The Southwest’s major contribution to the nation’s menu has always been recognized as chilies and beans. Although basic burrito combos are familiar to diners everywhere, some inventive Southwestern chefs, notably in Santa Fe, have worked hard to make regional products sparkle.
By enhancing humble ingredients such as corn, squash and peppers, chefs here have made the town a destination for serious food lovers around the world.
The most famous restaurant in town is the Coyote Cafe, started 10 years ago by chef Mark Miller, who has since taken Santa Fe style to acclaimed restaurants around the country. In a room decorated with colorful folk art, margaritas never, ever come from a mix, but are whirled with fresh lime juice and premium tequila. If there are empanadas on the menu, they’re likely stuffed with seasoned, shredded wild boar; roasted pork gets a topping of green chili and sides of polenta with cotija (a salty, grated cheese) and honey-roasted turnips. An inventive use of corn and chilies is the “short stack” of griddled corn cakes spread with a pureed chili butter and seasoned shrimp.
“We’re trying to work with a marriage of flavor and spice, and give (diners) something they can identify with,” says Coyote chef Jeff Drew. “Instead of just roast chicken, we have chipotle-glazed poussin (young chicken) with ancho-cherry barbecue sauce. It sounds involved, but when I put `barbecue sauce’ on the menu, people understand.”
Other spots specializing in hip Southwestern food are the dining room at the Inn of the Anasazi, a gorgeous hotel just off the main plaza; Cafe Pasqual’s, a casual restaurant famous for brunch items such as smoked trout and potato hash with poached eggs; and Santacafe, for upscale dining with Asian influences, such as curried prawns and soba noodles with chili syrup. More familiar is its roasted chile relleno, stuffed with seasoned quinoa, shiitake and portobello mushrooms, and served on a sauce of creamy, pureed chipotle chilies.
Here are some of the recipes from New Mexico’s finest.
OVEN-ROASTED CHILIES RELLENOS
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Chef David Sellers serves this relleno with a Southwestern version of succotash at Santacafe in Santa Fe.
Chilies rellenos:
6 fresh poblano chilies
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 teaspoon each: salt, ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 ounces each, stemmed, cleaned, sliced: shiitake, portobello mushrooms
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup grated asadero,
Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
Leaves of 1 sprig thyme
Chipotle asado sauce:
4 ripe plum tomatoes, cored, quartered
1/2 small onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon each: salt, ground black pepper
Leaves of 1 sprig thyme
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chilies in adobo
1. Heat broiler. Place chilies in baking pan large enough to hold them in single layer. Broil until skins blacken, turning frequently, 10 to 15 minutes. Place chilies in paper or plastic bag; set aside 15 minutes. Peel; cut a lenthwise slit. Carefully seed.
2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add quinoa and cook, stirring constantly, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add enough water to cover quinoa by 2 inches. Heat to boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Turn quinoa onto baking sheet; cool.
3. Melt butter in medium skillet. Add mushrooms; cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon each salt, pepper and thyme. Allow to cool. Combine quinoa, mushrooms, egg yolks, cheese and thyme leaves in bowl. Stuff chilies very full.
4. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, oil, salt, pepper and thyme in roasting pan; add stuffed chilies. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees; bake 30 minutes.
5. Puree tomato mixture and chipotles in blender or food processor fitted with metal blade. Transfer puree to heavy saucepan; add thyme leaves and cream. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until heated through. Ladle sauce on serving plates and top with chilies.
Test kitchen note: Quinoa is a tiny, round grain popular in South American cuisine. Health food stores, specialty stores and many supermarkets sell quinoa.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 390 Fat ………… 28 g Cholesterol .. 180 mg
Sodium ……….. 535 mg Carbohydrates .. 23 g Protein ……… 8 g
SOUTHWESTERN SUCCOTASH
Preparation time: 20
Standing time: 6 hours or overnight
Cooking time: 2 1/2 hours
Yield: 4 servings
Adpated from chef David Sellers at Santacafe in Santa Fe.
1 1/3 cups mixed heirloom beans or other dried beans, see note
1 each, chopped: seeded red bell pepper, red onion
3 cups fresh or frozen corn, thawed
1 cup chopped cilantro or more to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon plus
2 teaspoons honey
1 to 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon each: salt, ground black pepper
1. Put beans in large bowl; add enough water to cover tops of beans by several inches. Let stand, covered, 6 hours or overnight.
2. Drain beans. Put beans into Dutch oven; add 4 cups fresh water. Heat to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until beans are tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Drain.
3. Combine warm cooked beans, bell pepper, onion, corn and cilantro in medium bowl.
4. Whisk together garlic, oil, lime juice, honey, pepper flakes, salt and pepper in small bowl. Pour dressing over bean mixture; toss to coat. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Note: Heirloom beans include Anasazi, black turtle or Jacob’s Cattle.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories475 Fat16 g Saturated fat2.2 g
% calories from fat28 Cholesterol.0 mg Sodium415 mg
Carbohydrates74 g Protein17 g Fiber19 g
COYOTE’S ULTIMA MARGARITA
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1 cocktail
Adapted from Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe.
2 lime wedges
Salt for glass
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) each: silver tequila, freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon superfine sugar, or to taste
1 teaspoon Cointreau
Ice cubes
1. Run 1 of the lime wedges around rim of chilled margarita or other serving glass; dip in salt.
2. Fill cocktail shaker with tequila, lime juice, sugar, Cointreau and ice; squeeze in juice of lime wedge used for glass. Shake until foam forms on top of mixture, at least 30 seconds.
3. Pour into blender; blend at low speed a few seconds, just until ice is cracked but not slushy. Strain into glass; garnish with remaining lime wedge.
Nutrition information:
Calories ……….. 150 Fat ……….. 0 g Saturated fat .. 0 g
% calories from fat .. 0 Cholesterol .. 0 mg Sodium …….. 1 mg
Carbohydrates ….. 14 g Protein ……. 0 g Fiber ………. 0 g
CHIPOTLE SHRIMP WITH CORN CAKES
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Adapted from chef Jeff Drew at the Coyote Cafe, Santa Fe.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled, see note
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons canned chipotle chilis, pureed
Corn cakes:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup coarse cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon each: baking powder, baking soda
1 teaspoon each: salt, sugar
1 1/4 cups buttermilk plus more as needed
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 large egg, beaten
2 ears fresh corn kernels
2 green onions, chopped
Garnish:
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup salsa
1. Melt butter in large skillet over low heat. Add shrimp; cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Puree 1/2 cup softened butter and chilis in food processor fitted with metal blade or in blender until smooth; set aside.
2. For corn cakes, mix together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk and melted butter together in another bowl; whisk in egg. Add liquid ingredients to dry; mix thoroughly. Puree 1/2 cup of the corn in food processor fitted with metal blade or mash with back of spoon. Stir pureed corn, whole kernels and green onions into batter. Add additional buttermilk if necessary to thin mixture.
3. Ladle corn batter onto non-stick griddle or skillet over medium heat to form 3-inch cakes. Cook until golden brown on both sides, turning once, about 2 minutes per side.
4. Place 3 corn cakes on each serving plate. Divide shrimp among cakes; spread liberally with chipotle butter. Sprinkle with chopped green onions; serve salsa on side.
Test kitchen note: Shrimp can also be grilled. If grilling, omit the 3 tablespoons butter.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 570 Fat ………… 33 g Saturated fat .. 17 g
% calories from fat .. 52 Cholesterol .. 310 mg Sodium ….. 1,330 mg
Carbohydrates …… 34 g Protein …….. 35 g Fiber ……….. 3 g
