Albuquerque’s Current Cuisine

Chile comprises the most important ingredient used in stews, meat dishes, enchiladas, tamales, and other dishes. Here, chile refers to the Anaheim variety chile pods, either fresh green or dried red, not the chili sauce of spices commonly associated with Tex-Mex cuisine. Green chile sauce often comprises a blend of roasted, peeled, chopped green chiles with onion, salt, chicken broth, and, sometimes, flour for thickening. Red chile sauce is made by softening dried red chiles in hot water, blended then with onion, garlic, and chicken broth. The “heat,” i.e., spiciness, may vary considerably. Tourist restaurants provide milder versions of New Mexico’s dishes, while more adventurous tourists and locals favor long-established coffee shops and diners, where the heat brings tears to one’s eyes. Different varieties are preferred for different dishes. Local connoisseurs favor the larger, more uniform Hatch green chile from southern New Mexico, appropriate for stuffed chile rellenos, while northern New Mexicans prefer the smaller, less uniform, heritage varieties, such as the Chimayo, for sauces and stews.