Southwest Flavors: Santa Fe School of Cooking (Hardcover)

by Susan D. Curtis (Author) "Over the years, the mission of the Santa Fe School of Cooking has always been to celebrate and promote the rich historic traditions and food..." (more)
Key Phrases: ground canela, chile caribe, chipotle chile powder, New Mexico, New Mexican, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Curtis, author of Santa Fe School of Cooking Cookbook and founder of the school, teams with daughter Nicole in this instructive and appetizing look at New Mexican cuisine. Drawing on recipes from the school, the pair pay proper homage to the chili, which features prominently in most recipes. They provide a list of their favorite types of chilis, introducing readers to the spicy, orange aji amarillo; the woodsy, dark red cascabel; and the sweet, smoked monta. Recipes for rice and salsa abound, but poultry, seafood, beef and pork dishes are also prevalent. Recipes range from classics, like the Spanish Tortilla, to the unusual, such as Stuffed Squash Blossoms with Fresh Tomato Sauce. New Mexican twists add flair to mundane dishes such as Southwestern Caesar Salad, which includes red chile croutons, and Dixon Apple Pie Tamales. The authors also offer helpful techniques for assembling tamales, making sopaipillas (light, fluffy fried dough) and working with nopales (cactus paddles). Throughout, they explore related topics such as "wildcrafting," New Mexican wines and Mexican vanilla. Particularly useful is the section listing sources for unusual and hard-to-find southwestern ingredients. Color photos. (May)
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Product Description
In this long-awaited follow-up to the original Santa Fe School of Cooking Cookbook, authors Susan Curtis and Nicole Curtis Ammerman share dozens of new recipes, techniques, traditions, and flavors from one of America's culinary hotspots.


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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith, Publisher; 1 edition (April 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586856979
• ISBN-13: 978-1586856977
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #216,225 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book will inspire you , May 29, 2006

By	Three Guys from Miami "Authors of Three Guys... - See all my reviews

We have always been fascinated by the cuisine of Santa Fe, a new age culinary vortex that attracts the most creative spirits in the food world. Like Cuban food, the Santa Fe style blends cooking modes and techniques from several cultures -- Spanish, Native American, Mexican, and Anglo -- to create a rich new cuisine. We enjoy the fresh new tastes and the vitality of the Santa Fe School of Cooking.

Of course, Santa Fe cuisine is unlike Cuban cuisine in its celebration of the pepper in all of its varieties. Where Cuban food sticks to the mild side of the pepper world, cooking Santa Fe style allows us to really take a walk on the wild side with hot and spicy peppers. When we want to really spice things up in the kitchen, we really enjoy these recipes with their use of a dozen or more chiles that define Santa Fe cuisine.

Somehow the authors of Southwest Cuisine have managed to create a style of "Haute Cuisine" without being pretentious, and that is an amazing accomplishment. No matter how sophisticated the dish, this is food that remains true to its more humble roots and never loses the earthiness and sincerity of its food origins.

We enjoy rice and we have been making rice pudding for ages. The authors include a savory version of rice pudding that is a real treat! Other favorites include the orange cilantro salsa, cream cheese pie with pineapple coconut sauce, and a unique "lasagna" laced with smoky chipotle and a poblano pesto that is very original. The roasted pineapple salsa has also proved very popular at our house. We've tried it with the fiery turkey as suggested in the book, but it also works well with several of our own dishes -- at least for the more adventurous eaters in our circle.

Southwest Flavors is an ideal book for people who enjoy entertaining with food. If you have a creative flair in the kitchen, this book will inspire you to think outside the box and will open up whole new pathways for your own creations. If you have been stuck in a less-than-creative food rut, this book will take you places you've never been before. With a clean look and excellent food photography, this book is a joy to cook with.

Also recommended: Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban, and Three Guys From Miami Celebrate Cuban.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Culinary Book, January 8, 2008

By	Lin "Lin" (TX) - See all my reviews

I was excited when I bought this book, since it is the School of Cooking. It is a very good book, but I was expecting traditional meals from the Santa Fe area. In fact, the food items are from a more modern perspective instead of traditional. The book itself is excellent. It is just that I was fooled about the content as far as what type of foods to expect.

If I was looking for the more modern type of cooking that is featured in this book, I would have given it five stars. As far as that goes, the book covers everything anyone would need to know.

If you are looking for traditional New Mexican cooking, I give it four stars, since most of the recipes are ultra-modern with new taste combinations. The background information is very interesting to read and also very informative.

1.0 out of 5 stars Look Elsewhere for "Real" Southwestern Recipes., May 17, 2009

By	I. Seligman - See all my reviews

I enjoyed the green and red chile recipes from eating at Café Pasquals, The Shed, and friends homes, so I bought Southwest Flavors, the book from the "Santa Fe Cooking School".

Big mistake. Rather than having the wonderful New Mexican recipes, the ones it has are not authentic in taste, better suited for tourists who collect cookbooks from each place they go, and rarely cook from them. One Santa Fe cook said "This could be written in New York or California for Rhode Islander's to think it was written there, with it's lack of New Mexico's taste. It has nothing of the richness of the Hispanic, Indian, or other unique local foods and culture."

I don't think you, and certainly no New Mexican can vouch for the authenticity of the book's recipes such as: Lasagna with ricotta filling, Red chile hummus with cucumber and tomato chips; Crab and corn Fritters with red chile glaze, Meatballs with Salsa Romesco; Dried mushroom soup, Sprout and endive Salad with walnut vinaigrette, wild greens and apple salad, Caesar salad with chile croutons, Beet and spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette. On and on.

Others are Rice pudding; Braised Swiss chard, Couscous with vegetables; Cheese grits, Corn flan; twice-cooked plantains (ever see banana trees in the desert?)Tandoori fish with coconut chutney (not many coconut trees either!)Veracruz-style fish; spicy tomato sauce; Roasted pineapple salsa (lot of pineapples in the desert); Avocado salsa; chicken breasts with applesauce; Sweet coconut rice pudding; key lime tart (with photo of the wrong color limes), Pecan-rum-raisin cake,

Oh, for more "authentic", there's banal Chile con carne, Strawberry Tequila mousse, Pinon Shortbread; Cream cheese pie with pineapple-coconut sauce; Peach and raspberry crisp; Brazilian kabobs with vinaigrette salsa; seafood brochettes with toasted fennel seed vinaigrette; Peruvian shrimp ceviche; Roasted red pepper, corn & Orzo salad with shrimp; Grilled eggplant "enchiladas",or Herb-roasted vegetables. Southwestern-NOT, Not, not!

That covers many of the recipes, you get the idea. Why buyt all of these recipes you could cull from many US cookbooks, when a REAL Southwest cook book's recipes are what you really want? What's Southwestern about Amaretto chocolate mousse, Phyllo cups with pistachios and passion fruit curd, or Poached pears with fresh berries?

I've since contacted cooks in Santa Fe, and they laughed that people still buy the "Cooking School"s version of Santa Fe foods, thinking it's authentic New Mexican cooking. They suggested checking out, instead: Dent's Feast of Santa Fe: Cooking of the American Southwest; Jamison's books, including The Border Cookbook; Cafe Pasqual's Cookbook; Green Chile Bible, or Red or Green: New Mexico Cuisine, and The Food of Santa Fe: Authentic Recipes from the American Southwest. For Mexican, Diane Kennedy's books can't be beat. Now go cook some REAL Southwestern food, and forget about the Silly Santa Fe Cooking School's Caesar salad, Seafood brochettes, and Lasagna.