large pot of water along with 1 teaspoon of salt over high heat and bring to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil, clean the nopales. To do this, hold the end of a cactus paddle with a kitchen towel. Using a large sharp knife, hold it parallel to the nopal and carefully cut the spines off. Flip and repeat on the other side. Trim ½-inch from the outer edge and end of the nopal. Cut into ½-inch strips, then cut the strips into 2-inch segments. Repeat with the other cactus paddles.
Place the nopales in the boiling water and simmer until they become tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and run under cold water until the nopales are chilled. Drain thoroughly. Place the cooked and rinsed nopales in a medium bowl with the tomato, onion, serrano, cilantro leaves, lime zest, lime juice, and salt to taste. Toss to combine, then sprinkle with the crumbled queso fresco. Enjoy immediately or store in the refrigerator in a sealed plastic container. The salad is best when it’s had some time to marinate before serving.