New Mexican Cuisine, Good information if you're visiting the Land of Enchantment Options

[Dave and Ruth]

With The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta coming up, some of you may be planning to visit New Mexico. Or, you may be visiting at other times. Recently, there has been a recurring discussion on Green Chile Cheeseburgers. They are wonderful, but not the full extent of culinary "special-ness" in NM. To enhance your visit, I hope you'll dine at a restaurant that specializes in New Mexican Cuisine.

From the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau http://www.itsatrip.org/media/media-kit/cuisine.aspx

New Mexican cuisine is a fusion of Spanish, Native American and Mexican ingredients and techniques. While familiar items like corn, beans and squash are often used, New Mexican cuisine has its own distinct preparation, ingredients and flavor. The defining ingredient is chile, a spicy chile pepper that is a staple in many New Mexican dishes. Chile comes in two varieties, red or green, depending on the stage of ripeness in which they were picked. Harvested in the late summer, the long, narrow peppers are served freshly roasted and peeled, or frozen for use throughout the year. Most commonly, green chile is made into a spicy sauce that’s ladled over enchiladas, burritos and stuffed sopaipillas. Green chile is also found piled on top of cheeseburgers, stuffed into breakfast burritos, fried into rellenos (stuffed chiles) and made into a stew with chunks of potatoes and ground beef, but green chile is such a prominent part of the cuisine that it is also found in breads, on pizza, in pasta and much more. Red chiles, left on the plants to ripen to a deep garnet color, are strung into ristras to dry. These dried red chiles are rehydrated and pureed into a smooth sauce that adds spice to huevos rancheros, tamales, enchiladas and much more.

New Mexico Cuisine Quick Facts:
New Mexico state fruit: Chile (red and green)
New Mexico state question: “Red or Green?” This refers to the kind of chile you would like with your meal. To get both, simply answer “Christmas.”
New Mexico state cookie: Biscochito, a crispy butter cookie flavored with anise and cinnamon.
New Mexico grows more chile than any other state with more than 120,000 tons of chile produced annually.

Here's a short list of restaurants that serve New Mexican food: (I'm sure others will be added to the list.) Look for "New Mexican" in the name of the restaurant- not just "Mexican". Some high end Santa Fe restaurants base their cuisine on New Mexican ideas, but these family-style restaurants are more authentic.

Rancho de Chimayo, Chimayo, NM (reopens October 18)
Joann’s, Espanola
Maria’s New Mexican Kitchen, Santa Fe
Tomasita’s. Santa Fe
La Choza, Santa Fe
Abuelita’s #1 New Mexican Restaurant, Bernalillo
Little Anita’s, Albuquerque

The characteristics of New Mexican Cuisine include use of New Mexican grown green or red chile; sopapillas instead of wheat tortillas as a side; use of posole (limed roasted corn) as a side dish; pinto beans served as a side are often not refried; Spanish rice is often toasted before cooking, imparting a nutty flavor; and the use of blue corn in enchiladas. The red sauce is usually red chile, no tomato added. The green sauce may have a little tomato.

Corn, beans, and squash are referred to as the Three Sisters by Native Americans.

If you're find an Indian-owned food stand at an event, try the Indian Taco or a stew. Don't miss the fry bread, Pueblo oven bread, Hopi-made Piki (a blue corn paper thin tortilla, sold rolled) , or homemade tamales if you find them.

I made myself hungry.

Ruth

This post has been edited by Dave and Ruth: Sep 19 2009, 02:35 PM