Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Recipes

Amaranth Skulls, Pumpkin Empanadas, and Horchata

Words by Justin Butts Recipe by Kayla Butts Photos by Rachel Benevides

On Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead, the souls of the dearly departed are said to return to earth for a brief visit. It is not a spooky visit, but a joyful celebration of a loved one’s life, filled with happy memories, good eating, drinking, and music.

The ofrenda is an important feature in this celebration. Ofrenda is the Spanish word for offering and also the name of the collection of objects placed on an altar to guide the soul home. Candles light the way, and the loved ones’ favorite foods and beverages are displayed to refresh them after the long journey through the spirit world. Marigolds, photographs, and prized trinkets also decorate the ofrenda.

These Dia de los Muertos traditions originated with the Aztecs. They made cavaleras from amaranth grains. Marigolds represented the fragility of life, and the Aztecs believed the flowers guided spirits to the altars.
When Herman Cortes and the conquistadors invaded the Aztec Empire, they thought the ancient ritual was pagan sacrilege. They attempted to stamp out the tradition forever, but it survived. Eventually, it was synchronized with All Soul’s Day and is now celebrated across the Americas.

Upon learning of this sacred and colorful tradition several years ago, we couldn’t wait to get home and make our own calaveras. We wanted to honor the Aztec roots of the holiday, so we used amaranth and local honey. This version is surprisingly delicious and is healthier than sugar skulls we tasted at our first Dia de los Muertos Festival.

To pop amaranth, place a very thin layer at the bottom of a hot, deep pan and stir until fragrant. Most kernels will pop within two minutes and turn a snowy white. Decorate the skulls with dried fruit, nuts, royal icing, edible paint, or edible gold leaf. These skulls are beautiful, unique, and actually good for the body and soul.

What’s a Spanish celebration without empanadas? So we used heirloom pumpkins from the garden and made these delicious pumpkin empanadas for Pan del Muerto. Most empanada recipes call for vegetable shortening, but we opted for pastured pork lard. Lard from locally raised pastured porkers has a great flavor, is free of trans-fats, and is rich in heart-healthy fats.

Horchata is a sweet and refreshing chilled beverage made from rice and cinnamon. We experimented to find a version with less sugar that doesn’t sacrifice on taste. Coconut sugar adds a rich caramel flavor with just a hint of coconut that creates a perfect sweetness.

This year, if you cannot find a live Dia de los Muertos Street Festival, we have you covered with sweet and savory home-made recipes to celebrate the life of loved ones from home.

Pumpkin Empanadas (Empanadas de Calabaza)

Makes: 12 hand pies
Prep time: 30 minutes
Inactive prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

Pastry Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 T. sugar, plus 1 T. for dusting
1 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1/2 c. pastured pork lard
2 eggs, plus 1 egg white
1/2 c. milk

Filling Ingredients:
2 c. roasted pumpkin (or one 15 oz.
can organic pureed pumpkin)
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 T. butter
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. nutmeg
1/8 t. cloves

Directions:
To prepare dough, mix dry ingredients in a large bowl or standing mixer. Add remaining ingredients and mix until just combined. Form dough into a disk, cover in plastic wrap, and cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Combine ingredients for the filling in a large bowl. Whisk until well incorporated.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove dough from the refrigerator and divide it into 12 pieces. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a 1/8” to 1/4” thick circle, depending on preference. Spoon ¼ cup of filling into the center of the dough and fold the dough over, making a half circle. Seal the pie by crimping with your fingers, or pressing the edges with the tines of a fork. Transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Lightly brush the empanadas with egg white and dust with sugar. Bake the pies for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Amaranth Skulls (Calavera de Amaranto)

Makes: 4 large skulls
Prep time: 20 minutes
Inactive prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
Non-stick cooking spray
1/4 c. local raw honey
1/4 c. granulated sugar
2 T. water
4 c. popped amaranth

Directions:
Spray skull molds with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium saucepan, combine honey, sugar, and water. Cook over high heat until mixture reaches 255°F. Pour amaranth into honey mixture and stir to evenly coat grains. Pour mixture into molds and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until completely set.
Remove calaveras from molds and decorate with adornments of your choosing. Calaveras will keep in a cool, dry place for up to 2 days.

Horchata

Makes: 48 onces
Prep time: 15 minutes
Inactive prep time: 4-12 hours

Ingredients:
1 c. uncooked, long-grain rice, rinsed
1/2 c. raw, unsalted almonds
1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
3 c. filtered water
1/2 c. coconut sugar
1 c. whole milk

Directions:
Combine rice, almonds, cinnamon, and water in a large bowl. Cover and store mixture in the refrigerator for 4-12 hours.
Remove rice mixture from the refrigerator and blend until smooth (about 4 minutes on high speed). Strain rice mixture using a cheesecloth-lined colander. Add coconut sugar and milk to the remaining liquid and stir well. Serve over ice.