Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with food

Cinco de Mayo is a relatively insignificant holiday on the Mexican calendar. However, among Americans, Cinco de Mayo has become an opportunity to celebrate Mexican culture and cuisine. Visiting a Mexican restaurant on May 5 may be a large part of Cinco de Mayo festivities. But you can keep the party closer to home and craft the tastes of Mexico right in your kitchen. Chicken flautas are an ideal finger food. In this recipe, courtesy of “The Complete Mexican, South American & Caribbean Cookbook,” by Jane Milton, Jenni Fleetwood and Marina Filippelli, common ingredients are turned into a crispy, fried delight.

Chicken Flautas

Makes 12

Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts

One onion

Two garlic cloves

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 1/2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

12 corn tortillas, freshly made or a

few days old

Oil for frying

Salt and ground pepper

For the salsa:

Three tomatoes, peeled, seeded

and chopped

Juice of 1⁄2 lime

Small bunch of cilantro, chopped

1⁄2 small onion, finely chopped

Three fresh fresno chiles or similar

fresh green chiles, seeded and

chopped

1. Start by making the salsa. Mix tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, onion and chiles in a bowl. Season with salt and set aside.

2. Put chicken in a large pan, add water to cover, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it cool a little. Using two forks, shred the chicken into small pieces. Set aside.

3. Chop the onion finely and crush the garlic. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and garlic, and fry over a low heat for about five minutes, or until the onion has softened but not colored. Add the shredded chicken, with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, remove from the heat, and stir in the feta.

4. Before they can be rolled, soften the tortillas by steaming three or four at a time on a plate over boiling water for a few moments, until they are pliable. Alternatively, wrap them in microwave-safe film and then heat them in a microwave oven on full power for about 30 seconds.

5. Place a spoonful of the chicken filling on one of the tortillas and roll tightly to make a neat cylinder. Secure with a toothpick, immediately cover the roll with plastic wrap to prevent the tortilla fry drying out and splitting. Fill and roll the remaining tortillas in the same way.

6. Pour oil into a frying pan to a depth of 1 inch. Heat it until a small cube of bread, added to the oil, rises to the surface and bubbles at the edges before turning golden. Remove the toothpicks, then add the flautas to the pan, a few at a time.

7. Fry the flautas for two to three minutes until golden, turning frequently. Drain on paper towels and serve at once, with the salsa.