Fiesta!

First off, we are VERY sorry to report that we have NO pictorial proof of the fun time we had here the other night.  NO pictures of our friend, Polo, whipping up some pretty fantastic Pambazos.  Our battery eating camera had seemingly gone a binge while it was tucked away. And, of course, we had no extra supply.

The idea for the party stemmed from our falling in love with Pambazos several years ago.  Jorge included us with his Mexico City friends where Pambazos took center stage.

Pambazos are sandwiches that are street food in Mexico City.  They are made by filling a bread roll with mashed potatoes and chorizo sausage.  The filled rolls are dipped in a tomato based sauce made with guanajillo chilies.  They are then fried and served with salsa verde made with tomatillos and habaneros, cream, cheese and lettuce.

When we told Polo that we were expecting over 30 people, he suggested that we might want to have his friend, Olga (yes, she really is a Mexican) make some Mexico City style tamales too.

What a great idea!  Olga and her friend made 50 absolutely delicious tamales of three different types – salsa verde, mole and rajas (green chile peppers) with cheese.  The crowd went wild!  Even the locals who typically scoff at Mexico City aka Chilango food, were beside themselves.

So after a week of our scurrying around in search of  ingredients for the Pambazos and a day of preparation in our kitchen, our party in the backyard was a big success.  As usual, the biggest treat was having our friends, some only Spanish speaking and others pretty much English speaking, having a good time together.