Friday, March 29, 2024

Remembering that trip to Taos

Posted

Teresa Houston is a retired Granbuly ISD teacher and a food afectionado.

Have you ever picked a restaurant based on how many cars are in the parking lot versus how the exterior looked? I have, many times, and have had some of my best meals at those places. Fred’s in Taos, New Mexico was no exception.

Back in the 1990s on a trip to Taos, we drove by a place packed with cars but a rundown exterior. Decided to go in and try it out, no harm, right? As we proceeded inside, the restaurant was an eclectic, vibrant place filled with all of the traditional decorations you could muster up at the souvenir places in town. It was the middle of summer, and the one thing they didn’t have was air conditioning.

I ordered came adovada for the first time. I sweated profusely through my spicy meal but fell in love with it and it is still a favorite of mine today.

Came Adovada is a simple dish evolved from the need to preserve meat without refrigeration since chile acts as an antioxidant and prevents the meat from spoiling.

Serves 6

1 1/2 cups of crushed red New Mexico chiles (seeds ad heat, so omit them if you want it milder)

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 tsp dried oregano

3 cups of water

2 lbs pork, cut in strips or cubes (pork butt or shoulder is my choice)

Directions: in a blender, combine the first four ingredients and puree til smooth. Place the pork in a glass pan and cover with the blended sauce. Stir to cover every piece. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator and marinate overnight. Bake at 300 degrees for a couple of hours until the pork is tender and starts to fall apart. Serve on four tortillas or Indian fry bread.

(My next column will feature Indian fry bread.)