High Desert Table

Your everyday guide to Southwestern cooking

fire-roasted

Fire-Roasted Green Chile Risotto

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There are few things I love to cook more than risotto. Honestly, I can’t think of anything else except fresh pasta or a summer pie. And I guess what I mean is, that no part of making this Italian rice feels like a chore. Rather more of a gift. When else in the course of a day do you have the chance to stand still and watch simmering rice bloom in warm, buttery broth? Usually, once during the cooking process, I can’t help but think that a pot of risotto cooking on the stove resembles a hungry baby. It’s a hilarious and delightful thought. And I continue on, feeding it one ladle of broth at a time until at last the rice is tender and ready to be finished with parmesan and fresh whipped cream.

You’ll notice this recipe calls for fire-roasted green chiles. There’s a lot of room for interpretation and personal preference here. I rummaged around in my freezer and used a mix of fire-roasted Sandia and poblano chiles. First and foremost, you can use the chiles that you have. If you don’t have a stash in the freezer, don’t despair! You can use frozen green chiles available in most grocery stores in the state (just defrost and drain) or you can buy Anaheim or Poblano chiles and blacken them over a grill or in the oven and then peel the skin off. 

Green Chile Risotto Ingredients

This is a recipe where each detail matters. I like to gather all of my ingredients ahead of time so the cooking flow feels pleasant and easy. Oh, the joy of mise en place never disappoints. In the recipe, you’ll notice that we toast the rice for around four minutes in the pot before adding liquid. This step creates a barrier around each grain of rice, allowing it to absorb liquid slowly and retain its texture without becoming sticky.

This risotto can be served on its own (preferably on a warm flat plate), or paired with roasted wild mushrooms, roasted vegetables, and a variety of fish or meat. It can be served as a side but is perfectly delightful as the entire dinner.

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Fire-roasted green chile risotto

Green Chile Risotto in a bowl
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Discover the joy of making the perfect risotto with fire-roasted green chiles. This risotto can be served on its own, or paired with roasted wild mushrooms, roasted vegetables, and a variety of fish or meat. It can be served as a side dish but is perfectly delightful for the entire dinner.

  • Author: Marianne Sundquist
  • Prep Time: 45 mins
  • Cook Time: 45 mins
  • Total Time: 1.5 hours
  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Category: dinner
  • Cuisine: italian

Ingredients

Units
  • 8 T. butter, divided
  • 6 c. vegetable or chicken broth
  • 6 large shallots, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 T. fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
  • 1/2 c. fire-roasted green chiles, peeled, seeded and chopped
  • 2 c. arborio or carnaroli rice
  • 1 c. dry white wine
  • 1 1/2 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 c. heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Making the broth

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add 4 Tablespoons of butter. Keep a close eye on it as it melts, then foams then starts to turn a golden brown. Once the butter has turned a deep golden brown (but not burned), very carefully whisk in the broth. Be careful because it will steam. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bring this mixture to a simmer, then turn the heat to low while you prepare the risotto.

Caramelize

In a large and wide, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat add the remaining 4 Tablespoons of butter. Once it melts, add the shallots. We are going to let the shallots caramelize, so this will take some time. Let them cook over low heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon until they are golden brown. This will take 30-45 minutes. If it seems they are cooking unevenly or you see some dark spots, add a splash of the warm broth to scrape the bottom of the pan and continue cooking the onions until they have fully caramelized.

green-chile-risotto prepping the shallots

Time to toast

Now add the garlic, rosemary, and green chiles. Cook for another couple of minutes. Now add the rice and cook for around five minutes stirring frequently. This is us toasting the rice!

Now carefully add the white wine, scraping any caramelly bits from the bottom of the pot, and let cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

green-chile-risotto prepping the rice

Adding the broth

At this point, we are going to slowly feed a ladle full of the warm broth to the rice and stir frequently. Over time, the rice will absorb the broth and you can add another ladle and another, continuing to stir and adding broth until the rice has almost fully absorbed all the broth and is “al dente” to the taste, meaning that it is cooked but still retains a bite and definitely not mushy. If you use all the broth and still feel like the rice needs more liquid, feel free to use a little water to finish cooking.

Finishing touch

Add the parmesan cheese, and stir for a minute. Now, right before serving, add the freshly whipped cream. Fold the cream into the risotto with a large heat-proof spatula, letting as much air transfer to the risotto. Give it a taste and add salt and/or pepper as needed.

To serve, spoon the risotto in bowls or large flat plates. If you serve on a plate, spoon the risotto in the center and let it spread towards the edges.

Green Chile Risotto in a bowl

Mushroom, Poblano & Goat Cheese Frittata

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If you’re ever tasked with making breakfast, brunch, or lunch for a crowd, this frittata (an Italian unfolded omelet) recipe might be right up your alley. I’m not sure it gets easier than this. No eggs cooked to order. The vegetables can be easily cooked the day before, and all that’s required is a quick whisk of the eggs (not too much so there is not a deflation of air during baking), a sprinkling of vegetables and cheese before throwing it in the oven for less than a half hour and voila! 

But that’s not all. Frittatas can be served any time of the day, as a hot main course or cool added to the middle of a sandwich or sliced and served as an appetizer alongside a variety of antipasto as the women in my family would say. In fact, you can make the entire frittata in advance and reheat it the next day by placing it covered in foil, in a 350 F. oven for 15 minutes or until it’s heated all the way through. If reheating individual slices (like when you have leftovers), I like to place a splash of water in the bottom of a small baking dish before adding slices and then covering them. This creates a bit of steam during reheating and prevents the edges from drying out. Another (and opposite) popular method of reheating slices is to fry them in a skillet on the stove, embracing and encouraging the sides to crisp up.

This simple flavor combination of mushroom, red onion, poblano, goat cheese, and basil is just one combination. Whenever making a frittata I usually ask myself a couple of questions: What do I have that I need to use up that is at risk for going to waste? And, what is amazing right now because of the season we are in? In the late fall, winter, and early spring, I will rummage in the freezer looking for frozen chiles and sweet corn I’ve squirreled away. I can promise you that if I had any corn left I would have added it here. But I found poblanos in the freezer and goat cheese in the fridge, so this is where I began. Please consult the most important person when considering what veggies and things to add to your frittata (You!). What do you love? What’s in your fridge? What can you access at the grocery store or farmers market? 

The most important thing to remember is that in any baked egg dish, water causes problems. Because of this, it’s important that vegetables and meat are cooked before adding them to your egg mixture.

If you’re serving this as a main course, it pairs well with a simple green salad and fresh fruit, or you can make it a party and serve this with a decadent baked French toast (like the one I shared last week) or an assortment of pastries.

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Mushroom, Poblano & Goat Cheese Frittata

HDT - Sq - Goat Cheese Frittata - in a rustic bowl ready for brunch
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If you’re ever tasked with making breakfast, brunch, or lunch for a crowd, this frittata recipe might be right up your alley. I’m not sure it gets easier than this. No eggs cooked to order. The vegetables can be easily cooked the day before, and all that’s required is a quick whisk of the eggs, and a sprinkling of vegetables and cheese before throwing it in the oven for less than a half hour and voila!

  • Author: Marianne Sundquist
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 6-8 servings
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Units

For the vegetables:

  • 3 T. butter
  • 1 lb. fresh cremini mushrooms (aka baby bellas), cleaned with a dry kitchen towel and sliced
  • 1 medium red onion, sliced
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 fire-roasted poblanos, peeled, seeded and diced

For the frittata:

  • 2 T. butter
  • 12 large eggs
  • 1/4 c. heavy cream
  • 1 t. Kosher or large flaked sea salt
  • 1 c. fresh goat cheese
  • torn basil leaves, for garnish

 

Instructions

The mushrooms

In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add the butter. Once it’s melted, add the mushrooms and onions with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Let them cook until the water inside them releases and evaporates, at which point both mushrooms and onions will begin to caramelize. Let them cook until they are a deep, golden brown, and turn off the heat. Transfer to a small bowl and add the diced poblanos. Reserve until you are ready to bake the frittata.

Baking the frittata

To cook the frittata, preheat the oven to 375 F. In a large bowl or pitcher, whisk together the eggs, cream, and salt. Place butter in a 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet or a baking dish that’s approximately the same size. Place the skillet in the oven for around 5 minutes, or until the butter is completely melted. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and swirl (or brush) the butter around so the bottom and sides are coated. Pour in the egg mixture in the skillet, and sprinkle in the cooked vegetables and fresh goat cheese. Bake for around 25 minutes, or until the frittata doesn’t wobble in the middle. You don’t want to overbake it, but you don’t want undercooked eggs on the inside either. You can also insert a small knife in the center. If it comes out clean you are good to go.

 

To serve, garnish with torn basil leaves and enjoy.

Mushroom, poblano, and goatcCheese Frittata in a rustic bowl ready for brunch

Calabacitas Benedict

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Calabacitas “little squash”, is a dish with many names, and variations and steeped in New Mexico history originating from Native American Pueblos dating back to the 16th century. As with most foods unique to this area, the finished dish is only the starting point for the many opportunities to learn about the foods, people, and history that make up the heart and soul of the Southwest landscape. Each new ingredient and method I learn here change me, even in a small way. Added together, I can’t help but notice that living and cooking here has changed and grounded me in ways I could have ever imagined where the only thing I know for sure, is that I hope I will be learning here with an open heart for the rest of my life. Cooking becomes less about what I do in the kitchen and more about what others have experienced, preserved, and the gift of gathering around the kitchen table to share a dish like this. 

Sacred Ingredients

In her James Beard Award-winning book, Foods of the Southwest Indian Nation, Lois Ellen Frank (Kiowa on her mother’s side and Sephardic on her father’s side) writes about the sacred elements to tribes across the country and the ingenuity of an ecosystem that is created by planting three crops that benefit and thrive when they are planted together in companion planting. This book also happens to include the largest acknowledgments section of any book I have ever seen. I don’t think this is by accident, and if I’ve learned anything at all since my time here learning from chefs like Lois and Walter Whitewater from Red Mesa Cuisine, it’s that the native approach to cooking embodies a spirit of attention and care for all living things including land and food, with a deep appreciation for teachers in all forms.  

Of the three sisters, Lois writes that they “are believed to have been domesticated in Mesoamerica sometime between 7000 and 3000 B.C.” Then, as travel increased along the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the 1591-mile-long road between Mexico City and San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico, it is believed corn and chile was added to cooked summer squash making the combination we know and love today. In Lois’s book the recipe, also called calabacitas, is called Mesa Squash Fry and includes red bell pepper and sunflower seeds. In the Pueblo Indian Cookbook, compiled and edited by Phyllis Hughes a similar version is called Skillet Squash and includes the addition of shredded longhorn cheese (cheddar or american style cheese in the shape of a half moon), while Fabiola C. Gilbert in her book Historic Cookery published in 1931 refers to Calabacitas con Chile Verde which includes a small amount of milk and grated Native or American cheese. I have seen more variations than I can count with additions like tomatoes, chicken broth, cream, queso fresco, jalapeno, and differences in texture from extra brothy to this version which is more on the caramelized vegetable side.

Making the Calabacitas

Calabacitas is wonderful in a bowl on its own, but it also happens to make my favorite benedict of all time. This is a vegetarian recipe, but you could always add a slice of ham or bacon on top of the bread if you wish. Or, if you didn’t want to use biscuits or english muffins, you could always swap those out for roasted fingerling potatoes, sweet potatoes, roasted asparagus or a bed of sauteed hearty greens like kale, chard or collards. 

The classic way of preparing hollandaise sauce is by using a double boiler and saying lots of prayers while whisking. This blender version can be made with a standard blender or an immersion blender and is so easy you might be inclined to add this to your regular brunch rotation.

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Calabacitas Benedict

HDT Calabacitas Benedict plated
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Calabacitas is wonderful in a bowl on its own, but it also happens to make my favorite southwestern style benedict of all time. This is a vegetarian recipe, but you could always add a slice of ham or bacon on top of the bread if you wish.

  • Author: Marianne Sundquist
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: fire-roasted
  • Cuisine: New Mexican

Ingredients

Units

for the calabacitas:

  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 3–4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 fire roasted poblano peppers, peeled, seeded and diced
  • 2 medium zucchini, diced
  • 2 medium yellow squash
  • 2 c. fire roasted corn kernels
  • 1 T. fresh oregano, rough chopped (or 2 t. dry)
  • salt and pepper, to taste

for the hollandaise:

  • 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 t. New Mexico Red Chile Powder or to taste
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • warm water, as needed for thinning

for serving:

  • 6–12 eggs, prepared however you like them best
  • 6 english muffins or biscuits, sliced in half, toasted and buttered
  • 1/4 c. minced chives, for garnish

 

Instructions

To make the calabacitas, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until they are beginning to caramelize. Add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Now add the fire-roasted poblanos, zucchini, yellow squash, corn and oregano. Let this cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, all of the water has evaporated from the zucchini and yellow squash and everything in the pan is starting to caramelize. Season with salt and pepper until it tastes wonderful to you. Keep warm.

Less than 30 minutes before serving the benedict is the time to make the hollandaise. Fill your blender with very warm water. In a small saucepan over medium heat bring the butter to a simmer and turn off the heat. Pour out the water from the blender, saving it for another use like watering plants once it comes to room temperature and dry the blender with a clean cloth. Transfer the butter to a heat-proof pitcher or measuring cup with a pouring spout to have ready to go. Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, New Mexico chile powder and a pinch of salt and pepper to the blender. Blend this on a medium speed and while it’s blending, carefully remove the fill cap from the blender lid and very slowly pour in the hot butter. Watch the mixture as you pour, you should see it thicken as it emulsifies. Once all the butter has been added, season with salt and pepper as needed. If the hollandaise is too thick, you can thin it out by blending in more lemon juice if you feel it’s needed or one tablespoon of warm water at a time. Transfer the sauce to a heat proof container and keep covered and warm until ready to serve.

To assemble the benedict:  Place English muffins or biscuits in a large bowl, top generously with a spoon of calabacitas, an egg and a drizzle of hollandaise sauce. Garnish with chives and serve immediately.