Jemez Springs

We're staying in a beautiful house next to the Jemez River. You can hear the river gurgling all night outside the bedroom window. Last night we made a New Mexican feast -- red chile enchiladas made with homemade tortillas (there is a whole thing about red and green which I'll explain later), posole (stewed whole corn), calabcitas (stir fried squash with several magical ingredients), and stewed pinto beans.

New Mexican cuisine is different than tex mex or Mexican it turns out. Our teacher, chef Carmen Rodriguez taught us that New Mexico has a state question: "Red or Green?" This refers to the type of chili sauce. Just like at home, red chilis are the ones that have ripened further, while the green ones are -- green.

The red chilis are frequently turned into a dried powder -- instant red sauce! Green chilis are also powdered, but it's best to use fresh. They are just coming into season so we buaght a few pounds (Barbara and I argued over this. She wanted to buy 1 or 2 chilis. I wanted to buy 5 lbs. We comprmised). We bought a chili roaster, too. Very cool gadget that fits over the stove. You can roast your chilis right there, more fun than broiling them and definitely more fun than cooking them over the flame with a fork that gets hotter and hotter.