Cinco de Mayo
It’s the annual celebration held on May 5 to commemorate the Mexican Army’s victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862. Here in Texas, we love to celebrate it with family, friends, and deliciously concocted margaritas! Local Cindo de Mayo celebrations can include parades, music, dancing, sometimes even battle reenactments, and (most widely observed) food and drink! Since many of us are still home and social distancing, I thought it fitting to celebrate with a pot of Fideo!
The Dish
Fideo, simply translated, means “noodles” in Spanish. Mexican Fideo specifically refers to a short and golden “vermicelli” noodle made into a warm and comforting dish with a tomato flavored base. Fideo con Carne, or “noodles with beef” as I am making today, is simply with the addition of beef. There are so many ways to make Fideo. Some recipes includes papas (potatoes) or corn (maiz), some serve it as a soup. If you like this dish, I encourage you to try some variations and see which style you and your family most enjoy.
The Essentials
Two essential ingredients for my recipe are KNORR Caldo de Tomate Con Sabor de Pollo (Tomato Bouillon with Chicken Flavor) and cut Vermicelli noodles. There are many different brands of noodles out there. Here are a couple of brands that I like to use, but go with what you like and what you can find in your grocery store.
A Crowd-Pleaser!
This recipe makes quite a bit! It can easily feed several people as a main dish and even more if you’re preparing it as a side. For a smaller batch, just reduce the recipe ingredients by half.
Ingredients
- 4 cups hot water
- 4 tsp. KNORR® Caldo de Tomate Con Sabor de Pollo
- 2 Tbsp. oil
- 1 lb. beef stew meat
- 1 lb. wild hog meat*
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 2. tsp. chili powder
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. oil
- 1 (16 oz.) pkg. vermicelli noodles
- 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- *You can substitute 1 lb. ground beef or ground bison.
Instructions
- In a large heat-safe bowl, dissolve the tomato bouillon in the boiling hot water.
- Heat a large skillet with the first 2 tablespoons of oil, add both meats. Season the meat with the salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder. Brown the meat and let any water evaporate from the pan.
- Add the onion. When the onion has started to cook down, remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
- In a large sauce pot, add the second 2 tablespoons of oil and the vermicelli noodles. Stirring constantly, toast the noodles until they are golden and beginning to brown.
- Carefully add the broth to the pot. (The pot will be hot and may produce steam.) Add the can of diced tomatoes along with the meat and onion mixture. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. When the noodles are cooked through and most of the moisture has left the pan, remove the pot from the heat.
- Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, as needed. Serve hot.
