April 30th, 2014 § § permalink
Yes, it’s Christmas every day at Sopaipilla Factory, the exemplary comfort food restaurant dishing out New Mexican cuisine a 15-minute drive north of Santa Fe. HG lunches there at least twice a week. There’s a ritual. HG slides into a comfy booth. Felipe Garcia, the pleasant, welcoming proprietor, says: “Señor HG, enchilada or burrito? Christmas, as usual?” HG always orders chicken. An enchilada for light eating or a giant burrito when really hungry. “Christmas” has a specific meaning in Norte, the food language of Northern New Mexico. It means half the plate is smothered in green chile and half in red chile. Red and green. Christmas. Get it? At Sopaipilla Factory the red chile has plenty of heat while the green is mild and mellow. It is just the opposite at nearby El Parasol, another HG favorite. At Angelina’s in Espanola, the heat levels vary every day. Last time HG was there the waitperson warned HG about the green chile. “Picante !! Picante !!” HG tried it anyway. Mouth fire. So, when eating in Northern New Mexico ask about the heat levels of the two chiles but be sure to order “Christmas” if you want to have a tasty holiday.
February 24th, 2014 § § permalink
Espanola, a gritty town ten minutes drive from HG/BSK’s Jacona home, is much maligned. It has some social problems (it is known as New Mexico’s meth capital); a political system that is often criticized; much unattractive housing and numerous shopping centers built without an iota of soul or aesthetic foresight. Offsetting this is colorful, vernacular architecture (featuring some wonderful neon signage), a surprising amount of cutting-edge modernism and numerous good places to eat. Foremost among them is Angelina’s, a spacious place that draws a colorful crowd of New Mexicans–young, old, ranchers, cowboys, farmers, government officials, businesspersons. The food is solid Northern New Mexico. Red chile sauce is a specialty but the green is not far behind (on a recent visit, HG had a bowl of super assertive green chile menudo that chased away the chills and any lingering effects of a previous night’s overindulgence in alcohol). During the meal, HG/BSK shared some robust ground lamb burritos (the lamb had been grilled with pico de gallo and melded New Mexican and Middle Eastern flavors). Lamb is a specialty of Angelina’s (sheep have been raised in Northern New Mexico for many generations). At Angelina’s, you can have lamb in many forms. There are lamb burgers (plain or grilled with jalapenos and onions); lamb chops; lamb ribs (Costillas) and lamb fajitas. And, you can specify lamb in any of the traditional plates like enchiladas, flautas, tostadas, etc. for a $1.00 additional charge. Besides the lamb dishes, Angelina’s has another unusual twist. The restaurant serves traditional, down home diner favorites: Deep fried breaded catfish; pork chops; liver and onions; chicken fried steak. You can also get a big, ribeye steak; salmon, trout and shrimp. There’s wine (not exactly a Parisian carte de vins) and beer. Very nice flan for dessert. Yes, Angelina’s does it all. Big portions. Small prices. Lots of plain spoken comfort.
November 1st, 2012 § § permalink
The election is a nail biter. Sandy has assaulted New York (wiped out the Rockaway boardwalk among other landmarks). Silver lining is that HG and BSK’s Brooklyn, Manhattan and Rhode Island family is safe (though facing some economic damage). Here in New Mexico the days are sunny, bright and clear with temperatures in the 60’s. Cools off at night so a blaze in the fireplace is welcome. Fortunate HG lunched with beautiful Sarah N., the multi-talented and adventurous woman who directs the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market. Lunch was at Shohko Cafe in Santa Fe. Excellent array of sushi. Highlights were delectable unagi (eel) and remarkable salmon eggs. This was followed by a platter of shrimp and vegetable sushi. Good food in a pretty room. Sarah gave HG a gift — a big bag of red New Mexico chile peppers. It is common in these Southwestern parts to see wreaths of dried red chiles tied together in clusters called ristras. Very colorful. When reconstituted they are the basis for fabulous sauces and moles. HG’s gift came from Matt Romero — known in the Farmers’ Market as “the chile guy.” Matt is very visible during the fall as he roasts green chiles, filling the market with their fragrance. His Romero Farms in Alcalde and Dixon grow many varieties of peppers as well as eggplants, tomatoes, potatoes, etc. All are extraordinary’ Check Matt Romero out on Youtube and get his recipe for a great eggplant sandwich on realsimple.com . Discussing his red chile peppers, Romero says: “We come to New Mexico for green chile. We stay because of red.” Sarah sent over Romero’s red chile sauce recipe. Generous HG shares it with you: Here’s what Matt has to say:
MATT ROMERO’S RED CHILE SAUCE (for Frito Pies, Eggs, Etc.)
What you need:
6 dried red chiles, a blender or food processor, 4 or 5 cloves of garlic (diced), salt, 1 1/2 pounds of ground chicken, pork or beef, a little flour for a roux
Boil 5 cups water. Rinse the dried chiles and break open one end and shake the seeds out.Rehydrate the Chile pods in the boiling water for about 15-20 minutes. Put the softened pods into a food processor or blender. Add some fresh water (not the water used for rehydrating the pods, as it will be bitter) and blend until it makes a thick sauce. Depending on how finely you process it, you may want to strain it to get the skins out of the sauce.
For meat eaters: In a cast iron skillet (my fave) brown the meat of your choice. Add your diced garlic in while browning the meat. Drain off the fat. a In a separate pan make a roux using some oil and flour. Add it to the ground meat with some water to make a “gravy.” Add the chile sauce. Cook it all together for a bit (30 mins) on very low heat and stirring a lot so the chile won’t burn. Add salt, which will bring out the flavor of the chile.
Non meat version:
Put olive oil in the pan. Add a bunch of garlic, but don’t brown it, just get it translucent. Make a roux with olive oil and flour. Add water to make it gravy-ish. Add the chile . Cook it for about 30 mins. Salt.
To make a frito pie follow the order of this recipe to keep the chips crispy (important!): First make a layer of pinto or black beans, then Fritos, then add your red chile, then grated cheddar cheese, top it with diced tomatoes, diced onions or scallions and chopped lettuce.
Drink a lot of Margaritas and enjoy!!!
