Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is celebrated from October 31st to November 2nd and in actual fact is Mexico's most important holiday of the year.

It represents a time to honour and remember family and friends who are no longer with us, and help support them on their spiritual journey. Instead of being a morose time, it's actually a festive and joyous celebration that's marked across the country with street parties, festivals and parades to mark the occasion.

So Buffets by Design, our very favourite caterers, are marking the celebration by sharing with us a traditional recipe from Mexico that's guaranteed to tickle our tastbuds! And it's not one that's for this week only, but can definitely be enjoyed all year round.

It's Tacos al Pastor which is a heady mixture of spicy, smoky, chillies, sweet pineapples topped with fresh onions and coriander, all of which are marinated and roasted for hours to create the most amazing taste sensation. This recipe has been specially adapted for you to create at home and it's perfect for entertaining.

Ingredients

• 5 Guajillo chilli peppers
• 5 Ancho chilli peppers
• 1 chipotle pepper
• 1 medium white onion, halves
• 500g can pineapple chunks
• 60ml white vinegar
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp cumin
• Adobo seasoning, to taste
• 1kg boneless, skinless pork shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 300g corn tortillas, warmed
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

1 lime, cut into wedges

 

Method

Bring 235ml water to boil in a medium saucepan. Add the Guajillo chilli peppers and reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chillies soften. Transfer them to a plate and remove the stem and seeds.

Meanwhile, coarsely chop half of the onion. Drain the pineapple chunks and reserve the juice and fruit separately.

Transfer the Guajillo and Chipotle chillies, the chopped onion half, the pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic and cumin to a food processor. Puree until smooth. Transfer the chilli mixture to a saucepan over a medium heat.

Bring the chilli mixture to a boil and cook until the paste loses its raw onion taste. Season with the Adobo and leave to cool.

In a large resealable bag, combine the pork cubes, cooled chilli marinade and the reserved pineapple chunks. Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours, ideally 24 hours.

Heat oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Strain the pork and pineapples, discarding the marinade. Add the pork and pineapples to the pan and cook in batches until cooked through and dark golden brown on all sides. Transfer to a large serving plate.

Meanwhile, finely slice the remaining onion half. Transfer sliced onion to a bowl with the coriander.

Serve the pork and pineapple mixture in warm tortillas garnished with coriander, onions and limes.