Courtesy of Santa Fe School of Cooking

This is just a slightly different version of guacamole. This dish needs to be made at the last minute. Ideally, don't let it stand for more than 30 minutes and after you have made it, press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the dish. Good, ripe, Haas avocados are the key ingredient!

Serves 8

3 ripe plum tomatoes, diced
Serrano chiles to taste
Minced garlic, optional
1 medium red onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 large, ripe Haas avocados
Freshly squeezed lime juice to taste
Kosher salt to taste

1. Combine the tomatoes, chiles, garlic, onion and cilantro. Set aside.
2. Cut the avocados in half, running a knife around the pit from stem to blossom end and back again; twist the halves in opposite directions to free the pits and pull the halves apart. Cut each half into large chunks. Add to tomato mixture and stir gently to combine.
3. Season the salsa with lime juice and salt.

Courtesy of Café Pasqual's

From Café Pasqual's Cookbook: Spirited Recipes from Santa Fe by Katharine Kagel

This dish is beloved by our vegetarian and nonvegeterian patrons alike. I was inspired to create it in order to offer the centuries-old calabacitas, the Southwest's classic corn and squash sauté. The white cheese salsa is essentially the chile con queso of Old Mexico but made with ingredients available north of the border. These corn cakes may be served as an appetizer or as a lunch or brunch course.

Serves 6

For the queso blanco salsa:
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 white onion, chopped
5 Italian plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped
4 fresh mild green chiles such as New Mexico or Anaheim, roasted, seeded, peeled and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded, deveined and diced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded, deveined and diced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup half-and-half
½ pound cream cheese, cut into small pieces
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the corn cakes:
1/3 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1 cup fresh or thawed, frozen corn kernels
3 eggs
¾ cup milk
½ cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon salt
2 dashes of Tabasco sauce
½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ cup finely minced scallions, including green tops
¼ cup stemmed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Melted butter for cooking

For thecalabacitas
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups fresh or thawed, frozen corn kernels
1 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1 cup finely diced zucchini
2 fresh poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped

Fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish

To prepare the salsa, melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter sizzles, add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chiles, red and yellow bell peppers, salt and black pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Reduce the heat and add the half-and-half, stirring well. When heated through, add the cream cheese. Cooking, stirring frequently, until the cheese melts and the mixture is thick, about 12 minutes. Stir in the cayenne pepper and remove from the heat. Let cool, cover and refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving. (You may prepare the salsa up to 3 days in advance.)

Just before serving, reheat the salsa by placing it in the top pan of a broiler or gently simmering water; stir frequently to prevent scorching. Adjust to taste with cayenne pepper.

To prepare the corn cake batter, combine the bell pepper, corn, eggs, milk, flour, cornmeal, butter and salt in a blender or in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process for about 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, and stir in the Tabasco sauce, cayenne pepper, scallions, cilantro and Parmesan cheese. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

To cook the corn cakes, warm a 7-inch nonstick sauté pan over medium heat until hot. Brush the pan with melted butter. When the butter sizzles, ladle 3 or 4 tablespoons of batter into the center of the pan, then tilt and swirl the pan to spread the batter thinly over the pan's surface. Cook until lightly browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip the cake and cook until the second side browns slightly, another minute. Slide the cake onto a plate and cover with waxed paper. Make 6 cakes in all in this manner, brushing the pan with butter as needed. As the cakes are cooked, stack them, slipping a sheet of waxed paper between them to prevent sticking, and place in the oven to keep warm until serving. They may be cooked up to 1 hour ahead of serving.

To prepare the calabicatas, warm a saute pan over medium heat until hot. Brush the pan with melted butter. When it sizzles, add all the remaining ingredients. Cook, shaking the pan to rearrange the ingredients frequently, until the vegetables are just heated through and slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes.

To assemble, place the corn cakes on individual plates and divide the calabacitas evenly among them, spooning it on one-half of each corn cake. Fold the other half over to form a half-moon. Ladle the warm salsa over all. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.

Note: Canned green chiles may be used in place of the fresh.; be sure to rinse them with water before adding to the salsa.

Courtesy of Santa Fe School of Cooking


Serves 8

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds beef sirloin or pork butt, cut in 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups diced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
6 cups chicken or beef broth
1 pound red or white potatoes, cut in 1/2 to 3/4-inch cubes
2 to 3 teaspoons salt, to taste
3 cups roasted, peeled, chopped green chile or to taste
3 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, to taste

Heat the oil in a 6-quart pot over high heat and brown the meat in batches. Set aside. In the same oil, saute the onions until golden.
Add the garlic and saute 1 minute. Return the meat to the pan along with any juices that may have accumulated. Add the broth, potatoes,salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for one hour, until the potatoes are tender. Add the green chile and the red bell pepper, and cook 15 to 20 minutes more. Add the cilantro, stir and serve.

Side Bar: At the school we use locally grown green chile when making the stew. It is roasted over a fire or gas flame, peeled and chopped. When the chile is not in season, we use roasted, peeled, chopped, frozen green chile. You could also use freeze-dried green chile in place of the fresh. A combination of mild and hot chiles produce a more balanced flavor.

Courtesy of Edible Santa Fe

This recipe is from Joe Cucunato, proprietor of Joe S. Sausage in Albuquerque.

Serves 4 to 6

This can be prepared in the kitchen, but Joe uses his grill to cook the paella start to finish. You can use charcoal, gas or wood: all work well.

1 tablespoon saffron
1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
2 cups water
2 cups white wine
2 cups clam juice
1 red or white onion
1 red bell pepper
1 Roma tomato
6 or more cloves of garlic
(Note: don't worry about drowning this dish in garlic, you are going to roast them; roasting mellows the overpowering flavor of garlic)
1 lb. Joe S. Sausage Spanish Chorizo
1 lb. Joe S. Sausage Andouille
(Note: If you want, include 1 lb. shrimp)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups Bomba or Calasparra rice
(Use 8 C. liquid for the Bomba rice. Or if you choose, use Calasparra rice, 6 C. of liquid; the liquid in this case is the combination of water, white wine and clam juice.)
1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Fire up grill. Roast the onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato. Then cut up and place in paella pan. Add rice, parsley, paprika, saffron, olive oil, water, white wine, clam juice. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.

Grill the sausages over a medium fire for 10 to 20 minutes, so the sausages have grill flavor, are almost fully cooked, yet contain the juices vital for flavor that will drip into the paella during the finishing of the dish.

When the sausages are ready, place them on top of the paella and place the pan on the grill. Close the top of the grill and let the dish finish for another 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Before serving, slice the sausages atop the paella.

Courtesy of Cooking with Kids

There are many kinds of tamales. Some are wrapped in fresh corn leaves, banana leaves, or avocado leaves. Most tamales have fillings of meat, cheese, or beans, but some have no fillings at all. These vegetarian tamales are smaller than most and take less time to cook. When everyone works together, making tamales is easy and the results are so satisfying.

Serves 4 to 6

Wrappers and Masa
4 ounces dried cornhusks
2 1⁄4 cups masa harina de maiz
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 3⁄4 cups warm water
Soak the cornhusks in hot water until soft and pliable. Tear 3 cornhusks into 1⁄4-inch strips to be used to tie the tamales.

Tamale Filling
2 mild green chiles (Anaheim), roasted, peeled, and diced
1 medium zucchini, grated
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1⁄2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 tablespoon minced cilantro leaves
1⁄4 teaspoon dried oregano
1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Make the masa and filling:
Put the masa harina, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and mix together. Stir in the melted butter. Add the warm water and mix well to make a soft dough. Put all of the filling ingredients into another bowl and mix well.

Make the tamales:
Lay a softened cornhusk flat on a clean surface. Put a heaping tablespoon of masa in the center of the cornhusk. Flatten masa with fingertips to about 1⁄8 inch thick. Put a heaping teaspoon of filling into the center of the masa. Roll up and tie the ends of the tamale. Steam for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tamales are firm.

Red Chile Sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons unbleached white flour
1⁄2 cup ground mild red chile
2 1⁄4 cups water or broth
3⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1⁄8 teaspoon dried oregano

Put the garlic and butter into a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is melted but not brown, add the flour. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the chile and cook only until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the chile or the sauce will taste bitter.
Slowly add the water, stirring constantly. Bring to boil. Add the salt, pepper, and oregano.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, uncovered, until thickened.

Serve tamales with red chile sauce.