Can I Just Tell You?: Cinco de Mayo!

Happy Cinco De Mayo Eve! Big plans for tomorrow? A, Lily and I are planning an outing to a local Mexican restaurant for some family friendly fun. I've been telling Lily all about mariachis and margaritas this week so she'll know what to expect. Kidding!

This little Latina was a little hot and bothered this morning while browsing through my tweets. Saw a link to Cinco de Mayo dessert on anot
her blog. Clicked through and it was a recipe fried ice cream! What?! Let's be clear, while fried ice cream is a delicious treat it is not authentic Mexican cuisine. I did a little googling just to be sure, and one site referred to it as "a dish found in Mexican restaurants with a heavy American influence". I liked that. And while one might say, "But Marisa, it's on the menu at El Chico?" I would reply, "That still doesn't make it so." This really isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of life, but is a nice lead in to...

So, I thought I would share one of my favorite Mexican desserts, Bunuelos!

Growing up, my mom would usually make these for the New Year, but I think they are grand all year round. I'll do my best to recreate her recipe for you, since we have a bad habit in our family of never writing recipes down or using exact measurements. Her version would go something like "roll out the masa, fry it, then shake with cinnamon and sugar." Which is exactly right, but if you need a little clarifications, see below:

Start with this (4c should do):

which can be found here

You'll also need:
1c warm water
Oil for frying
Cinnamon
Sugar
Flour for your work surface

If you can't find the harina preparada, you can also make bunuelos REALLY quick and easy by using ready made flour torillas. Just skip the directions in the first paragraph and go right to the second.

Combine quaker harina preparada and warm water, mixing until dough forms ball. If dough is dry, add a little more water. Knead dough about 5 minutes and then let stand for another 5 minutes. Shape into 1" balls (should make about 20-24) Cover with plastic wrap to prevent dough from drying. Roll out very thin pulling with hands if necessary. If dough is sticky, sprinkle flour on the rolling area. In fact, just sprinkle flour before you start rolling.

In a frying pan, place 1 inch of oil and allow it to get very hot. Place bunuelo in pan, let brown to a golden brown on each side. Remove and place on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess oil, then quickly sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on both sides. My mom used to put cinnamon and sugar in a paper lunch sack and shake the bunuelo until it was fully covered. either way works great. Do not cover the bunuelos or they will get soggy. Enjoy! You can even top with vanilla ice cream, ha!