It's no secret that I love Southwestern food, so I jumped at the chance to interview cookbook author Jane Butel, who's like the Mother of Southwestern Cooking, and credited with bringing the world Tex-Mex.
Ms. Butel lives in Albuquerque; she's written 16 cookbooks, including six best sellers; she hosts a PBS television show, "Jane Butel's Southwestern Kitchen (which OPB regrettably doesn't carry but should. Write them.); she's run a cooking school and hosts satellite cooking schools in Scottsdale, Ariz.; and she leads culinary tours to Mexico and Spain. She's my idol.
I own a couple of her books, and love all of them, but she published one a couple of years ago that I wanted to share with you, "Jane Butel's Quick and Easy Southwestern Cookbook." Southwestern is actually a little bit of a misnomer because the book includes recipes that aren't Southwestern. They're all delicious, though.
Not only are they quick and easy, they're pretty darn healthy, too. I asked her what prompted her to write this book. She said she wanted to streamline traditional recipes, and she spent three years creating and testing recipes for the book.
"If the recipe had too much sodium, I figured out a way to pull it back," Butel said. "If it had too much cholesterol or whatever the component was that had too high a percentage to the whole, I pulled it back. Like I used less cheese. Cheese is a real culprit."
She didn't compromise on taste, though. One of her favorite recipes in the book is Aztec-Style Pork Chops. I made them for dinner one night last week and they were really good. The blend of chile and cinnamon, often found in Mexican cooking, creates a unique taste we like.
The book contains recipes like Chipotle and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Pueblo Indian Corn and Pumpkin Stew, Easy Margarita Punch and Mexican Hot Fudge Sauce. Spicy Hot Chocolate Mousse made with red-hot schnapps is one of her favorites. The recipes all include nutritional information.
She has a new book coming out early next year, "Real Women Eat Chile, A Guide to Lean Southwestern Cooking." I can't wait to see it.
"My new book is on the healthful aspects of chile," she said. "And it's totally appalling how healthy chiles are. If you eat a chile a day or at least a majority of the days, it helps you inside and out. And that's the new book. Chiles are extremely healthy."
Don't have to convince me! Send me that book the minute the ink dries. In the meantime, you can order her "Easy and Quick Southwestern Cookbook" directly from Ms. Butel, ($23, 1-800-473-8226). Check out her Web site (www.janebutel.com) and imagine yourself at her elbow learning to cook Southwestern the way it was meant to be cooked, or traveling, and eating, your way through Mexico with this delightful woman.
Aztec-Style Pork Chops
2 dried chipotle chiles, reconstituted*
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon pure ground mild red chile (NOT chili powder)
4 pork loin chops (1-inch thick), trimmed of excess fat
4 cinnamon sticks
4 slices jicama, each 1/4-inch thick
In a shallow bowl, combine the drained chiles, garlic, honey, ground cinnamon and ground chile. Add enough chipotle cooking liquid to make a thick paste. Marinate 10-15 minutes.
Preheat grill, stovetop grill or a large, heavy, seasoned skillet to medium high. Grill the chops eight minutes per side. At the same time and on the same surface, grill the jicama until it is slightly edged with brown on each side. To serve, top each chop with a cinnamon stick. Overlap each chop with a slice of grilled jicama.
Makes 4 servings. Cal. 281; protein 25 g; carb. 20g; fiber 1 g; fat 11 g; sat. fat 4 g; cholesterol 70 mg; sodium 53 mg.
*Place dried chipotle chiles in 4-cup glass measuring cup. Cover with water and add 1 tablespoon cider vinegar. Cover with plastic wrap and cook five minutes on full power, or until the skin slips on the flesh. Leave the skins on and the seeds in. I used canned chipotles because that's what I had on hand. If you substitute canned, I recommend rinsing them of the adobo sauce.
Reprinted from "Jane Butel's Quick and Easy Southwestern Cookbook," copyright 1998, Harmony House.
Sharon Vail lives in Powell Butte, where she's added Ms. Butel's cooking school to her Christmas wish list. Readers may contact her at svail3@netzero.net. "Cooking from the heart of Oregon."
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