A Purist’s Perfectly Pungent Bloody Mary

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

Here it is, the ultimate Bloody Mary designed for the ultimate peppery cocktail snob. Canned tomato juice is permitted only when fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes are not available.

Ingredients

  • 0.5 teaspoon of your favorite bottled hot sauce (or more to taste)

  • 1.5 ounces fine vodka such as Stolichnaya or Absolut

  • 3 ounces tomato juice freshly made from vine-ripened tomatoes (or more to taste)

  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice

  • 1 dash Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 dash salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

  • 1  serrano or jalapeño chile for garnish

Instructions

Combine all ingredients and shake with ice cubes. Serve garnished with a slice of fresh serrano or jalapeño chile.

 

Tex-Mex Chiltepin Tequila

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Chiles and cumin combine here to create the olfactory essence of the Border. Most any type of small chile pepper that you can get in the bottle will work. Be sure to taste it often and remove the chiles when it reaches the desired heat–the longer the chiles are left in, the hotter the liquor will get!

Ingredients

  • 4 to 6 dried chiltepin chiles, left whole

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1 liter vodka or white tequila

Instructions

Place the chiles and cumin in the vodka and let them steep for a week or more. Periodically taste the liquor and remove the chiles when the desired heat has been obtained.

Serve extremely cold, over ice, or in tomato juice for an “instant” Bloody Mary or Maria. Flavored liquors are often prepared in the Southwest with sliced jalapeños.

Montanolo Chicken Salad

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This recipe is a great lunch salad.

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts, blackened
  • 1/2 cup Champignon Montanolo cheese, diced
  • Few dashes balsamic vinegar
  • Small drizzle olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • Few spinkles season-all salt
  • Few dashes hot sauce
  • Salad greens

Instructions

Saute the chicken breasts until cooked thoroughly. Dice into about 1-inch cubes and place in a large salad bowl. Add the cheese and stir. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until thoroughly mixed. Place the greens in a bowls and serve the chicken mixture over them.

Santa Fe Salad with Chile Pasado Dressing

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If piñon nuts are not available, substitute sunflower seeds or chopped walnuts in this spicy tossed green salad.

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

  • ½ ounce chile pasado, reconstituted to make about ½ cup, chopped

  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise

  • 2 tablespoons sour cream

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon lime juice

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar

  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

For the Salad:

  • 1/2 cup jicama, diced, or substitute green apples

  • 4 green onions, chopped, including the green part

  • 2 chopped red ripe tomatoes

  • Mixed salad greens–radicchio, butter, and red leaf lettuce

  • 1/4 cup piñon nuts

Instructions

For the Dressing:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and allow the dressing to sit for a few hours covered, in the refrigerator, to blend the flavors.

For the Salad:

To make the salad: Combine the jicama, onions, tomatoes, and salad greens. Toss with the dressing, top with the nuts, and serve.

Green Mustard Slaw with Red Plum Vinaigrette

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

Flynt Payne, Executive Chef at the Inn of the Anasazi in Santa Fe, New Mexico, offers a unique side dish recipe which combines unusual flavors with fabulous results. The vinaigrette can be made in advance.

Ingredients

Green Mustard Slaw

  • 1 cup shredded red cabbage
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced into rings
  • ½ cup cilantro, whole leaves
  • 4 cups mustard greens, thinly sliced

Red Plum Vinaigrette (to toss with slaw)

  • 2 red plums, pitted
  • 1 ounce orange juice
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 ounce rice wine vinegar
  • 2 sage leaves
  • 2 ounces olive oil
  • Kosher salt to taste

Instructions

Combine all of the slaw ingredients well, and toss with the Red Plum Vinaigrette. Divide the slaw evenly onto four salad plates.

Place the pitted plums and orange juice in a blender and puree well. Remove the mixture to a mixing bowl. Add the minced shallots, garlic, honey, vinegar, finely chopped sage, oil, and salt. Combine and taste for correct seasoning and set aside.