HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!

Some of you may have celebrated the festivities over the weekend, but in case you waited until today, here are some tips and recipes to help you plan a party full of tradition, fun and tasty food!

Fresh Guacamole
White Mexican Cheese Dip
How to Make A Frozen Margarita Cocktail
Host A Fiesta for Cinco de Mayo
Putting Together Your Cinco de Mayo Menu

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Over the weekend, I attended the opening night of “Carter’s Way” at Steppenwolf Theatre, a renowned Chicago stage, known for its unique productions and intimate space.I was fortunate to know someone working there (ahem, thank you Becky!) who invited me to this opening night affair, and considering the after party, it really was quite an affair.

Adobo Grill, an adorable Mexican restaurant, played host to the after-theatre soiree, wining and dining the actors, crew members and all their loved ones. Even I felt like a celebrity!

As soon as we walked in the door, waiters dashed over to find out our beverage choices. I chose the margarita that came in a martini glass. Rimmed with sugar and salt, it seemed to be their specialty. And delicious as it was, the best part about it was that the waiters would walk around with margarita shakers in hand and refill any glass that seemed even half empty. You could never have an empty glass if you tried.

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Well this is my last day in New York. Saturday, I fly home to Indiana, spend a little time in Mexico with my family (including the precious rugrats), and then I am off to Ireland at the end of September. Ooohh man, I am looking forward to the food in Mexico. I plan on grilling something that I catch over the course of the week (hopefully snapper or grouper). Perhaps I will try Cuban-hand-lining again to catch small bonefish in the shallows. Otherwise, I will be hanging a leg off the side of a boat, inhaling the smell of salty seawater, and feeling my own personal peace with the world. (Sorry for the jealous feelings you might be experiencing!)

I also plan on eating a lot of fresh salsa, guacamole, and many, many sopes. (Sopes are not generally carried in many Mexican restaurants in the U.S. it seems, but I love them.) Maybe we will return to Cozumel to repeat the best meal of my life. Although I have fallen in love with many aspects of New York, the energy, the creativity, I just cannot wait to leave the concrete jungle for trees, fresh air, and open spaces. This is how I grew up, the flat fields of Indiana and the occasional trip to the ocean.

Although cold and rainy, Ireland is at least famously green. I hope to join a food co-op in Dublin when I arrive, which is a popular choice for many due to the high price of groceries in the city. Basically, I work for a couple hours a week in exchange for very cheap groceries. I’ve heard some great things about the fresh produce, and I cannot wait to see how Dublin is transforming into a foodie city.

Now, what do I eat for my last night in NYC? Remember, I’m cheap.

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I returned to New York on Saturday evening with a certain restlessness and a hankering for the Village. Despite the higher prices of food in the area, J* and I made our way to the lower east side. We missed the last showing of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind at the almost too-cool-for-school KGB, so wandered over to a restaurant nearby called Candela, Candela. The joint is an interesting mixture of Cuban and Italian cuisine. The signs surrounding the outdoor seating enticed us in with “Cucina, Mojito Bar.” Although I don’t often digress from a cold beer in the summer, I do love me an occasional mojito with plenty of fresh mint, lime, and hopefully a strip of sugar cane (oh, and rum of course).

Despite the price ($16!), I was very excited about the three kinds of ceviche on the menu. Ceviche, a kind of fresh seafood salad marinated in lime juice and served cold without cooking, is the perfect food to enjoy outside on a warm, summer night. I’ve had ceviche with fish, shrimp, squid, scallops, and, probably my favorite, conch pulled right out of the shell in front of me (in the Bahamas). Thinking that we could split the dish and forgo anything else, we ordered the spicy, mixed seafood ceviche with lime at Candela, Candela.

Perhaps I am not accustomed to the Cuban variety, but I did not care for this ceviche. We were served a variety of seafood (shrimp, squid, and mussels??) in a large glass bowl, but the seafood was quite whole, instead of being chopped up (I was told this was Cuban variety). Nonetheless, I couldn’t taste any lime or any other seasonings. It basically tasted like a bowl of fishy seafood (with flavors not altogether pleasant to meld). Now, fresh seafood is great, but not when I want ceviche. I want something a bit more liquid, with lots of lime, tomato, avocado, and whatnot. I want to scoop it up with plantains or tortilla chips.

With my experience eating in Mexico, I know now how strongly I prefer the Mexican ceviche.

Shrimp Ceviche Tostada

Directions

Squeeze limes into large bowl. Cut shrimp in approximately 4 pieces each. Place shrimp and onions in lime juice, cover and let marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Remove shrimp mixture from refrigerator and add tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro and salt to taste. To serve, drain lime juice from ceviche. Next, spread guacamole on top of tostada and top with ceviche. Garnish with cilantro and hot sauce.

Yield: 4 servings (2 tostadas per person)

Photo compliments of flickr, Andrea F Lee

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