Your plans of sipping beers lakeside in Leipzig or seeing the sun rise at the Stone Circle might be dashed, but don't set fire to your bucket hat just yet. There's still plenty of fun to be had this summer.
Up to six people are now allowed inside private homes in the UK, which makes this the perfect opportunity to hone your entertaining skills. For our new series, we've spoken to experts in food, wine, music and immersive events for their advice on transforming your kitchen, living room or broom cupboard into the hottest spot in town.
Mexican food – and we mean the real cuisine of Oaxaca City and beyond, not the depressing plastic cheese Tex Mex which lurks in burrito stands across the country – is possibly the perfect food for serving during clement weather.
There's the refreshing zip of lime and freshness of chopped vegetables in salsa and the smoky flavours of spice-rubbed meats which sizzle on the barbecue and sing when tucked into a floury tortilla. Plus there's ceremony to building your own perfect palm-sized taco, a way of eating which makes a dinner more casual and easier to cater for.
Marvin Jones, executive chef at Tacos El Pastor, believes Mexican food is perfect for dinners where people can feast together and sip one of the country's many refreshing national drinks.
"I’d cook a lamb barbacoa," he says of his go-to recipe for entertaining. "It’s a family or feasting dish with a large joint of lamb which is marinated in adobo spices and slow cooked while wrapped in banana leaves. In Mexico it’s often cooked in a pit in the ground and then you can serve with loads of warm tortillas, diced onions, coriander and salsa so everyone can make their own tacos. Salsa Morita [made with a chilli with a distinctive smokey flavour] is great with it."
Cooking a big joint of meat which you can shred up and have as a centrepiece means only focusing on one dish, and Jones says you can make the salsas and guacamole a few hours ahead too to let the flavours meld.
If you're looking for a good pre-dinner snack to serve, Jones recommends putting that extra time to use with authentic starters. "Guacamole and totopos [the Spanish term for tortilla chips] can’t be beaten," he says. "Tuna tostadas are a great crowdpleaser too. Ceviche is delicious in hot weather, as are aguachiles, made with fresh sashimi grade fish and hot chilli"
As for drinks, this is where Mexican cuisine comes into its own with a wide range of refreshing libations such as frozen Margaritas and Micheladas – a drink made with beer, lime, spices and tomato juice – as well as a cold beer like Modelo, best served ice cold and straight from the can on a table scattered with the below snacks.
Guacamole (serves 6-8 people)
Ingredients:
- 400g/27 tbsp avocado
- 40ml lime juice
- 10g/1 tbsp coriander
- 90g/6 tbsp tomatoes
- 40g/ 3 tbsp red onion
- 7g/ 1.5 tsp maldon salt
Method:
Chop the coriander, tomatoes, and red onion. Mash the avocado until it reaches a smooth consistency whilst also retaining a bit of texture. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together and serve immediately.
Sesame Tuna Tostada (serves 6-8 people)
Ingredients:
- 240g/ 16tbsp fresh tuna loin
- 6g/ 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 35ml soy sauce
- 18ml sesame oil
- 12g/ 1 tbsp salsa de Arbol
- 60g/ 4 tbsp guacamole
- Coriander to garnish
- 6 blue corn tostadas
Salsa de Arbol:
- 2 x dried arbol chillies
- 10g/ 2 tsp white onion, diced
- 15g/ 3 tsp garlic
- 60ml olive oil
- Pinch of Maldon salt
- 40ml pomace oil
Method:
- Firstly, rehydrate the chilies by covering in boiling for two minutes.
- Fry the whole chillies in a splash of pomace oil. Finely dice the onion and garlic and fry in a separate pan on a low temperature with the olive oil. Drain the oil out of both and set aside. Blend the chillies, onion and garlic until chunky. Mix with the salt and infused oils.
- Cut the tuna loin into 1cm cubes. In a bowl, mix the tuna, sesame seeds, soy sauce and salsa de Arbol. Place the mixture onto a tostada and top with a thin layer of guacamole and a sprinkling of coriander.
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