Red, Green or Christmas?

Whispering in the evening breeze
Green leaves glistening eucalyptus trees
Can you hear them, or get near them? Oh Santa Fe
Do you need it, whoa can you feel it in the same old way?
Van Morrison, Santa Fe/Beautiful Obsession

Santa Fe was a place I had heard about, but it was never on my list of top 10 places to visit before I die. It wasn't even on my list of top 100 places to visit before I die. But ever since I visited this tucked away city in New Mexico, it has earned a place in my travel folder as one of my all-time favorite destinations.

Currently, I have an obsession with all things Santa Fe. I'll take a moment to share a few of the reasons I want to pack up and fly out tomorrow. First, the shopping is unbelievable. Why, you ask? Because it's all about jewelry. Everywhere you look there's turquoise, red coral, silver, more turquoise, and you can't find prices and craftmanship like that anywhere else in the world. Second, the weather is perfect. During summer, warm dry days and cool crisp nights infect this desert oasis 7,000 feet above sea level. Third, the Margarita's knock your socks off, but beware, they are known to be extremely potent. Last, but certainly not least, the art scene is incredible. Santa Fe is one of the world's most celebrated art centers, and I'm not going to argue with them. Boasting nearly 300 galleries, over a dozen museums, world-renowned visual and performing arts organizations, a mixture of Hispanic and Native American cultures, and its culinary arts make Santa Fe an arts and culture mecca. There are, of course, many more reasons to love Santa Fe, but I only had time to barely whet your appetite.

As I said, Hispanic and Native American cultures collide making Santa Fe one big, spicy melting pot. So, it's safe to say that Mexican isn't an accurate description of traditional native fare. Ingredients, techniques, and cooking methods derive from many cultures to create the distinctly different New Mexican cuisine.

From what I learned and experienced, there are subtle differences between Mexican and New Mexican food. Green chile is probably the defining ingredient in New Mexican cooking, but red chile comes in at a close second. Entrees come with a choice of red or green chile sauce or a combination of the two, known to the locals as Christmas. Cute and clever, and not to mention tasty. New Mexican dishes are more colorful, healthy and subtle than "Mexican" food. I use quotations because I honestly don't know much about real Mexican food. Unfortuntaly, I'm only familiar with my local Americanized Mexican restaurant. On most menus, I found pork listed as the choice protein more often than beef, chicken or beans as is found in my Mexican restaurant. Beans aren't refried and since rice isn't particularly native to New Mexico, you won't find Spanish style rice lying next to your burrito, just posole. Posole is cooked hominy which can be a thrown into a vegetable and meat stew or, as in this case, served as a salty, steamy side dish.

During my visit, I became a huge fan of everything green chile. It has a spice to it, but it also has a mild pepper flavor. For breakfast, lunch and dinner, I ate my fair share of chiles, but unfortunately, I missed the opportunity to sample their famed green chile stew. Two months later and I still couldn't get it out of my head. So, on a hot August night, the aroma of green chile stew filled my kitchen and home. Funny how food has the ability to send me back to the places so close to my heart...

Green Chile Stew

6 poblano green chiles
7 anaheim green chiles
2 tbs. canola oil
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tbs. all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups peeled, diced baking potatoes
2 cups cooked, diced pork tenderloin, recipe follows
Sour cream
Warm flour tortillas

Preheat broiler. Slit the chiles lenghtwise and scrape out the seeds and ribs. Put the chiles on a foil covered baking sheet and place in the oven. Broil for 5-7 minutes per side until the skin is blistered. Remove from oven and place the chiles in a mixing bowl and cover with platic wrap. After several minutes, the peppers will be cool enough to handle and peel the skin away. Chop peppers into a small dice.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, jalapeno, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute. Add chopped chiles. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes being careful not to let it brown. Add chicken stock and stir. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low or simmer and add potatoes and cook for 20 minutes, then make sure potatoes are close to fork tender. Then add pork and cook for 10 minutes more. Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream and warm tortillas for dipping.

Pork:
Marinate pork tenderloin in New Mexican Spices and grill until medium well.