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A Spicy Guide to New Mexican Cuisine
Southwestern cuisine is a blend of Mexican, Native American and cowboy influences and provides some of our country’s spiciest foods. The southwest region stretches from California in the west, east to Texas, south to Arizona and north to Colorado. This style of cooking is best known for using regionally grown foods coupled with the robust use of spices, herbs and chiles. In the midst of this Southwestern culture we find a type of cuisine all its own, New Mexican cuisine.
History
Before the Europeans arrived in America, New Mexico’s borders overlapped the areas of the Navajo, Mescalero, and Chiricahua tribes. The immigrating Spaniards infused their cuisine with the local foods and cultures. When the Mexican - American war took place in 1846, American forces occupied California, New Mexico, and parts of Northern Mexico. An American army captured Mexico City and the United States ended the war with a victory. At the end of the war, New Mexico became part of the United States and was then influenced by American tastes.
Arizona, California and Colorado are more influenced by Northern Mexico and Tex-Mex flavors while New Mexico has evolved along a different culinary path. The resulting New Mexican fusion cuisine is more influenced by Hispanic and Native American traditions and flavors. While the Eastern US was busy developing an identity different from their cultural roots, the Spaniard’s who had settled in New Mexico embraced their culinary traditions and culture. Even more remarkable, they fused their culture and tastes with the local Native Americans (some of the original fusion cuisine in this country) by embracing the foods that had been grown in New Mexico soil for hundreds of years. With the exception of New Orleans and their Cajun/ Creole culinary history this melding of food and culture was not common throughout the rest of the US.
New Mexico Chiles
New Mexico has a reputation for their style of spicy cuisine. As a matter of fact, New Mexico is the only state with an official question, “Red or green?” which refers to the choice of red or green New Mexican chiles. New Mexican chiles are either red or green depending on how ripe they are when picked. Today there are over a hundred varieties of New Mexico chile, thanks to the Chile Pepper Institute located at New Mexico State University. This institute is dedicated to education and research related to New Mexico chile peppers. They’ve been studying and developing new chile varieties in New Mexico for more than 130 years.
Traditionally, New Mexico chiles are native to Central Mexico and a member of the chile species Capsicum annuumin. While there are numerous varieties of New Mexico chiles, the most well known chiles come from the area around Hatch located in South Central New Mexico and from Chimayo, a tiny community nestled in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains located about 30 minutes north of Santa Fe.
Unlike the foods of its Southwestern cuisine neighbors where chiles are used more as a supporting flavor, the New Mexican chile is the focal point of many dishes. Like the famous wine county of California’s Sonoma region where wines are influenced by soil characteristics so too are the chiles of this region. Those who live in New Mexico know what the rest of the country is just recently figuring out; chiles are not just a food, they’re a lifestyle - from the 300+ days of sunshine a year, to the cool crisp nights, and the dedicated farmers that truly live for chiles.
New Mexican Cuisine
The staple ingredients in New Mexican cuisine include chiles, corn, and beans that are all grown locally. Other core ingredients to this type of cuisine include cheese, tortillas, onions, beef, chicken and pork. In 1965 New Mexico designated chile and frijoles (pinto beans) as the official state vegetables. Many Southwestern cuisines have rice as a key ingredient, but in New Mexico corn is the starch of choice. In Arizona and New Mexico blue corn is quite popular. Blue corn, also known as Hopi Maze, was originally developed by the Hopi Indians and this type of maize is ground into corn meal and has a sweet flavor.
Blue corn is very popular in New Mexico. Not only does it range in color from light grey to almost black, it also has a few more nutritional advantages compared to yellow or white corn. Blue corn contains 20% more protein and has a lower glycemic index than its white and yellow cousins. You’ll find blue corn used in tortillas, pancakes and even in a common local beverage called Atole. In the neighboring Southwestern states black beans are common while in New Mexico Pinto beans are the rule. Pinto beans are cooked whole (and are not refried) and are typically seasoned with coriander seed and Mexican oregano.
Differences Between Red and Green Chiles
We already know that there are two chiles that New Mexico is known for, but what are the differences? The green chile is made into a spicy sauce that’s served over burritos, cheeseburgers, enchiladas and stuffed sopapillas while also being fried inside chile rellanos, stuffed into breakfast burritos used in making a stew with ground beef and potatoes. Green chile can also be found in breads and pasta and on pizza.
Red chiles on the other hand are allowed to fully ripen and mature before being harvested. This results in a deep, rich red color and the flavor profile of the chile changes becoming a bit mellower and sweeter as it matures. Once picked, these red chiles are strung into ristras to dry. These dried red chiles are rehydrated and pureed into a smooth, mellow sauce called Chile Colorado that adds spice to burritos, enchiladas, carne adobada, huevos rancheros and tamales just to name a few.
Herbs & Spices
The most common spices used in New Mexican recipes are cumin, coriander, onion powder and garlic powder. Whenever possible we like to use the whole seeds of cumin and coriander and toast them in a hot skillet before grinding them into as powder for additional depths of rich, nutty flavor.
The same plant that produces coriander seeds also gives us cilantro. This is an herb that has a strong love/ hate complex, you either love it or you hate it. Fresh cilantro leaves are far superior to the dried but they tend to go bad quickly. To maximize the shelf life of fresh cilantro store them with the stems in a glass of water in the refrigerator. This trick will take you from just days to easily a week or more. Oregano is also regularly called for and we prefer to use the more flavorful and earthy Mexican oregano. With the heavy use of Pinto beans the sometimes hard to find Mexican herb Epazote is an essential ingredient for flavoring beans. Epazote also helps reduce the stomach discomfort that beans cause.
Recipes
Southwestern Layered Beef Casserole from My Southwest Kitchen
Chile Rellenos (stuffed chile peppers) from The New Mexican Gringa
Cranberry Salsa from I Love New Mexico
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