Patricia Mendez Author of:  Entertainment for Beginners available online at www.ezentertaining.net 310-257-8077

Quinceanera Recipes

Patricia Mendez copyright 2008

Quinceanera Menu:

Serves 50

Taco & Tostada Bar with

Carne Asada Tacos, Red Chili Chicken Tostadas with

Cheese, sliced radishes, chopped cilantro, avocado, jalapenos, corn tortillas, tostadas

Salsa, purchased

Spanish Rice

Frijoles with Chorizo and Queso Blanco

Potato Salad

You can prepare all the food for your daughter’s Quinceanera and save a lot of money in the process. The key is to be organized and to make the food in advance so the day of the party you need only to re-heat all the dishes and transport to your party.

One week before the party:  Shop at  a party supply store to buy disposable chafing dish kits. They are about $10 each and a kit will include: the wire frame, chafing fuel to keep the food hot, a water tray and 2 smaller food trays with lids. You will need to purchase 4-6 kits. Purchase 8 additional smaller disposable food trays with lids. You may also purchase disposable serving utensils. Purchase plates, napkins, glasses and utensils. (Party City, Smart & Final)

Two to three days before the party:  Read the recipes and make a shopping list of all ingredients needed. Do your grocery shopping. Don’t forget the ingredients for the taco/tostada bar and any drinks you will be serving. Keep in mind that a menu for 50 people will consist of a lot of food. Ask a neighbor if you might borrow some space in their refrigerator for some of the ingredients and dishes after you prepare them. Most people will not have enough refrigerator space for everything. You may also ask this nice neighbor if you might re-heat some of the dishes in their oven prior to taking them to the party. Most people do not have enough oven space to re-heat all the dishes. If you plan ahead, you will avoid stress and enjoy this special occasion so much more! If you wish, you can prepare the red chili chicken and frijoles two days before the party; Store in chafing dishes and cover tightly with disposable lids and refrigerate. They will keep well in the refrigerator until the day of the party. If you are also responsible for decorating the party location, definitely consider preparing these two dishes in advance so you will have more time as the day of the party approaches. Or perhaps you can ask one of your friends or relatives to prepare the frijoles and/or the red chili chicken for the tostadas and that will free up your time even more.

One day before the party:  Invite some helpers to help you prepare the food. Don’t forget to chop the ingredients for the taco/tostada bar. The food preparation may take much of the day, but if you have 2-3 helpers, it will move quickly and you can all have fun together and make one more happy memory of this beautiful event. Better yet, invite your daughter to help and let her experience the warm friendship that happens when women get together to cook!

The day of the party; the set-up: About 1 ½ hours before you are to arrive at the party hall, start re-heating the dishes in the oven(s). When you have large amounts of food they take longer to re-heat. If you need to transport the food from your house to the party, carefully wrap the dishes in towels or a blanket to keep warm. If you are fortunate enough to have a party location that has a large kitchen (with enough oven space), you may be able to transport the food and then re-heat 1 ½ hours before the party is to start. If you are busy at the church or taking photographs, ask others to warm the food and transport it to the party location.

At the party location, set up the wire frames on the buffet table and place the chafing fuel on the frames. Set the large water trays in the wire racks and fill each with about 1 inch of water. Light the chafing fuel with a lighter or matches. The chafing fuel will heat the water which will keep the food warm without burning it. Place the 2 small chafing dishes of food in each water tray. You want to try to have the food arrive at the hall and placed in the chafing dishes no longer than 30-45 minutes before you are ready to eat. Keep any extra food in chafing dishes warm in a low oven or covered in towels.  Caution: Always keep an eye on the chafing fuel; make sure there are no flammable materials in close proximity to the flame. The potato salad will need to be kept refrigerated until ready to serve.

Carne Asada

Makes 50 servings

22 pounds skirt steak (Marinate yourself as follows or purchase pre-marinated from your favorite carniceria) 

Lawry’s Seasoned Salt

Adolph’s Meat Tenderizer

Garlic salt

Barbecue spice (any brand)

15-20 large lemons

2 cans beer (any brand)

100 corn tortillas, for serving (Note: Ask another family member to buy fresh tortillas THE day of the quinceanera.)

Light a fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to medium-high. Place a layer of skirt steak on the bottom of a large bowl. Lightly sprinkle all four seasonings on the steak and squeeze some lemon juice over the meat. Turn the meat over and repeat. In addition, sprinkle some beer on this side of the steak. Put your finger over the top of the beer can or bottle so you can just sprinkle it; you do not want to wash all the spices off. Repeat with another layer of steak, seasoning both sides and sprinkling with lemon juice and beer until you have finished all the steak. Marinate in the refrigerator for no more than 1 hour. Grill until sizzling (3 or 4 minutes per side). Cut large pieces of grilled steak into serving-size pieces, about 6 by 3 inches, to serve with corn tortillas. For the party, put carne asada in small chafing dishes, cover tightly with disposable aluminum lids and refrigerate.

To reheat: 350 degree F oven for 60-75 minutes.

Red Chili Shredded Chicken Tostadas

14 chicken breasts, 20 thighs and 20 legs

Canola oil

Salt and pepper to taste

75-100 tostada shells, purchased

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Rub chicken parts with oil and salt and pepper. Bake on large baking sheets for 45-50 minutes or until no longer pink in the center. Cool, remove and discard skin and bones and shred chicken meat. Mix with Red Chili Sauce.

Red Chili Sauce

4 large onions, sliced

½ cup whole garlic cloves, peeled or purchase peeled garlic cloves in a jar (This is a timesaver)

8 ounces dried red California chiles

8 ounces dried pasilla chiles

1 ½ tablespoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons oregano, preferably mexican

1-2 tablespoons salt, plus more to taste

Place dried chilies in a large soup pot and cover with 3-4 quarts of water. Add cumin, oregano, onions and garlic cloves. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove chiles and cool slightly. Cut open and scrape out the seeds and discard. Chop off the stems and add 1/3 of the chilies to a blender. Add 2 cups of reserved cooking liquid and process until smooth. Pour sauce into a strainer over a very large bowl. Push sauce through strainer with the back of a spoon to strain any seeds or skin. Blend the rest of the chiles with reserved liquid and strain and add to bowl. Add more reserved liquid until sauce is the right consistency. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of salt, taste and add more if necessary. Add the shredded chicken and mix thoroughly. Store in disposable chafing dishes covered tightly with lids in refrigerator. Serve with tostada shells and toppings.

Spanish Rice

Makes 50 servings

1 ¼ cups canola oil

15 cups long-grain rice

27 ½ cups very hot water

2 ½   cups tomato sauce

10 tablespoons instant chicken bouillon (caldo de pollo)

Garlic salt to taste

Divide the oil in half and heat each half of oil (3/4 cup) in two large Dutch ovens or 4 quart soup pots over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add half the rice (7 ½ cups) to each pot and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned for about 10-12 minutes. Add half the hot water (13 ¾ cups), half the tomato sauce (1 ¼ cups), half the chicken bouillon (5 tablespoons), and garlic salt to taste in each pot. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer until all of the water is absorbed, 30-40 minutes. Let cool and place in chafing dishes. Cover tightly and refrigerate.

Pinto Beans with Bacon

3 pounds dried pinto beans

1 ½ lbs. salt pork or thick sliced bacon

6 large jalapeño chiles

4-6 tablespoons garlic salt, plus more to taste, if needed

2 – 12 oz. packages chorizo, pork or beef

2 – 12 oz. packages queso blanco, shredded

Put the beans in a colander and rinse in cold water. Transfer them to a large 8 quart soup pot and cover with water, filling the pot approximately two thirds full. Add the salt pork or bacon, jalapeño, and garlic salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and set the heat to low. Simmer for approximately 3 hours. Check every 30 minutes to make sure the beans are covered in water. If necessary, add a little more water so the beans don’t burn. Do not add any water during the last 30 minutes unless the beans are very dry. The water should become thicker and savory and the beans should be juicy, not too dry or too watery. Taste and add more salt, if necessary. Let cool slightly and remove the salt pork or bacon. Fry the chorizo in a frying pan and add to the beans. Add shredded cheeses and mash with a masher. Salt to taste and store in disposable chafing dishes. Cover tightly and refrigerate until day of Quinceanera. Reheat at 350 degrees F for 1 – 1 ½ hours before serving.

Potato Salad

16 pound potatoes, washed, peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons of salt, for water to boil potatoes

2 cups onion, chopped finely

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 cups mayonnaise

4 cups celery, chopped finely

15 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and chopped

Fill a large 8 quart soup pot with water. Add 2 tablespoons of salt and add potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat, uncover and simmer about 25-30 minutes or until fork tender. Drain, cool and place potatoes in a very large bowl. Add onion, salt, pepper, mayonnaise, celery and hard boiled eggs and toss until well coated. Cover tightly and refrigerate.

To hard-boil eggs:  While potatoes are simmering, put eggs in large pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Set the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 13 minutes. Drain and put the eggs back in the pot and cover with cold water. Drain cooled eggs. Tap each egg on the counter and roll it between the palms of your hands. Peel off the eggshells. Discard the shells and chop the eggs.

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