Dinner For Two

Written on January 21st, 2010 by Sebastian. Filed under Blog, Competition Work, Edible Art, New Mexican, Portfolio, Recipes, Thanksgiving

sebastian 2005

The Taco Wagon of My Dreams

Written on January 14th, 2010 by Sebastian. Filed under Blog, Comfort Food, Current Cuisine, Farmers Market, New Mexican, Portfolio, Recipes

Santa Fe Taco Wagon For Sale Santa Fe, New Mexico sebastian 2009

Leche Quemada (Burnt Milk)

Written on December 25th, 2009 by Sebastian. Filed under Blog, Cheap Eats, Mom, New Mexican, Recipes, Retro Recipes, Special Sweets, Very Veggie

When we were sick, we could count on this for supper. The other version of this was called carnulo. An unopened can of sweetened condensed milk is simmered in water for 4 hours to produce the best every caramel. Of course, there's always a chance that the can will explode so we never got carnulo at home. 4 c. milk 1/2 c. ...

Carmelo ~ New Mexico Pinion Harvest Sweet

Written on November 30th, 2009 by Sebastian. Filed under Blog, Comfort Food, Easy, Holidays, Mom, New Mexican, Recipes, Retro Recipes, Special Sweets

Called a “poor man’s candy”, this recipe is now pricy due to the cost of NM pinon nuts. Nuts from China or Europe have a curious reaction for some people, making them lose their sense of taste for days. Our pinons don’t do that but they also cost twice as much. unless you  harvest your own. 1 TBL butter 1 c shelled ...

McCann Calabacitas ~ What to Do With Too Many Tomatoes

Written on November 27th, 2009 by Sebastian. Filed under Blog, Cheap Eats, Comfort Food, Mom, New Mexican, Recipes, Very Veggie

Mrs. McCann lived next to me when I rented this great duplex on 14th and Fruit. She grew tomatoes in dozens of white plastic 5 gallon buckets and used them in everything. 4 TBL salad oil 1 # zucchini squash, washed and cut into 1/2" rings 2 tsp sugar 12 oz frozen whole kernel corn 2 Large tomatoes, cut into 8ths 1 tsp salt dash coarse black ...

Lois’ 12th Street Calabacitas ~ Not Just For Vegetarians

Written on November 27th, 2009 by Sebastian. Filed under Blog, Mom, New Mexican, Recipes, Retro Recipes, Small Plates

This version of Calabacitas is sort of like a guilty pleasure. Bacon and beef fat? It tastes it sort of like a version of braised kale or mustard greens. Only better since it's made with green chile. 3 strips of bacon, cut into pieces 1 Pkg frozen corn 1 small onion, chopped 1 Tbl finely minced beef fat 2 # fresh cut Zucchini-Italian squash 1/2 c. ...

Calabacitas ~ Mrs. Vigil’s 1953 Recipe

Written on November 27th, 2009 by Sebastian. Filed under Blog, Cheap Eats, Easy, Lunch Counter, Mom, New Mexican, Retro Recipes, Very Veggie

I make some form of calabacitas every week and take it stuffed in a tortilla for lunch. Here's one of the  neighborhood's potluck recipes. It has good intentions but it's middle of the road ingredients make me yearn for real green chili and chunky veggies. 3 TBL butter 6 Calabacitas, cut into cubes 1 TBL chopped onion 3/4 c. milk 2 tsp salt 2 green peppers, ...

Cajeta de Calabaza ~ Mom’s Childhood Pumpkin Sweets

We only had store bought candy on Sundays after Mass. There were a lot of sweets around, just not ones labeled and wrapped. 1 medium pumpkin, cut small 1 pint water 2 TBL powdered lime 1 cup water 2 c. sugar 1 tsp cinnamon or crushed peppermint stick Soak pumpkin overnight in water with powdered lime. In the morning, make syrup of 2 c. of sugar and 1 ...

Lucy Duran’s Bordertown Liver

Written on November 27th, 2009 by Sebastian. Filed under Blog, Mom, New Mexican, Recipes, Retro Recipes

Liver was served to "build up the blood" in the spring. Mrs. Duran's version beat the "cook until it becomes shoe leather" style. 1 1/2 # beef liver, sliced 1/2 " thick 4 TBL bacon drippings, 4 tomatoes, sliced thick 1 tsp salt 4 onions, thinly sliced 2 c. water 1 TBL chile powder Fry liver in drippings until brown on both sides. Remove from pan and cut ...

Beefsteak ~ Albuquerque’s Yucatan 1950’s Style Steak

Written on November 27th, 2009 by Sebastian. Filed under Blog, Cheap Eats, Mom, New Mexican, Recipes, Retro Recipes

This is about as exotic as steak ever got in my neighborhood. 2 # round steak, 1/2 " thick 2 lemons or enough juice to cover meat 1/2 c. bacon fat 1 large onion, minced salt and pepper Pound steak thoroughly. Marinate in mixture of lemon juice, onion, salt and pepper for  3 hours. Fry in hot fat about 3 minutes on each side or as ...