Real New Mexico Chile: An Insider's Guide to Cooking With Chile

Here’s a recipe excerpted from Real New Mexico Chile—An Insider’s Guide to Cooking With Chile by Sandy Szwarc. Copyright © 1996. All rights reserved. Feast Day Pumpkin Stew

Pumpkin, chiles and corn are foods native to New Mexico and frequently found in traditional Indian stews. This updated version is invigorated with chorizo and given a pleasing creaminess by the addition of milk. 1 teaspoon canola oil 3/4 cup finely chopped onion (about 1 medium onion) 3 garlic cloves, minced 8 ounces chorizo, chopped 4 cups diced pumpkin flesh 1 1/2 cups rich chicken or vegetable stock 2 cups skim milk 1/2 cup chopped roasted and peeled New Mexico green chiles 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin salt to taste 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels or cooked posole

In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until they've softened, about 3 minutes. Add the chorizo and saute until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the pumpkin, stock, milk, chiles, cumin and salt. Simmer, partially covered, over medium-low heat until the pumpkin is tender. Add the corn and heat through. Serve it in bowls, sprinkled with any cheese desired for garnish. Yields 4 servings.

By way of introduction, I am a food writer and editor. For over five years, I wrote a weekly food column and restaurant reviews for a regional New Mexico newspaper. With over twenty years in recipe development, I’ve won dozens of awards for my recipes. My articles and original recipes have appeared in publications such as Saveur, Cooking Light, New Mexico Magazine, Christian Science Monitor, Washington Post, Dallas Morning News, Sally’s Place, Albuquerque Journal, Hemisphere, Sunset Magazine, Country Woman, Austin Chronicle, Localflavor, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, La Cocinita, Better Homes and Gardens, and Mountain Living Magazine.

Most recently I was Food Editor at Better Homes and Gardens, Special Interest Publications, where I wrote food, wine, entertaining, gardening, and health features, and developed hundreds of original recipes for numerous titles. I was also Editor of Simply Perfect Grilling, Holiday Cooking Magazine, Dinners at Home, and Low Calorie/Low Fat Recipe Magazine, as well as founding Editor of Lightstyle Magazine.

I am working on two larger books on New Mexico cooking and entertaining, so I hope you’ll look for them in upcoming years