May the Cinco be with you
Table of Contents
(Cinco De Mayo Honors the brave fighters of the battle of Puebla. But, right now, there is a battle for the free world in Ukraine. Please, help as you can. We recommend reaching out to WCK, a noble effort to feed people in strife.)
What a week to have to choose. Do you celebrate Star Wars day? Cinco de mayo, or Arrested Development’s Cinco de Cuatro? And, it’s national homebrew day in a couple days as well. Screw Christmas, with it’s cold, dark days. This is the most wonderful time of the year. Tee shirt weather is back. We just had a romp around the Maypole. And, now, it’s time for Avocado, Mexican fare, Scifi royalty, and mucho cerveza. We are midway between equinox and solstice. Everything is as it should be. All is well with the force. So, May the Cinco be with you.
Spring produce is peaking. Ramps, morels, Asparagus, peas, and more are all available. It’s time to fully embrace the local seasonal fare as Farmer’s markets come back full force. We can buy local, and think globally. At this time of year, it’s easy to put up a colorful, healthy, and tasty meal while controlling our carbon footprint. And, even though, people think Mexico on May 5th, it doesn’t have to be all Mexican food. A hybrid celebration is in order, featuring local produce with some Mexican influence. Most people don’t realize what Cinco De mayo is. It is not a big deal to Mexico. But, it is in the USA. Cinco de Mayo celebrates a single battle in a years long war for Mexican independence. Read more, here.
May the Cinco be with you in the battle for independence
So, it’s time we start thinking about avocado independence. About 80 percent of avocados in the USA come from Mexico. Recently, we had a ban on these imports in response to cartels threatening USDA inspectors in addition to the local farmers they control. In Mexico, Avocados are known as green gold. And, the gangs want a piece of that action. So, they shakedown and extort thousands of dollars from the farmers. That means every time you buy an avocado, you are supporting violent gangs in Mexico.
What if we grew more avocados in the USA. Right now, Florida, California, and Hawaii are the only states growing avocados on a commercial scale. What about all those states on the Mexican border, like Texas, Ne Mexico, and Arizona? They could easily ramp up production if there were a will. And, we know there are thousands of migrants at the border who would love the opportunity to help grow and pick those avocados. So, instead of building walls, why not grow some trees? We can proudly say “grown in USA”, and take the market share away from the cartels. We keep talking about going green. How about some green gold? Avocado consumption in the US has increased to over 6 billion per year. It’s time we reap the prophets on that industry.
Cinco is more of an American thing
This battle for avocado independence is similar to the Mexican battle, in the sense that it is an underdog situation. The Cinco de mayo battle was a group of a couple thousand farmers and peasants defeating a 6,000 man battalion of Napoleon’s elite troupes. Today, we have farmers and peasants under the control of armed and dangerous gangs. And, America loves an underdog story. So, we should be helping or at least rooting for them. Of course, if we take market share from them, that will defeat the gangs. But, it will also create hardship for the farmers. On the other hand, if we can help them re-locate, they can become productive members of our country and economy. It’s win-win.
But, remember, Cinco de Mayo was not a life altering event. And, it is celebrated more in America than in Mexico. It has more to do with marketing and margaritas than Mexican pride or heritage. Mexican independence day is in September. Celebrating Cinco de mayo would be like Americans celebrating Bunker hill day instead of independence day. Except, we lost that battle. The Mexicans won theirs. It’s more like the Natives at Little Big Horn. But, the Mexicans are the Indians. Ironically, Americans love an underdog story. But, rarely win the underdog battles. perhaps we could if we follow the mantra: May the Cinco be with you.
Open Borders?
There has been a lot of talk about “open borders” in recent years. But, that is not accurate at all. We went to France a few years ago and drove through what used to be the border with Belgium as easily as driving through the border between New York and Connecticut. If it weren’t for a welcome sign, you wouldn’t have known you were in a different country. That is an open border. The US has controls on both northern and Southern borders. Are there areas that could use some tightening? Of course. But, let’s remember, everything from California through Texas, as far north as Wyoming used to be part of Mexico. So, we take our neighbors land, then threaten them if they dare set foot on it? For a country founded on Christianity, we certainly don’t sound very Christian.
But, we don’t have to “open borders” physically to commune with our neighbors. The pandemic taught us about zoom. We can be with people remotely, in spirit. Celebrating Cinco de Mayo is kind of like St Patrick’s day, where people of all nationalities say they have some Irish in them. Today, we celebrate the Mexican in us. And, that brings us back to eat locally, think globally. We can empathize with the Mexican plight and pride at the battle of Puebla. But, we don’t have to go there physically. We can eat avocados and think of how the cartel leaders are oppressing the farmers, like King George Oppressed the American settlers in the 1770’s. So, what’s old is new. We can find common ground with anyone in the world. For, our humanity is greater than our differences.
Celebrate Solidarity
So, today, we can celebrate Mexico, America, and the whole fictitious universe of the Star Wars saga. For, isn’t it all the same? The Star Wars stories tell of a battle of underdogs just like Puebla, just like Bunker hill, just like Ukraine, Just like Luke and the death star. We started this article asking, how can we choose? Apparently, we don’t have to. It’s all the same. Today, we celebrate the underdog and the battle against oppression. And, we do so with an eye on local, global, and inter-galactic harmony.
That brings us to today’s menu. We will incorporate local product with Mexican and international flair. Being the beginning of May, some unique and tasty items are now available, especially in more temperate zones like new England. We will bring these into the dishes, and this will be one interstellar Star Wars, Puebla, Arrested Development, Ukraine, and uniquely American Celebration. Together we create a culinary experience to shake off oppression and warm our hearts in solidarity. Here’s to hoping Ukraine can shake its oppressors. May the Cinco be with them and the world.
We start with a Mexican Ukraine hybrid: Green Chili Chicken Kiev. A classic Ukrainian dish with Mexican spices.
We serve this with red rice and Avocado Asparagus salad. So, we have flavors from North and south America Blended in a European style. The asparagus can be served as a side dish or a salad. We use uniquely spring ingredients: Asparagus, avocado, garlic scapes, and spring onion.
Salud!
Green Chili Chicken Kiev with Coriander Beet Salsa
Ingredients
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Oil for frying
- 4 Each Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless, 4 oz
- 1/4 Lb Unsalted butter Softened
- 1 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley and Thyme
- 1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Green Chili ancho, poblano, or jalapeno preferred
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Shallots
- 1 tsp Chopped Fresh Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- Flour for dredging
- Bread crumbs for breading
- 3 Large Eggs, whisked with a little water
- For Salsa:
- 3 each Medium beets (2 to 3 inches diameter)
- 1/4 Cup Diced Fresh Onion
- 1/4 Cup Diced Fresh Bell pepper
- 1 Tbsp Fine Diced Fresh hot chili like jalapeno
- 1/4 Cup Lime Juice
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Cilantro
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Scallion or chive
- 1/2 tsp Ground Coriander
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 Tbsp Avocado Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400
- Soften Butter ahead of time. Either leave out at room temperature; or, carefully soften in microwave on low setting. Do not melt the butter. Just make it pliable.
- Place beets in a deep pan with a little water, a coating of oil, and a pinch of salt. Cover with foil, and roast for about an hour. Check to see if it is done. It should yield to the touch, but, not be too soft. When cooked, cool down, peel, and cut into 1/4 inch or smaller dice.
- make an herb butter: Mix the softened butter with herbs, shallot, garlic, chili, Lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. You can mix by hand or in a food processor to make the herb butter really green.
- Pound out the chicken breasts until they are about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Place some of the herb butter in the center of each breast and roll up so the butter is encased in chicken. make sure none is exposed or it will leak out when cooking. Place the stuffed chicken breasts in a freezer for at least an hour. You want them to become firm and maintain their shape when it comes time to bread them.
- make the salsa: Mix all salsa ingredients in a bowl. Adjust seasoning as needed.
- Bread the Chicken. Once the chicken is solid, Whisk the eggs with a little bit of water. Lightly season some flour with salt and pepper, then set up your breading and frying station: Start with flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. Have oil in a pot or fryer at 350 degrees. And, have a pan lined with paper towels to absorb the extra oil. Dredge the chicken in flour. Coat it evenly, shake off any excess. From there, dip it in the egg. Make sure the egg adheres well. You shouldn't see any chicken or flour exposed. Transfer it to the bread crumbs and make sure the crumbs coat everything. You want to see crumbs all over the chicken, no meat, flour or egg should be visible. This is very important, because if it isn't well encased, some of the butter could leak out during cooking.
- Fry the Chicken: Take the breaded chicken and, carefully, put each breast in the fry oil. Try to keep the heat consistent. Cook it until golden brown. This should take about 10 minutes. If too dark, it will taste burnt. Too light, it won't hold together as well, and could be greasy. After drying on paper towels, transfer to a sheet pan and finish in the oven. Cook another 10 to 15 minutes at 400. You can carefully check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. You want to cook it to 165 degrees.
- Allow to rest about 5 minutes before plating. Serve it with the salsa. When you and your guests cut into it, the center will be a nice green and the butter will ooze out, creating a sauce for the chicken.
Arroz Rojo
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Long Grain Rice
- 1/2 Cup Diced Fresh Onion
- 1 tsp Chopped Fresh garlic
- 1 Cup Diced Fresh Tomato
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 2 Cup Vegetable broth or water
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Avocado oil for cooking
- Pinto or other type of beans (optional)
- Chopped scallion garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot over medium high heat: Saute garlic and onion until translucent. Add in the rice and stir until well coated. Add the spices and stir. Then, add the water and bring to a simmer. Cook until all liquid has evaporated. Fold in the tomatoes and adjust seasoning as needed. Add chopped scallions and/or beans if desired.
Cinco Spring Avocado Asparagus Salad
Ingredients
- 1 Bunch Fresh Asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 large Avocado
- 1/2 Cup Julienne Fresh Spring Onion
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Garlic Scapes
- 1 Large Lime, just juice and zest
- 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp Coriander seeds
- 1 tsp Chopped Fresh Chili
- 1/2 Cup Grape Tomatoes, cut in 1/2
- Avocado oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- baby greens (Optional)
Instructions
- Heat a saute pan over medium high heat. Put the coriander and cumin seeds in the pan to bloom the flavor. Toss them around a bit to lightly toast and bring out flavor and aroma. Grind them in a spice grinder roughly. Place them in a bowl.
- Heat a little avocado oil in the same pan, Add in the spring onion and stir. Cook for about 30 seconds. Then add in the asparagus, chili, and garlic scapes. Cook until the color of the asparagus is very pronounced. The vegetables should yield, but, not be overcooked. Place in the bowl with the spices. Allow to cool.
- Cut the avocado into strips or cubes. Toss with the Asparagus, etc, add in the tomato, lime, oil, salt, and pepper. Coat all evenly. Adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve as a side dish or with greens as a salad.