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Chef Rene Andrade of Ghost Ranch and Chef Samantha Sanz of Talavera talk southwest dishes

Posted at 7:56 AM, Nov 05, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-05 12:20:48-05

Tamarind and Piloncillo Old Fashioned

Whiskey of your choice
Tamarind piloncillo syrup
Orange
Cinnamon stick
Orange bitters
Large ice cube
To make the tamarind piloncillo syrup
2 cups of whole tamarind pods.
1 cup of raw piloncillo sugar
2 cinnamon stick
1 star anise

In a pot, place the tamarind, piloncillo and the rest of the ingredients. Add 4 cups of water to cover all the ingredients. Place over medium heat and cook the ingredients for 20 minutes. Stir continually, the mix should look like a syrup. Once reduced and thick, strain the liquid and let it cool completely.

3 tsp of tamarind syrup
1.5 fl oz of whiskey
1 large ice cub
2 dashes of orange bitters
I slice of orange zest
1 cinnamon stick.
Place the whiskey and syrup in the rocks glass, stir the liquid until incorporated add the large ice cube and continue stirring. Finish the cocktail with the dashes of bitters, the orange zest and the cinnamon stick.

Charred local squash with peanut mole

1 delicata squash (cut into rings skin on)
1 butterkin squash (peeled cut into small cubes)
1 acorn squash (cut into wedges skin on)
1 yam ( cut into rings skin on, if it is to big cut in half rings.)
1 sprig of thyme
1 sprig of sage
1 sprig of rosemary
¼ cup of feta cheese
¼ cup of grapes (halved.)
Mint leafs
I orange ( for zest)
¼ cup of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste.

Turn the oven at 450 to bake. In a mixing bowl place all the squash and sweet potato and toss it with olive salt and pepper. Place it in a sheet pan, and top it with the fresh herbs. Roast the veggies for about 15-20 minutes until all the squash and yams is fork tender. Let the squash cool and prepare the peanut mole.

For the peanut mole:

1 cup of dry roasted peanuts.
5 guajillo chiles (seeds out.)
5 cascabel chilies (seeds out.)
2 pasilla chiles (seeds out.)
3 garlic cloves.
1 small yellow onion (cut into quarters.)
2 small roma tomatoes.
1tsp of cumin seeds.
1tsp of coriander seeds.
2 star anise.
½ teaspoon of all spice.
1 cinnamon stick.
½ cup of smooth peanut butter.
3 tbsp of olive oil.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Turn on the broiler setting of your oven at high. In a sheet pan, place all the chilies and lightly roast them for around a minute on each side. You do not need to char them that will give them a bitter taste, all we are trying to achieve is for the peppers to start releasing their aroma. Take the chilies out and put them a side. Place the onion, garlic and tomato in a sheet pan. Place the sheet pan in the oven and roast the veggies until they are charred (around 7-10 minutes.) Then in another sheet pan roast very lightly the spices (around 2 minutes.) In a saucepot over medium to low heat, pour the olive oil. Let it heat up and start adding all the ingredients but the peanut butter. Sauté the ingredients very well until it all start caramelizing (about 10-15 minutes.) Once the ingredients are caramelized, add enough water to it to cover the ingredients. About 4 cups of water. Let the ingredients cook under low heat and let it reduce and cook for 20 minutes. Continually stirring the mix and making sure there is liquid in the mix. Once everything is cooked and reduced by 1/4 , place in a blender all the vegetables saving the liquid to add gradually to the blender. You do not want to add all the liquid at once that way you control the thickness of the mole. Continue blending the mole for a while so everything is really crushed and incorporated. Once the mix is really blended and has a thick consistency add the peanut butter, salt and pepper.

To finish the dish:
Pour a generous amount of mole with a spoon into the plate of your choice. Place the squash over the mole carefully, garnish with the halved grapes, feta, mint leaves and the zest or an orange. Finish the whole dish by garnishing with olive oil drizzle .

Potato Tacos
1 Idaho Potato
White Corn Tortilla
Chimayo Sauce
½ oz Lime JuicE
Chiltepin Salsa
Cabage
Cilantro
Parsley

For Chiltepin salsa:
1 Tomato
½ Onion
½ oz of Lime Juice
Chiltepin to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

Diced the tomato and onion very finely and mix together with lime. Add chiltepin and salt and pepper to taste.
In a pot, place potato for 15 minutes until soft. Place on a bowl and smash, add chimayo sauce with ½ oz lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. To build the tacos, Place 2.5 oz of mix per tortilla, fold and close with a toothpick
Flash Fry the taco in a saute pan with enough oil to cover until getting a golden crisp. To finish, open the taco to garnish with the sliced fine cabage, Chiltepin Salsa and a touch of cilantro and parsley.