A Jolly Tamale Christmas The official New Mexico question is “Red or Green?,” but we at New Mexico Magazine say, why choose? It is Christmas, after all. So we headed to the Santa Fe School of Cooking to bake, fold, and stew up five traditional recipes just right for your own holiday fiesta. So from our table to yours, here’s to spicy foods and good moods! PHOTOGR APHY BY LOIS ELLEN F R ANK Above—Nicole Curtis Ammerman, manager of the Santa Fe School of Cooking, and Chef Durham welcome the magazine staff. Ammerman’s family has run the school for nearly 20 years. Top right—Publisher Ethel Hess stirs a simmering stew. Right—Cathy Fresquez rolls out tortillas. Menu Duck Tamales Feast Day Posole Green Chile Stew Flour Tortillas Bizcochitos Top—SFSC Chef and Culinary Director Rocky Durham (right) instructs Managing Editor Walter K. Lopez (left) on tamale-making. Above—Graphic Designer Melanie Lucero samples the hearty Green Chile Pork Stew. Feast Day Posole Recipe on page 48 Duck Tamales Recipe on page 48 Flour Tortillas Recipe on page 46 44 NEW MEXICO | DECEMBER 2008 www.nmmagazine.com | DECEMBER 2008 45 Flour Tortillas What’s more satisfying than a fresh tortilla? With this simple recipe, your only challenge will be keeping guests from snapping them up before the stews are ready. When the tortilla takes on a lightly browned, speckled appearance, flip it and cook another 20 seconds. If bubbles form in dough, don’t pop them. Wrap finished tortillas in kitchen towel to keep warm. Serve immediately. Combine dry ingredients in bowl and mix well. Cut shortening into dry ingredients until a coarse meal is formed. Add enough water to make a very soft, but not sticky, dough. Knead about 15 times into a smooth ball. Divide dough equally into 8 to 10 balls, each about the size of a golf ball. Cover and let stand for about 20 minutes. On floured surface and with floured rolling pin, roll each dough ball into a disc 5 inches in diameter: Begin in the middle of the first ball, rolling away from you, then rotating the dough a quarter-turn after each roll. Repeat for remaining dough balls. Preheat a cast-iron comal, skillet, or griddle to medium-high. Place a flattened tortilla on the heated surface and cook about 15 seconds, pressing down tortilla with a small spatula. Stew Meat (to be prepared first) 2 tablespoons lard 2 onions, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 4 russet potatoes, cubed 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano (a.k.a. lemon verbena) 3–4 cups New Mexican green chile, roasted, peeled, chopped 4–6 cups chicken or pork stock 1 12-oz. can chopped tomatoes (optional) 2 tablespoons Chipotle en Adobo (optional) salt and pepper to taste 3 pounds pork shoulder 1 small onion 4 cloves garlic 4 cloves 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black peppercorns water In 6-quart pot, sauté onions and garlic in lard over medium-high heat for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add remaining ingredients, including meat and stock (pork or chicken), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 1 hour. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve with fresh flour tortillas. Makes 8–10 tortillas. 2 cups all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon salt 1½ teaspoons baking powder 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening ¾ cup hot water simmer until meat is fork-tender. Remove pork, reserve pork and liquid. Green Chile Pork Stew The day we visited the Santa Fe School of Cooking, we cooked this stew in a micaceous clay pot. Of course, you can make it in a conventional, metal stock pot, but a clay one adds to its flavor. Find a pot at www.santafeschoolofcooking.com. Trim fat from pork shoulder and cut into 1-inch cubes. Place all ingredients in large soup pot or slow cooker and cover with water. Bring to a boil, skim off foam, reduce heat, and Bizcochitos Your New Mexican holiday celebration won’t be complete without these cinnamon sugar-cookies with their distinctive ingredient: anise seeds. 1 pound (2 cups) lard or vegetable shortening 1½ cups sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons anise seeds, toasted 6 cups all-purpose flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup brandy sugar and cinnamon Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream lard or shortening. Add sugar, eggs, anise seeds; cream again. Mix dry ingredients separately and combine with shortening mixture. Add brandy and mix thoroughly. Roll out dough on floured surface and cut into desired shapes. Sprinkle cookies with sugarcinnamon mixture and bake for 12–15 minutes, until lightly browned. Makes 4–5 dozen cookies. Right—Associate Editor Ashley M. Biggers and Editor in Chief Tricia Ware cut out sweet bizcochitos. Now You’re Cooking Try it yourself. Santa Fe School of Cooking has been offering classes year-round for more than 19 years on such diverse topics as Wines of New Mexico, Southwest Tapas, and Native American foods. Their Holiday Foods of New Mexico class takes place December 13. The school offers demonstration classes as well as customized handson experiences by appointment only. Register or shop their online market for New Mexico ingredients at (505) 983-4511 or www. santafeschoolofcooking.com Left (from top)—SFSC Kitchen Manager Noe Cano and Art Director Fabian West fold cornhusks for the duck tamales. A tray of spices stands ready to season the holiday feast. Administrative Assistant Terry Tiedeman applauds Circulation Manager Cathy Fresquez as she lays tortillas on the comal. Bizcochitos Green Chile Pork Stew Flour Tortillas 46 NEW MEXICO | DECEMBER 2008 www.nmmagazine.com | DECEMBER 2008 47 Duck Tamales (see photo page 44) This take on traditional tamales uses duck, soy sauce, and fresh ginger for a pan-Asian flavor. Masa 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups masa harina 2–2½ cups warm water (or as needed) Cream together butter, baking powder, salt, and masa harina with electric mixer until texture is light and even. With beaters still turning, pour in warm water until texture is creamy and spreadable. To test, drop a teaspoon-sized ball of masa into a glass of water: The ball should float to the surface. Cover tightly and set aside at room temperature until needed. Filling A B C 1 bunch scallions, finely chopped 4 duck legs ¾ cup dark soy sauce 1½ cups brown sugar 2 small oranges, halved 3 tablespoons fresh gingerroot, chopped 1 stick canela (a.k.a. Mexican cinnamon) 2 pieces star anise 2 guajillo chiles water as needed Reserving ½ cup of chopped scallions, place remainder of scallions and all other ingredients in stockpot and add water until duck legs are just covered. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook until meat easily pulls away from bones (about 1½ hours). Remove legs from pot and reserve liquid. Pick meat and skin from bones and place in the work bowl of an electric mixer. Return bones to liquid and simmer to reduce, until consistency is syrupy. Strain liquid to use later on cooked tamales. Add reserved scallions to meat and mix until it has the appearance of pulled pork, adding liquid to taste. tamales (bolitos style) Soak cornhusks in warm water overnight, or immerse in boiling water for an hour. Drain. Starting at edge of cornhusk, tear away a thin strip and set aside. Place 1–2 tablespoons of prepared masa in center of softened husk and spread into rectangle. Add several teaspoons of filling in center of masa (photo A). Fold one side of husk over filling, then fold opposite side Top—Chef Durham (right) gives Advertising Accounts Manager Denise Lente (left) tamale tips. Photos A–C display the tamale-making technique. (See instructions in recipe.) Bottom—Lucero displays a perfectly made bolito-style tamale. 48 NEW MEXICO | DECEMBER 2008 over folded side. (The edges of the husk should barely overlap, to permit easy opening later.) Using the strip of husk, tie each end of tamale, near the filling, to seal (photos B, C). To cook: Fill bottom of steamer with 2–3 inches of water. Drop a pebble in the bottom. Line steamer basket with extra cornhusks and place in steamer. Place tamales in flat layers on cornhusks and cover with a few more husks, to prevent drying out. Cover steamer, bring water to a boil, and cook tamales for 45–50 minutes, or until they feel firm and husks easily peel away from filling. Listen to the pot as it boils; you’ll hear the pebble bouncing in the pan as long as there’s still water to boil; if the noise stops, add more water. When tamales are cooked, let rest for several minutes before serving. Makes 24 tamales. Feast Day Posole (see photo page 45) Originating on the pueblos, posole is a simple stew of white corn that has become an integral element of winter gatherings in New Mexico. We found that this recipe had a delightful smokiness. Plus, using chicken is a twist on the traditional pork. 6 cups posole (or hominy) 2 teaspoons each peppercorns, cumin, and coriander 4 tablespoons lard 2 onions, chopped 6 cloves garlic, minced 3 pounds chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 teaspoon ground canela (a.k.a Mexican cinnamon) 1½ cups New Mexican red-chile powder 4–8 cups chicken broth salt to taste Put posole in 6-quart pot and cover with about 3 inches of cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2–3 hours, adding water as needed, until kernels have softened and begun to burst. Toast peppercorns, cumin, and coriander in small, heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring until spices are fragrant and begin to brown (about 2 minutes). Transfer spices to plate to cool, then crush spices with mortar and pestle. In 6-quart pot, melt lard over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and garlic in lard for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken pieces and cook 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add toasted spices, canela, red chile powder, posole, and broth. Bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste and simmer for at least 1 hour. Adjust seasonings and serve topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, and sliced jalapeños, with flour tortillas on the side. NEW MEXICO MAGAZINE Give the gift that lasts all year long GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS First subscription $25.95, 12 issues Additional subscriptions only $17 each (Canada and foreign subscriptions add $20 per year for Priority shipping) EWZZWS;c`^Vg 6SORW\U][S >OW\bW\UaT`][bVS<OdOX]<ObW]\ '3\QVO\bW\U<Se;SfWQ]1OZS\RO` New Mexico Magazine FREE GIFT! 2009 Enchanting New Mexico Calendar featuring Willie Murphy’s paintings from the Navajo Nation With three paid subscriptions we will send you our beautiful 2009 Enchanting New Mexico wall calendar absolutely free (a $17.45 value with shipping and handling). We send handsome gift cards to announce your gift. To Order Call 1-800-898-6639 BETTE BRODSKY A8XC