Cinco de Mayo American-Style
April 29, 2004

I’m always up for a party, and after a visit to Mexico I feel enough kinship with  the lovely Mexicans I met to celebrate Cinco de Mayo as a national holiday. What could be better than a fiesta dedicated to freedom, friendship and food?  You, too, can join in the fun: mark your calendar for May fifth, call your friends, and whip up an easy meal of refreshing mojitas, margaritas and fajitas.

The idea of Americans celebrating a Mexican holiday isn’t really that farfetched.  Cinco de Mayo commemorates an important military victory over Napoleon’s French troops at the battle of Puebla in 1862.  While this date marked a milestone in Mexico’s quest for freedom, it also had a tremendous impact on American history. Embroiled in our own civil war, Mexico’s tenacity prevented Napoleon III from supplying confederate rebels for a full year; this allowed the north to build the winning army that defeated the rebels fourteen months later, ending the civil war at Gettysburg. We returned the favor by supplying the arms and ammunition the Mexican cavalry needed to expel the French for good.

And you thought this holiday was just about the margaritas! Mexicans and Americans take pride in remembering their friends and allies, so on this Cinco de Mayo invite some of your pals over for a delicious taste of freedom. Recipes serve six.

Fiesta Fajitas
Fajitas are more like building your own sub sandwich than following a recipe, so here are some suggestions to have on hand for this buffet style meal.
- 12 soft tortilla –style flat wraps
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- Fresh salsa, sour cream and sliced avocados
- Sautéed bell peppers and onions
- Black beans and refried beans (canned are fine)
- Grilled shrimp, chicken, and skirt steak, sliced
- Shredded carrot and romaine lettuce
- Fresh jalapeno chiles (for the brave)

General Zaragosa’s Mojitas
- Large bunch of fresh mint
- White rum (1-2 ounces /drink)
- 6 teaspoons sugar
- juice of 3 fresh limes
- splash of soda water
- crushed ice

In six ounce glasses put several fresh mint leaves with the sugar and crush gently. Fill glass with crushed ice. In a cocktail shaker mix rum, lime juice and soda water. Pour over ice.

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston, VT with her husband, Jeff, and three college–aged daughters who come and go. ©2008