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Talk regional cuisines and when the region that pops up is the Southwest you know the talk is going to get spicy: Chipotle peppers with their rich, smoky flavor, habaneros with their bite, and potentially potent chile rellenos. But Southwestern cuisine is more diverse than its bite might indicate.
You can discover that during a meal in the Metate Room at Mesa Verde National Park, where Executive Chef Brian Puett has developed a menu built around bison, elk, turkey and quail, as well as squash, black beans, and tortillas. Oh, and with prickly pears on occasion and a few spices tossed in more often than not.
Are his dishes spicy?
“Well, some people would definitely say that, and according to their palates they might be right,” he says with a laugh. “I don’t think it’s overly spicy, but with all the chilies used, I wouldn’t say they’re completely inaccurate. I am a huge advocate of the chile. You might say I love spicy food.”
The Metate Room long has enjoyed a reputation as one of Colorado’s best restaurants. It’s a reputation that Chef Puett, who came to Mesa Verde from Glen Canyon National Recreation Area last December, is adding to with his desire to literally bring the expansive landscape -- which is in sprawling view through the restaurant's over-sized windows -- into his kitchen.
“I’ve got a turkey appetizer and a turkey entree,” he says. “During the winter season you see a lot of turkey around here. It’s a big part of the reason I wanted to get it on here, plus the fact that I love turkey.
“The appetizer is called 'Masa Turkey.' It’s breaded in tri-color corn tortillas and served with a prickly pear red pepper jam,” Chef Puett says. “And then I’ve got a Turkey Napoleon, which is a pine-nut encrusted turkey breast fillet and it’s built up with roasted red peppers, spinach, heirloom tomatoes, cilantro rice, and it’s served with a sun-dried cherry demi glaze. Those are actually both pretty fun, and obviously the corn on the Masa Turkey definitely is native to the area, and sun-dried cherries, there are a lot of cherries in the general area, spinach, peppers, heirloom tomatoes.
“I pretty much try to design the whole menu around the area. I’ve got an Nanescatha pizza -- it’s a traditional Navajo flatbread -- and that one is served with a black-bean hummus spread on it, tomatoes, roasted peppers, cilantro, and cotija and jack cheese,” says the chef. “Pretty much my whole menu is built around the general area. A lot of it is the park, and a lot of it is the Southwest.”
And then there are the underlying spices that help bring the flavors boldly, and sometimes subtly, out.
“I definitely do use cumin here,” says Chef Puett. “It’s used a lot in these parts. Cumin, chile powders. You’ll find a lot of that all around the Southwest. ...I use a lot of herbs as well -- sage, rosemary, cilantro, a lot of cilantro. As far as spices, I use cinnamon. I have a cinnamon and chile spiced pork tenderloin.”
While cinnamon might seem an usual spice to use in Southwestern dishes, the chef says it “complements chili powders quite well.”
more at:
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com...ugh-his-dishes
http://www.nps.gov/meve
**** Note
these menu ideas certainly belong at a campfire.
I wonder if JohnJohn could get this chef to add to our recipes forum.
You can discover that during a meal in the Metate Room at Mesa Verde National Park, where Executive Chef Brian Puett has developed a menu built around bison, elk, turkey and quail, as well as squash, black beans, and tortillas. Oh, and with prickly pears on occasion and a few spices tossed in more often than not.
Are his dishes spicy?
“Well, some people would definitely say that, and according to their palates they might be right,” he says with a laugh. “I don’t think it’s overly spicy, but with all the chilies used, I wouldn’t say they’re completely inaccurate. I am a huge advocate of the chile. You might say I love spicy food.”
The Metate Room long has enjoyed a reputation as one of Colorado’s best restaurants. It’s a reputation that Chef Puett, who came to Mesa Verde from Glen Canyon National Recreation Area last December, is adding to with his desire to literally bring the expansive landscape -- which is in sprawling view through the restaurant's over-sized windows -- into his kitchen.
“I’ve got a turkey appetizer and a turkey entree,” he says. “During the winter season you see a lot of turkey around here. It’s a big part of the reason I wanted to get it on here, plus the fact that I love turkey.
“The appetizer is called 'Masa Turkey.' It’s breaded in tri-color corn tortillas and served with a prickly pear red pepper jam,” Chef Puett says. “And then I’ve got a Turkey Napoleon, which is a pine-nut encrusted turkey breast fillet and it’s built up with roasted red peppers, spinach, heirloom tomatoes, cilantro rice, and it’s served with a sun-dried cherry demi glaze. Those are actually both pretty fun, and obviously the corn on the Masa Turkey definitely is native to the area, and sun-dried cherries, there are a lot of cherries in the general area, spinach, peppers, heirloom tomatoes.
“I pretty much try to design the whole menu around the area. I’ve got an Nanescatha pizza -- it’s a traditional Navajo flatbread -- and that one is served with a black-bean hummus spread on it, tomatoes, roasted peppers, cilantro, and cotija and jack cheese,” says the chef. “Pretty much my whole menu is built around the general area. A lot of it is the park, and a lot of it is the Southwest.”
And then there are the underlying spices that help bring the flavors boldly, and sometimes subtly, out.
“I definitely do use cumin here,” says Chef Puett. “It’s used a lot in these parts. Cumin, chile powders. You’ll find a lot of that all around the Southwest. ...I use a lot of herbs as well -- sage, rosemary, cilantro, a lot of cilantro. As far as spices, I use cinnamon. I have a cinnamon and chile spiced pork tenderloin.”
While cinnamon might seem an usual spice to use in Southwestern dishes, the chef says it “complements chili powders quite well.”
more at:
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com...ugh-his-dishes
http://www.nps.gov/meve
**** Note
these menu ideas certainly belong at a campfire.
I wonder if JohnJohn could get this chef to add to our recipes forum.
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