The Prickly Pear Syrup

This weekend I was hosting a party for my latest book (Flowers by Day, Stars by Night: Finding Happiness after Loss and Change) at the home of friends in my hometown. I thought it was a good opportunity to share some New Mexico so I brought along the last bag of frozen prickly pear puree from last year's harvest.

However, the morning of the party, I realized that I needed to turn it into syrup. And then I realized I didn't have the recipe. No problem, I thought, pulling up this web site only to realize that while I had promised to put the syrup recipe here, I never did. And obviously no one is reading the blog because no one noticed!

Thankfully, I texted Greg and he took a photo of the main recipe I use from The Prickly Pear Coobkook by Carolyn Niethammer and I set to work.

I generally double the recipe for the syrup because I'm usually serving it for a party. And I let it sit on the stove, under a cold burner, after it's done cooking, to give it more flavor.

The syrup is great for punch (as I've written about before) and can be mixed with a seltzer for a fizzy drink.

Prickly Bear Syrup

1 cup prickly pear puree

1 lemon, juiced

1  1/2 sugar

Combine all ingredients and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Slowly bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, until the syrup begins to thicker. Let cool.

A warm green chile salsa

There are many ways to make salsas and sauces, green chile style. And if you're not an adventurous cook, remember that you can't go wrong. Well, you can if you add too many jalapeños! After all, you don't want it so hot that you can't enjoy it.

I saw the original version of this sauce on an episode of "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" where he took on a mom and her son in Tucson. I've made the sauce several times since, realizing each time it does come out a bit differently based on the taste and heat of the vegetables. 

I freeze this sauce in smaller portions and take it out periodically to use on top of eggs, as an enchilada sauce, in a cup of beans, or yesterday- drizzled on top of a pork spinach loaf. It gave the loaf an extra zing. Finally, this batch I made on Sunday used leftover tomatoes from the garden  and jalapeños. We all know how sometimes we end up with a too many garden pickings and this is a good way to enjoy them.

Tomatoes (three or four large, more if smaller)

3 jalapeños (again, depending on size– I used quite a few in the batch in the photo)

4 garlic cloves peeled

4 fresh green chilies (not roasted)

vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped into small pieces

4 more garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

Salt, as needed

Place the tomatoes, jalapeños, first round of garlic cloves, and green chilies a large dutch oven filled with water. Bring the pot to a boil and let it simmer, covered, for an hour.

Using a heat resistant blender jar (like a Ninja which is more accommodating to hot ingredients), puree the entire contents from the pot. You may need to do this two separate times to include it all. Use a heat resistant bowl to hold the sauce if you need to do it in two separate servings.

While the sauce is in the blender, sauté the onion and garlic in the same dutch oven. When the onions glisten, add the puree back to the pot and bring to a boil. Add salt as needed and let it simmer for about 30 minutes.

Serve hot or cold.

The Red Chile Egg Pancake

Over twenty years ago when I moved to New Mexico, I had no idea how the food would influence my life. I had grown up on fairly bland food because my father liked it that way. My mom was constantly sneaking onions into things and, later, adding red pepper on top of everything, especially pizza. But moving to Albuquerque introduced to me to a whole new type of cuisine: New Mexican food. 

The food here is very unique, a blend of Mexican and Native American influences, addicting everyone to red and green chile. It took me some time to figure out recipes that are my own but I would be remiss if I didn't say that they are influenced by both the food I've had here and my own cooking experiences.

I've been making my own red chile, recently using the dried pods. It's easy today to get the dried pods or the frozen puree no matter where you live. And it's not a lot of work to make the sauce (just remember to keep the blender lid on tight– I once ended up turning my white kitchen red) and it's cheaper to buy the pods. Bueno Foods is just one of several web sites where you can buy chile. The recipe I use to make my sauce is also from Bueno.

Here is the recipe to make what you see in the photo. Trust me, it's even better than it looks.

Serves 2

4 potatoes diced, skin on

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

salt and pepper

2 eggs whisked slightly

colby longhorn or other cheese that melts well

red chile sauce (see linked recipe for amount– what you see there gives you leftovers put on other dishes)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover cookie sheet or other shallow pan with non-stick cooking spray. Mix potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper and then spread of cookie sheet. Bake for approximately an hour (depending on your oven and how crispy you like the potatoes– I tend to like mine more crispy). 

When the potatoes are finished, cover a non-stick frying pan with cooking spray and heat on medium. Drop the eggs into the frying pan and when they have bubbles on top (like a pancake would), flip the egg pancake with a spatula. 

In the meantime, cover a plate with the potatoes and add the egg pancake when it's ready. Then top with the red chile sauce and cheese. Heat in the microwave until the cheese is melted (should be less than a minute).

If you can't get red or green chile, use salsa instead.