Clay pot of beans

CLAY POT FRIJOLES

New to cooking in clay? This basic bean-pot recipe is easily adapted to your tastes.

  • 2½ cups (about 1 pound) dried pinto 
  • or bolita beans, rinsed, sorted 
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4–5 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ cup diced salt pork or bacon
  • 1 teaspoon dried epazote leaves, crumbled, or 1 bag chamomile tea (intact)
  • 3 tablespoons mild or hot Chimayó 
  • red-chile powder
  • 2 whole bay leaves
  • 1½ teaspoons cumin powder
  • 7–8 cups water or broth (beef, chicken, 
  • or vegetable)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Serves 6–8

  1. Put all ingredients in bean pot and place on bottom rack of cold oven. (If you’re cooking in something other than a micaceous bean pot, put a lid on it.)
  2. Heat oven to 450 degrees and cook beans for 1½ hours.
  3. Carefully remove pot and check seasoning; add more if necessary, and return to hot oven. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and cook another 40 minutes or until tender.
  4. Remove pot from oven, re-season if necessary, cover, and let rest 10 minutes.
  5. Serve as side dish with fresh tortillas, crema Mexicana or sour cream, diced jalapeños, and crumbled cotija or grated asadero cheese.

Flan dessert in a round white bowl.

PUMPKIN FLAN

The following recipe comes from Danny Baca at La Fonda del Bosque.

Ingredients
8 eggs
1 pt. heavy cream
1 pt. half-and-half
2 c. sugar
2 c. pumpkin filling
2 t. vanilla
1 t. cinnamon
2 c. of sugar caramelized

Directions
Caramelize sugar and pour into bottom of custard cups, or small soup cups, or 9-by-12-inch pie pan. Mix all ingredients until smooth, and fill cups 3/4 full of mixture. Bake in 350-degree oven, in a water bath, until firm (about 3 hours). When ready to serve, slide a knife around the edge of the cup and invert over serving dish. Garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon.

Navajo tacos

BISON MEAT NAVAJO TACOS

This recipe is a delicious way to enjoy a fry-bread taco topped with healthy, sustainably grown ingredients.

Ingredients
MAKES 6–8 TACOS
Meat Topping
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb organic ground bison meat
1 medium red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 fresh vine tomato, coarsely chopped
1½ cups organic pinto beans, cooked (dried or canned)
1 cup organic kidney beans, cooked (dried or canned)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons (⅓ cup) New Mexico green chiles 
(roasted, peeled, stems removed), chopped; 
or use prepared green-chile sauce 

Taco Topping
1 cup organic baby salad greens
1 cup organic baby arugula salad greens
1 cup heirloom baby tomatoes, sliced
1 8-oz package (2 cups) Jack cheese, grated
¼ cup New Mexico or Anaheim green chiles
(roasted, peeled, stems removed), chopped; 
or use prepared green-chile sauce 
1 avocado, sliced
1 oz daikon radish sprouts (optional)

MAKES 6–8 TACOS

Directions
In cast-iron skillet or frying pan, heat olive oil until hot. Add ground meat. Using slotted spoon or potato masher, break meat into small pieces as it browns. Cook about 5 minutes, until completely brown, stirring to prevent burning.

Add chopped onion and garlic and cook another 3–4 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add chopped tomatoes and cook another 3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add cooked pinto
and kidney beans and stir. Add salt, 6 tablespoons of green chile, and stir again. Cook 1 minute more, stirring to prevent burning. Remove from heat.

Spoon meat-and-bean mixture atop freshly made fry bread, then top with greens, tomatoes, cheese, more chopped green chile, avocado, and sprouts.
Serve immediately.

Ginger Pear Coffee Cake with Berry Garnishes

GINGER PEAR COFFEE CAKE FROM EL FAROLITO

A wonderful New Mexican-style dessert.
A wonderful New Mexican-style dessert.

Ingredients

  • 3 T. butter
  • 2 fresh pears, peeled, cored and sliced
  • 1/3 c. brown sugar
  • 11/2 t. ginger
  • 1 t. grated lemon peel
  • 1 t. grated orange peel
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/4 c. melted butter
  • 1/2 c. milk
  • 11/2 c. flour
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 11/2 t. baking powder
  • 1/4 t. salt
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Place 3 tablespoons butter in 9-inch cake pan and melt. Arrange pear slices in bottom of pan in a spiral pattern.
  3. Mix brown sugar, ginger, lemon peel and orange peel; set aside.
  4. Beat egg, melted butter, and milk to­gether. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
  5. Stir egg and flour mixtures to­gether until well blended. Pour batter over pears and spread evenly.
  6. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over top. Cut through batter with knife to marble cake.
  7. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let stand for 5 min­utes. Invert cake onto serving plate

Citrus-Grilled Turkey Breast

CITRUS GRILLED TURKEY BREAST

A fit and filling fall meal.

Ingredients
1 bone-in turkey breast (4 to 5 pounds)
1/4 c. fresh parsley sprigs
1/4 c. fresh basil leaves
3 T. butter
4 garlic cloves, halved
1/2 t. salt
1 medium lemon, thinly sliced
1 medium orange, thinly sliced
1 T. corn starch
2 T. water
1 c. orange juice
1 t. grated lemon peel
1 t. grated orange peel
1/4 t. pepper

Directions
Use your fingers to carefully loosen the skin from both sides of turkey breast. In a food processor, or blender, combine the next five ingredients, until smooth. Spread under turkey skin and arrange lemon and orange slices over the herb mixture. Secure skin to underside of breast with toothpicks.

Coat grill rack with nonstick cooking spray and prepare grill for indirect heat. Place turkey over drip pan, cover grill and cook for 13/4 to 21/4 hours, or until meat thermometer reads 170 degrees and juices run clear. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Pour pan drippings into measuring cup and skim off fat. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Add orange juice, orange and lemon peel, pepper and pan drippings. Bring to a boil and stir until thickened. Discard skin, lemon and orange slices from turkey breast. Remove herb mixture from turkey and stir into gravy. Slice turkey and serve with gravy.