I hadn't planned on throwing a New Year's shindig, but on the 29th, after a brief phone call with his friend, Peter informed me a party at our place was officially on the agenda.
My recurring craving for Mexican food meant a Mexican-themed spread was in order. We kicked off the preparations the night before, starting with a marinade for the fajitas.
Cumin, jalapenos, garlic, salt, coriander, oil, and lime went in to what turned out to be my favourite fajita marinade yet.
We bought some pretty big slabs of meat from our local butcher.
Ready to go in the fridge
Just some of what I chopped up for the gazpacho, including chives from my herb garden.
When New Year's Eve morning rolled around we got back to work on the rest of the spread. I toasted some birds eye chillies for a very spicy salsa that would be both an accompaniment to the tortilla chips and a seasoning for the carnitas.
Meanwhile, Peter got stuck in to the flour tortillas.
He kneaded and kneaded. . .
and divided up the dough.
A couple hours later we had 32 tortillas.
I poured a couple cups of that spicy salsa over a kilo of boneless pork shoulder, added some broth and water, then simmered it for four hours on the stovetop. Not long after, the delicious aroma of what would eventually be carnitas wafted through the house.
When the chunks of pork were good and tender I pulled them apart with a fork, put them in a pan, and roasted them in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Peter and Ben fired up the barbecue. . .
. . .while little Louis only had eyes for his own dinner.
Peter's brother Dave sported the Brisbane Roar's jersey (soccer) ahead of the night's game.
Ben sliced up some freshly grilled peppers for his salsa while Richard helped out with the guac.
And voila! Quite an impressive spread, is it not?
I zoomed in for a closer look.
Everything turned out perfectly (with the exception of my rice, which went a little mushy) including:
Simone's roasted red capsicum salsa,
Ben's chargrilled corn salsa,
my gazpacho and so much more. (I wish I took more photos.)
We finished off the evening with a little piñata action.
Franni put it back together after it had been severed into two pieces, so someone else could have a swing.
And he did.
We finished off the celebration back on the balcony with margaritas, sparking wine, and the sound of fireworks in the distance.
Happy New Year everyone!
My goodness. I made corn tortillas the other night. I want the recipe for the flour ones. They look much better. How I wish I could've attended the festivities. You and Peter know how to cook it up! Happy New Year!
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