Dolores’ Cinco De Mayo a Cooking Affair

Celebrating Cinco De Mayo is becoming more popular in the U.S. The holiday dates back to May 5, 1862, when the Mexican Militia defeated the French Army at The Battle of Puebla.

Today, many people celebrate Cinco De Mayo by enjoying Mexican food, drinks and music. Dolores Chili Brick has provided some fun recipes to spice up any family dinner or party.

Each recipe calls for a Dolores Chili Brick, which are sold in major grocery chains such as Food 4 Less, Ralphs, Smart & Final and countless independent stores. The famous chili is also a hot item at Philippe The Original, in Downtown L.A., and is sold in various fast food restaurants and hot dog and hamburger stands across Southern California.

Enjoy.

Avocado Chili Pasta Recipe

Ingredients:
8 oz creamette rotini, uncooked
1 large avocado, peeled; pitted; and
1 diced
1 tbsp lemon juice
15 oz – Dolores Chili
1 cup tomato, seeded; diced
½ cup green onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ cup fresh cilantro, minced

Directions:
Cook rotini according to package directions; drain and keep warm.

Combine avocado and lemon juice in a small bowl; toss well, and set aside.

Combine Dolores chili and next 4 ingredients in a small saucepan; cook over medium hear until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Stir in avocado; cook 2 minutes. Serve over rotini. Yield 4 to 6 servings.

Chili Pot Pie

Ingredients:
·1 Dolores Chili Brick
·1 cup all-purpose flour
·1 cup cornmeal
·3 tablespoons sugar
·2 teaspoons baking powder
·3 tablespoons butter, melted
·3/4 cup milk
·1 large egg, lightly beaten
·1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack
·1 tablespoon chopped green chile peppers, mild or jalapeno

Preparation:
Place prepared Dolores Chili in a deep dish pie plate or casserole dish.
In a medium bowl sift together the flour, cornmeal, sugar and baking powder. Add butter, milk and egg; stir the batter until dough it is just combined. Gently stir in the cheese and the chile peppers. Cover the top of the chili filling with the mixture. Bake in the center of preheated 400° oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350° and bake for 30 minutes longer, or until nicely browned.


Dolores Chili Pizza

Makes 8 servings.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
· 1 Dolores Chili Brick
· 8 large flour tortillas (burrito-size)
· 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
· Sliced black olives and green onions (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Thaw Dolores Chili Brick in medium sauce pan following label directions. Simmer 5 minutes.

Arrange tortillas in circle on 12-inch pizza pan, overlapping edges where needed. Spoon Dolores Chili onto tortillas. Sprinkle evenly with cheese.

Bake 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Garnish with black olives and green onions, if desired.


Black Bean Dolores Chili & Corn Salad

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 can, 14 ounces, black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups of thawed Dolores Chili Brick (no need to be too hot)
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, half a palm full
2 teaspoons hot sauce, just eyeball the amount (recommended: Tabasco)
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, eyeball it
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand at least 15 minutes for corn to fully defrost and flavors to combine, then toss and serve.


Mexican Cornbread Served with Dolores Chili

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 (15 ounce) can cream-style corn
1/2 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers, drained
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Dolores Chili Brick

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

2. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in cream corn, chiles, Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese.

3. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to corn mixture; stir until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted into center of the pan comes out clean.

5. Cut bread into even squares.

6. Thaw a 20-ounce Dolores Chili Brick and heat in a medium sauce pan, following label directions.

7. Cut corn bread into squares and serve with a bowl of warm Dolores Chili.

8. Dice white onions and serve over the Chili if desired.