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I love to cook and experiment with
various foods. After living in New Mexico, where Listen to the
Mockingbird and Eye of the Mountain God are set, I’ve come up
with several original regional recipes. Here are a few:
Northern New Mexico Black Bean Soup
(An important side dish in Northern New
Mexico restaurants, but I couldn’t find a good recipe. This is the
result of trial and error–a lot of trial and error)
1 tbsp
olive oil
1/2 cup
Onions, chopped
1/4 cup
sliced Celery
1‑1/2 tsps.
ground Cumin
3/4 tsp.
ground Cilantro
1/4 tsp
Coriander
1/4 tsp
crushed Chile
2 14-oz
cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 14-oz can
diced tomatoes
1‑1/2 cups
Water
1 envelope
dry Onion Soup
1 tsp Salsa
1/4 cup
light Sour Cream
1/4 cup
finely chopped Onions
Heat oil in saucepan over medium high
heat. Sauté onions 4‑5 minutes or until onions turn golden. Stir in
celery, cumin, cilantro, coriander, crushed chile. Add black beans,
tomatoes, water, onion soup, and salsa. Bring to boil, reduce heat to
simmer 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve soup with a dollop of sour
cream and sprinkled with the finely chopped onions.
New Mexican Posole
(This was created due to my living 10
years in Pennsylvania and dying for New Mexican food. You probably don’t
want to know the ingredients of the original dish, called menudo, which
makes even the contents of the Scots’ haggis seem appealing. Many New
Mexicans claim menudo is a sure cure for a hangover. Posole, however, is
more palatable for a gringo, and much tamer. )
1 lb Frozen
Posole (uncooked hominy) Can substitute 28 oz can of hominy but it isn’t
as good.
1 Envelope
Dry Onion Soup
1 Can
Chicken Broth
2 tbsp
medium Green or Red Chile
1/4 tsp
crushed Red Chile
½ tsp
Chopped Garlic
3 Cups
Water
3 to 5 tsp
Chicken Bullion or 3-5 cubes
½ Onion,
diced
½ lb Pork
cut in ½-inch cubes
1 tsp Olive
Oil
Heat olive oil in 2 or 3-qt sauce pan
over med heat, add onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes, then add pork and
brown well. Add chicken broth, onion soup, chile, crushed chile, water
and bullion; bring to simmer. Add posole, bring to a boil and reduce
heat to simmer for about 1 hr or until the posole has softened. Adjust
bullion or add salt and pepper to taste. Note: the longer you cook
any chile the hotter it becomes. If the soup becomes too spicy, add
more broth.
Quick
Mexican Chicken for 2
(Vacationing in the Yucatan, I needed
marinade ingredients available locally. This turned out to be a keeper)
2
boneless/skinless Chicken Breasts pounded to about 3/4 inch thick
Marinate 30
to 60 min at room temp in:
1/4 cup Italian Salad Dressing
1/4 cup Tequila
1/4 tsp crushed Red Chile
1 tsp diced Garlic
Dredge in
flour and saute in 2 tsp each olive oil and butter
Quick New Mexico Salmon for 2
(Another result of living on the East
Coast and yearning for Southwestern bite.)
1 lb Salmon
filet
Douse with:
Lemon
juice—let sit a few minutes, then sprinkle with
1 clove
Garlic, chopped
1
Jalapeno, fresh or canned, seeded and chopped (or substitute a few
shakes of cayenne)
1 green
Onion, sliced, including green, or just finely chopped any variety
onion
Onion
Powder
Garlic Pepper (or black pepper and garlic powder)
more Lemon
juice
Olive Oil
Cilantro
(fresh, chopped, or dried—or can substitute basil)
Bake 10 min in foil lined pan at
preheated 500 degrees for 10 minutes per inch of thickest part of fish;
switch oven to broil for 2 minutes.
Awesome Slaw for people who don’t like
cole slaw
(This one isn’t ethnic. It came as a
side dish in an Albuquerque restaurant and was so good, I tried to
imitate it at home)
2 Radishes,
sliced
1/4 Onion,
sliced
Red
Cabbage, a couple thin slices, chopped
½ Apple,
sliced
1/4 Orange,
peeled and sections cut in slices
½ Banana,
sliced
1 tsp Lemon
juice
1 tsp Honey
1 to 1-1/2
tsp Horse Radish sauce
1/4 cup
Light Mayonnaise
Mix and serve
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