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LIGHT & LOCAL |
| • | New ideas from '70s TV chef Muriel Miura |
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Two weeks ago, I traveled to a conference in Santa Fe, N.M., with my boyfriend, Bob. This Southwestern area is rich in history and culture. Southwestern food is a mixture of American Indian, Spanish, Mexican and Anglo traditions. One of the perks for the partners of convention-goers was to attend the Santa Fe Cooking School, which offers classes in New Mexico cuisine, Spanish tapas, and American Indian and contemporary Southwestern foods.
A market adjacent to the school promotes the culture of this region, carrying more than 600 products. I had a great time shopping from an array of salsa, rubs, dips, handmade pottery and cooking utensils. The market also has its own product line, which focuses on this region's indigenous ingredients, such as posole, blue corn, cedron (juniper berries) and a variety of chilies.
The chef who demonstrated our meal taught us many things about these ingredients. He said that the chilies in New Mexico are thick-skinned, so they should be grilled whole to soften them and bring out the flavor, then chopped. He toasted fresh spices and ground them using a coffee grinder set aside for that purpose. I was so inspired, I bought the school's cookbook and came up with my own version of:
SOUTHWESTERN CORN CHOWDER
Grill the jalapeño and the red bell pepper until skin is golden brown. Cool, split in half and remove seeds. Finely chop each, keeping separate, and set aside. Sauté the onions and garlic in a little water until translucent. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt. In a small bowl, make a paste of the cumin and 1 tablespoon of stock and stir into sauté. Add the fresh chili to the sauté. Add the potatoes and the stock, and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender (about 10 minutes). Then add the roasted bell pepper and corn and simmer until all the vegetables are tender. Measure out approximately 3 cups of soup and puree in a blender or food processor. Return this mixture to the soup. Salt to taste and serve with lime wedges to squeeze into the soup. Garnish with cilantro.
Makes 6 servings.
Want a local recipe lightened up? Write Light & Local, Taste Section, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; or taste@honoluluadvertiser.com. Carol Devenot is a Kaimuki-raised kama'aina, teacher and recipe consultant, and author of "Island Light Cuisine" (Blue Sea Publishing, paper, 2003). Learn more at www.islandlightcuisine.com.
