This is a rich soup that is definitely for those who aren’t counting their calories. It’s important that this soup does not come to a boil after adding the cheese or it may curdle and break. I serve this soup garnished with tortilla chips, like a more substantial version of the popular tortilla soup found all over Mexico. Serve with a flour tortilla in place of bread or crackers.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1/4 cup diced bell pepper

• 2 cloves garlic

• 3 teaspoons dry mustard

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 2 to 3 cups chicken broth

• 1 12-ounce can beer, optional

• 4 to 6 green New Mexican chiles, roasted, peeled, chopped

• 1 15-ounce can peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped

• 1 15-ounce can pinto or kidney beans, drained

• ½ cup half and half cream

• 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated

• 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated

• Salt to taste

• Garnish: Chopped fresh cilantro

• Tortilla chips

Instructions

Melt the butter in a heavy stockpot or saucepan and saute the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until softened. Stir in the mustard and flour and heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly to cook the flour but being careful it doesn’t brown.

Add the broth, beer if using, green chiles, tomatoes, and beans. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes to thicken.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cream and cheese until the cheese has melted. Return the pot and simmer until reheated.

Serve in a tureen or in individual soup bowls garnished with cilantro and a couple of tortilla chips.

These delicious sausages have a counterpart all over Latin America. The ingredients can vary widely; some recipes call for saltpeter, some use all pork, some include spices such as cloves and cinnamon, and still others prefer vinegar or wine. I have included this rather traditional recipe from Argentina utilizing the famed ají p-p, the “bad word” chile; for a substitute, use pure hot red chile powder, such as New Mexico Chimayó. In Argentina, these sausages are almost always included at an asado–a barbecue. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless pork

• 1 pound round steak

• ½ pound fresh bacon (available at natural supermarkets)

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 clove garlic

• 1 ½ teaspoons oregano

• ½ teaspoon cumin

• 6 peppercorns, crushed

• 2 teaspoons ají p-p chile powder, or substitute hot red chile powder, such as cayenne or New Mexican Chimayó

• 3/4 cup dry white wine

Instructions

Coarsely grind the pork, round steak, bacon, salt, and garlic together a meat grinder or food processor. If you use a food processor, take care not to grind the meat too finely; you want the meat to have some texture.

Place the ground meats in a large ceramic bowl, add the remaining ingredients, mix thoroughly, cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Form the meat into patties and fry them in a skillet over a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until no pink remains on the inside. Drain the patties on paper towels and serve hot.

Many of the stews in Argentina are garnished with fresh fruit or even dried fruit. This spicy, creamed seafood dish is very elegant and makes a gorgeous presentation dish. Accompany the dish with a simple green salad and a chilled Argentine white wine.

Ingredients

• 2 cups long grained white rice

• ½ cup butter

• 1 2-inch thread of saffron

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 4 cups chicken stock, boiling

• 1/4 cup minced jarred pimientos, or substitute red bell pepper, cooked in water until soft

• ½ cup cooked tiny green peas

• 2 tablespoons flour

• 1 ½ cups milk

• 1 tablespoon habanero hot sauce

• 1/4 cup minced onion

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 tablespoons finely chopped green bell pepper

• 2 pounds lobster, cooked and cubed

• 1 pound medium shrimp, cooked, peeled, and deveined

• ½ pound crabmeat, cooked and flaked

• 3 oranges, peeled and thinly sliced into circles

• 2 ripe avocados, peeled and sliced

• 2 grapefruits, peeled and sectioned

• 16 lime wedges

Instructions

Combine the rice, 3 tablespoons of butter, the saffron, salt, and the boiling chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. When the rice is tender, stir in the pimientos and the peas and keep the rice warm.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large, heavy saucepan and sprinkle in the flour and stir for 30 seconds until it is well blended with the butter, taking care not to burn the mixture. Add the milk, all at once, and the hot sauce, stirring constantly until the mixture starts to thicken. If the mixture is not smooth, beat it with a whisk. Then, remove the cream sauce from the heat and set aside.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large pot, and add the onion, the garlic, and the bell pepper and saute for 3 minutes. Then, add the lobster, shrimp, and crabmeat and toss the mixture lightly. Add the cream sauce to the seafood mixture, and heat slowly, until the mixture is hot. Serve the creamed seafood over the cooked rice and garnish with the oranges, avocados, grapefruit, and the lime wedges.