With winter wearing on, have some fun cooking with our Blue Corn products.  Blue corn is almost a magical food--it is the only known food that contains total health--all of the necessary vitamins, minerals and amino acids for good health are contained in blue corn.  It is the only known food to pack such a "punch".  A diet almost solely of blue corn is what sustained the ancient Anasazi's in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

We have Blue Corn Flour smoked with pinon and very finely ground* for the very best baking,  Blue Corn Masa for tamales and tortillas, Blue Corn Muffin Mix and Blue Corn Pancake Mix.  Some ideas for the blue corn flour are Blue Corn Parfait Bread, Waffles, Muffins and Biscuits.  With the muffin mix, add a layer of grated cheese and a bit of minced fresh or pickled jalapeno .  The pancake mix is wonderful served with a dollop of red raspberry yogurt topped with desert honey.  We are placing all of our blue corn products on a 20% discount until Friday, February 15 at midnight.   *Most competitors flour is much more coarsely ground and is called corn meal.

We still have a few openings for our very special half priced February 15-17 weekend Traditional New Mexican Cooking Class as well as for our March 12-18 trip to Oaxaca, Mexico .  The menus and itineraries are just a click away.

Order some blue corn products now for fun February cooking and enjoy our special Blue Corn Parfait Bread which we will be making the first session of our weekend cooking class--

BLUE CORN PARFAIT BREAD

The best blue cornmeal is smoked in adobe ovens and then lava-wheel ground to a fine flour consistency. With the popularity of blue corn, a lot of blue corn on the market is “filled,” or blended with white or yellow corn. For the best flavor, buy pure blue cornmeal, such as our Pecos Valley blue corn flour.  

Yield: 9-12 servings

1 cup blue corn flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoons salt

2 eggs

2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 cup dairy sour cream

2 cups cooked or canned whole-kernel corn, drained

¼ pound Monterey Jack cheese or Cheddar cheese, or a combination of the two, sliced ¼ inch thick

¼ cup sliced jalapeno chiles, either pickled or fresh

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a 9-inch cast-iron skillet or a 9-inch round or square cake pan. Mix the dry ingredients together and make a well in the center. Add eggs, butter and sour cream and blend thoroughly. Fold in corn kernels.

2. Pour almost half the batter into the prepared pan. Cover with the sliced cheese and chiles. Pour the remaining batter over cheese and chiles and smooth to cover the filling. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until golden and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes our clean. Serve warm.

BUFFET TAMALE PIE

This dish (above photo) couldn’t be better named—it definitely will serve a crowd—at least 10 to 12 hungry “chile-starved” appetites. I particularly like it made with blue corn flour as the blue crust is especially appealing with the chili filling and cheesey top. The spicy goodness is sure to please most everyone. A tossed green salad completes the meal.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings or one 10 x 14 inch casserole

Temperature: 325 F

Baking time: 2 or more hours

8 cups water

3 cups Pecos Valley Spice blue corn flour

2 teaspoons salt

2 pounds ground lean beef

1 pound chorizo, fried and well drained

½ cup chopped onion (1/2 of medium onion)

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped green chile (about 4 fresh parched, peeled and chopped) or 1, 4 ounce can

1 cup whole kernel corn

1 cup grated sharp cheese

1 cup pitted ripe olives, sliced in two

1 cup chicken broth

3 ½ cups canned tomatoes

1/4 cup pure ground hotPecos Valley chile

2 Tablespoons crushed Pecos Valley caribe chile

1 Tablespoon Pecos Valley cumin

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese

12 jalapeno or pimiento stuffed green olives, optional

1. 1. Heat 5 cups of the water to boiling. Mix corn flour or meal, salt and remaining 3 cups water together and pour into boiling water, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened. Cover.
2. 2. Before mixture cools, use it to line a very large casserole dish. Reserve one-quarter of the mush for the topping.
3. 3. Brown the ground beef, stir in the cooked and drained chorizo and onion. Saute two to three minutes or until the onion is clear. Stir in all remaining ingredients except the Monterey Jack cheese and the green olives.
4. 4. Simmer until somewhat thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings.
5. 5. Spoon the mixture into the mush-lined casserole and top with dollops of the reserved mush, smoothing it to make a uniform topping. Garnish with the Monterey Jack cheese and sliced green olives.

Notes: This can be made up to 3 days ahead for baking 2 hours before serving. Leftovers freeze up to 6 months.