Dave Dewitt - Authentic Recipes from Santa Fe

Acknowledgments :

The publisher would like to thank Robert Shure, Marie Romero Cash, Peggy Jackson, Robin Ann Powell, Rosalea Murphy, Christy Teetor, Emilio Romero, Jr., Gregory Lomayesva and Heidi Loewen for their generosity and their willingness to open their homes and studios to us; Jose L. Villegas, Sr. at the State Records Center and Archives and the staff at the Palace of Governors; and Denice Skrepcinski for her invaluable help in preparing the food for photography. A very special thank you to Paula Summers who helped in innumerable ways and to Mrs Ong for her culinary expertise and eye for detail, and to the many chefs and artists for their enthusiastic participation in this project. And to the people of Santa Fe, a big thank you for their warmth and hospitality.

A Guide to Chiles

There are so many different kinds of chiles that it can be hard to keep them straight. But the differences in flavor are so significant, that its worth trying to learn to identify the important ones. The principal chile peppers in Santa Fe cooking are the New Mexican varieties, called Anaheims in California. More than 35,000 acres are under cultivation in New Mexico. In their fresh form, they are called simply green chiles , and the pods are roasted and peeled before use. Fresh red pods can also be used in this manner. When dried, red chiles can be used whole or ground into powder. At flea markets in Santa Fe and Albuquerque you will find stands where farmers sell their own red and green chile powders, ground chipotle and ristras of every size.

There are a number of varieties of New Mexican chiles and all are readily available in Santa Fe. They range from the relatively mild Big Jim , NuMex Joe E. Parker and No. 6-4 that are grown in the southern part of the state to the hotter northern varieties such as Barker , Espaola and Velarde . Incidentally, Hatch chile is not a variety but merely a geographical designation of the chile-growing region around Hatch, in the Rio Grande Valley of southern New Mexico. In addition to the New Mexican varieties, many Mexican chiles appear in northern New Mexican cooking. They are easily obtained in markets, shops and natural-food supermarkets. Each chile has an entirely different flavor profile, so dont substitute randomly. Appropriate substitutions are suggested.

The ancho is the dried form of the poblano . The fresh green pods range in length from 3 to 6 in (8 to 15 cm) and in width from 3 to 4 in (8 to 10 cm). The fresh pods are roasted and peeled; then they are stuffed with meat, vegetables or cheese to make chiles rellenos , cut into strips, chopped, or sometimes ground into a powder. The reddish-brown anchos are usually toasted on a griddle and rehydrated before they are used. The anchos have a flavor that is often described as tasting like raisins. This variety is rather mild. Pasilla chiles may be substituted for anchos.

The spherical cascabel chile is about 11/2 in ( cm) in diameter and is most frequently used in its dried form. When the chile is dry, the seeds rattle in the podaccounting for its name, which translates roughly as jingle bell. Cascabels are used in sauces and to spice up many other dishes, such as soups and stews. Cascabels have medium heat. Substitute guajillo chiles if you cant find cascabels.

Literally, a chipotle is any smoked chile, but the term generally refers to a jalapeo that has been partially dried in the sun and then smoked. Dark brown or red, about 2 in (5 cm) long and 1 in (21/2 cm) wide, they come in two forms: dried, or canned in an adobo sauce, which is a tomato-based sauce. Dried chipotles are rehydrated before use and are sometimes ground into powder. These chiles are moderately hot and have a wonderfully complex flavor. There is no real substitute for these smoked chiles.

The name de rbol means tree chile, an allusion to the appearance of the plant. About 3 in (8 cm) long and 3/8 in (1 cm) wide, these medium hot dried pods are used in cooked sauces of all kinds and are sometimes ground into a powder. A good substitute is mirasol.

Similar in appearance to New Mexican varieties, guajillos are used mostly in their dry form. They are 4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm) long and about 11/2 in (4 cm) wide. The pods are orange-red, medium hot and are used primarily in sauces. The substitute is dried red New Mexican chiles.

Grown in the Yucatn Peninsula, the lantern-shaped, orange habanero chiles are the hottest peppers in the world. The pods are about 11/2 in (4cm) long and 1 in (21/2 cm) wide and have a distinctive aroma that is fruity and apricot-like. They are used in their fresh form in Mexico but also appear dried in the United States and Canada. The fresh pods are used extensively in salsas and other Yucatecan dishes. There is no substitute for the flavor of fresh habaneros; use the hottest fresh chiles you can find, such as cayenne or Thai. For dried habaneros, substitute piqun.

Perhaps the most common chile in Mexico, the familiar jalapeo is 1 to 2 in (21/2 to 5 cm) long and about 3/4 in (2 cm) wide. Unless they are smoked to create chipotles, jalapeos are used exclusively fresh in a great number of dishes. They have medium heat and are often found pickled in cans. To pickle them, they are sauted with spices then covered with vinegar and stored in a dark place to develop the flavor. Serranos may be substituted.

The name mirasol means looking at the sun, an allusion to the erect pods, which measure up to 4 in (10 cm) long and 3/4 in (2 cm) wide. The medium-hot pods are used dried in sauces and meat dishes and are sometimes ground into powder. The substitute is de rbol.

Fresh pasilla chiles are called chilacas and are used in a similar manner to New Mexican varieties or poblanos. When dried, the pods are 5 to 6 in (13 to 15 cm) long and about 11/2 in (4 cm) wide. They are used in sauces and may be stuffed. The pods are mild and are sometimes ground into powder. As the name little raisin implies, the pods have an aroma and flavor like raisin. The substitute for pasilla is ancho.

The small, erect piqun pods are less than 1 in (21/2 cm) long and 1/2 in (1 cm) wide; they usually resemble miniature bullets. Chiltepns were the only chile that the Native Americans cultivated in the wild before the arrival of the Spanish. They are spherical piquns that measure about 1/2 in (1/2 cm) in diameter. Their name is believed to be derived from the Aztec words chilli and tecpintl , meaning flea chile, an allusion to the chiltepns sharp bite. The pods of both are used in salsas, soups and stews, or ground into powder. They are hot to extremely hot. The substitute is dried habanero.

Both the red and green varieties of the serrano chile are used fresh. Measuring 1 to 3 in (21/2 to 8 cm) long and 1/2 in (1 cm) wide, it is the chile of choice in Mexico for fresh salsas and has medium heat. The name means mountain chile or highland chile. The serrano is often found pickled in cans. Jalapeo is a good substitute.