Cinco de Mayo Party: Recipe For Mexican Food, Music, And Fun

Wisconsinites!!! Celebrate Cinco de Mayo this upcoming 5th of May. So what if you aren't Mexican? You didn't have to be Irish to drink Irish ale on St. Pat's Day. May 5th is our holiday to celebrate the Mexican people and culture renowned for hard-work, strong, supportive families, awesome art, music, and architecture, and of course, amazingly delicious food.  Yes, on Cinco de Mayo we eat great Mexican food. If your palette is normally as pale as your face, then wash down those chili spices with Wisconsin beer. And let you're Northern-European insides bask in south-of-the-border warmth. Throwing a Cinco de Mayo party means bringing on the COLOR! - Tablecloths, lights, and streamers should explode in vibrant REDS! YELLOWS! ORANGES! BLUES! GREENS! and PURPLES! Blast the horn sounds of your favorite mariachi MUSIC. And if the band's accordion stirs you to polka, give in. Thaw those Northern inhibitions. Step to the music, twirl your partner, dip the chips, and toast to the good life in Mexico and everywhere else. 

Unfortunately, this year swine flu is putting a damper on Cinco de Mayo parties, not only in Mexico, but in Milwaukee too. Milwaukee's UMOS's Cinco de Mayo Springfest was canceled Thursday because 11,000 people were expected to attend, and no doubt some attendees would have been in recent contact with someone ill in Mexico. Too risky, the CDC said, safer to cancel Springfest.

But this doesn't mean Cinco de Mayo is canceled! The 5th day of a month can't be canceled! A respectful memory of Mexican villagers protecting their homeland by standing up to invading French soldiers can't be canceled! No, canceling Milwaukee's Springfest just means Wisconsinites move the party off the streets and into hundreds of individual homes. Wisconsinites will gather in small groups of families and friends to eat, dance, and have great fun honoring the vibrant culture of Mexico.

But in these days preceding, perhaps you worry that you don't know how to cook Mexican food. Relax! Neither do I. So I had a party to practice. And now I've got some surefire recipes for you. Two are from the Eldorado Grill Cookbook. - The Eldorado Grill is a popular, gourmet Mexican restaurant in Madison, WI. Folks there KNOW how to cook Mexican food, probably because some of the chefs are from Mexico. The other recipe I made up. But not to worry, this one worked out. I served it at our practice Cinco de Mayo party and everyone loved it. You can see we had great fun that night, - just look at the happy dog on the table. So click on "continue reading... for these authentic Mexican and Gringo recipes to enjoy at your Cinco de Mayo party. 

The Gringo recipe I created was basic chicken fajitas. Fajitas are pretty straight-forward when you think about them, - just roll a warm tortilla up with grilled chicken, sauteed peppers and onion, shredded cheese, and sauce. The sauce is usually a tomato pico de gallo sauce which can be used in combo with sour cream, and if you're lucky to have it, guacamole.

But mine were no ordinary chicken fajitas. Instead of pico de gallo sauce, I followed the Eldorado Grill's recipe for Chipotle Remoulade. It's secret ingredient is Chipotle Puree. The secret to great Mexican food is often in the sauce, and these sauces are exceptionally good. Plus, my creative kitchen muse who typically blocks my way to cooking great food, actually helped me this time. She suggested an unusual marinade for the chicken. And wondrous to all, it tasted outrageously good! So here are the three recipes.

Chipotle Puree:

The Eldorado Grill Cookbook says "This gives a smokey, hot barbecue flavor. Use it as a hot sauce, or add it to other cream sauces for more flavor. This makes a rich red-orange puree."

• 1 can (7 ounces) chipotle peppers
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup water (just enough to blend peppers smooth, not runny; start with 1/4 cup)

Mix ingredients together in blender at high speed until smooth. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Yields 1 cup.

Chipotle Remoulade:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 Tablespoons finely diced red onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon chipotle puree
• 1/2 Tablespoon finely chopped capers
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 Tablespoon Tabasco ( I didn't have Tabasco so I substituted Habanero Sunshine; it's like Tabasco but hotter.)

Stir all ingredients together in small mixing bowl. Chill and store in refrigerator for up to 5 days. Yields 1 1/2 cups.

I didn't use all the remoulade at the party so to the remainder I added dashes of Balsamic vinegar and was rewarded with a spicy, creamy salad dressing. Delicious!

Now, to my muse and me. I still had cilantro left over from the jicama coleslaw I made awhile back. The cilantro was too old to serve in a fresh salsa, but not too ancient to cook. It met some boneless chicken breasts in my recipe for chicken fajita marinade:

• 1 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• Juice of 1 lemon (preferably fresh)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Sambuca (Yes, that's right, add that Italian, anise-flavored liqueur. While preparing this marinade, I was remembering drinking a wonderful, anise-flavored liqueur in Mexico years ago. I didn't have any in my Wisconsin cupboard, so I substituted Sambuca. This sweet, licorice liqueur is my secret ingredient. It cuts the sharp bite of the cilantro and the licorice flavors adds a sweet complexity to the chicken.)
• 1/2 cup water

If you use some forethought you'll mix up the marinade the day before the party, and soak 1 1/2 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken breasts in it overnight in the refrigerator. If your muse is like mine and unable to fathom time, you'll be making this marinade two hours before the guests arrive. In this case, slice the chicken breasts into fajita strips, then put them in the marinade, and let them chill in the 'fridge while you mix up the remoulade. Cutting up the meat is the trick to speed-marinating.

So now to the fajita recipe:

In 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, quickly saute:

• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 sweet red pepper, sliced
• 1 sweet green bell pepper, sliced,
• 1 sweet yellow or orange pepper, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

DON'T saute the peppers too long or else they'll turn to mush. In fact, you'll take them off the heat, turn your back and they'll keep turning to mush. So you have to catch them when they're only just begining to soften! You can do this cooking ahead of time and just nuke (microwave) the mixture before you're ready to serve the fajitas.

The guests arrive and it's time to grill the chicken. But it's raining so broil it instead. Remove the chicken from the marinade and broil it on hi, turning the chicken once during cooking. If the chicken breasts are whole, they'll take roughly 10-20 minutes (depends on their size). If the chicken is in strips, the strips take 5 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, warm the tortillas (I nuke them) and grate the Wisconsin cheese. I used Monterrey Jack, but any semi-hard, white cheese will do.

Then let the guests assemble their fajitas. Spread the Chipotle Remoulade on a warm tortilla, top with strips of chicken, sauteed veggies, and cheese. Roll it up and eat. If you're like me you like spice and won't be able to resist ladling salsa on top. If you have guacamole, bring it on!

The chicken fajitas were fabulous because of the Sambuca marinade and the chipotle remoulade. At the table, I kept spooning more remoulade on my tortilla. It was an incredible treat. Try it! And sing Viva Mexico in Wisconsin!

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