Norteño eating

Last spring, a friend of mine gifted me some of her sourdough starter. Such is the nature of a sourdough starter that I have been baking pretty much every week so I could make room to feed my microbial friend "Buddy" additional flour, water and sugar. I have been questing in the course of this weekly baking adventure to approximate what I think of as a good, artisan sourdough bread. Good, of course, can be in the eye of the beholder. What I have been after is a complex flavor, a crust which is crispy and sufficiently done to develop plenty of caramelized, toasty flavors, an open and almost translucent crumb, with the inner surfaces of the bubbles appearing glossy. I am getting there. There are several "tricks" or techniques that I have learned along the way. The first is using a fairly wet dough. Much of the texture of the crumb is determined by the moisture content of the dough. Doughs with a lower moisture content tend to have fine, closed grains, a t...

The following is something I adapted from a Mexican recipe for escabeche de col, pickled cabbage. By using a light hand with the heat, and sauteing the cabbage until it is just wilted, the recipe is transformed into a muy Mexicano version of coleslaw. Vegetable oil I head cabbage, shredded 3-4 onions, peeled, cut in quarters and thinly sliced 4 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced 6-10 Jalapenos, finely diced 1 cup white vinegar 1 Tbs or more kosher salt a tablespoon or more of dried mexican oregano This seems like a simple recipe, but it has its subtleties. The first subtle bit is in the sauteing. The idea is to saute the veggies in a bit of oil just until the raw taste is off them and they sweeten. You DON'T want them tasting raw and by the same token you DO want a bit of crunch in them, so pay attention and don't over/undercook them. By simply sauteeing them lightly, you not only get rid of the raw taste, you bring out the sweetness of the veggies, and that ...

I've been talking to local New Mexico chefs and restaurant owners lately about the possibility of buying their veggies from local farmers. I've been surprised how many say "You know, we really don't serve produce in our restaurant." And then they'll add, "except for some lettuce and tomatoes." This last referring to the habitual garnish for many Mexican restaurant platters. Sadly, many of our local restaurants don't serve any veggie side dishes with their meals, but that will be a rant for another day. Today, I want to talk about "some lettuce and tomatoes." This is an afterthought for many local chefs because it is the ubiquitous and only semi-edible garnish that goes with burritos, enchiladas, tacos etc in many Mexican and New Mexican restaurants. It is a pile of shredded iceberg lettuce with a few scattered cubes of diced tomato added. It is typically not dressed or seasoned, it is just there on your plate like some tiny, half-...

Of all the chasers for tequila or vodka, sangrita has to be at the top of the list. No, not "sangria," that's a Spanish-style red wine punch. Sangrita, meaning "little blood," is a traditional tequila chaser, and a party in your mouth. There are many recipes for sangrita on the web, most of them weak-kneed and cowardly renditions of the real deal. Here is how I make it - this recipe is adapted from the wonderful book, Mexican Desserts and Drinks: More Than 200 Sensational Mexican Recipes by Socorro Muñoz Kimble and Irma Serrano Noriega. Combine in a blender - 2 cups tomato juice 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 1/4 cup chopped raw onion 2 fresh chiles (serrano or if you want it really hot, habañero) juice of a lime 1 tsp. sugar a pinch of salt Chill. Serve as a chaser for tequila or vodka. Or add the hooch directly into the sangrita, which makes it what some call a bloody Maria.

I was talking with a friend of mine recently about lamb. Miguel is a chef and restauranteur, and runs what is arguably the finest dining establishment in town. Miguel carries lamb, but lamb chops and ground lamb only. "People are funny about lamb" Miguel explained. "Lamb chops and our ground lamb are all we can sell." This, my friends, is a sad state of affairs. Lamb is a delicious and versatile meat, and there are great ways to prepare every part of it. So I am going to share with you several ways to do yummy stuff with lamb. This week, lets talk about the leg- Leg of lamb is probably the leanest cut, and it is tender as well. There is a layer of fat and membrane on the leg which you are well-advised to remove at least in part before cooking the leg. Probably the most familiar cut of lamb to Americans, the leg is usually served roasted. But when I lived in a mostly Arab community in Michigan, I learned another way which is purely heaven. It is marinated,...