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Southwestern recipes refer to the collection of dishes and drinks from Southwestern United States. Southwestern recipes are known for the rustic style of cooking, and are typically found in the west coast of the Californian state. Southwestern food here can be considered fusion food with notable influences from Native Americans, Spanish settlers, neighboring Mexican cuisine and American cowboy recipes. Hence the food has a wide range and diversity to boast of. It is often differentiated from Mexican cuisine by the larger cuts of meat and less use of brain and tripe in Southwestern recipes.
Ingredients Commonly Used in Southwestern Food
Here are the commonly used ingredients in Southwestern recipes-
• Chili peppers are fruits of plants from genus Capsicum, and are known for their intense flavor. Their leaves are also used in various cuisines.
• Frijoles or beans cooked in many different ways in Southwestern recipes.
• Meats like beef, chicken and pork are commonly used.
• Condiments popularly used include tomatoes, onion, garlic, cumin, etc.
Popular Southwestern Recipes
Following are some popular Southwestern recipes-
• Chilli con carne is a stew that is spicy in taste. It is also called just ‘chili’. The traditional version of the dish is made with chili peppers, ground beef, onions, garlic and cumin. It hence gets its name from the Spanish term ‘chili con carne’ meaning ‘chili pepper with meat’. Some recipes use tomatoes and beans in addition to the above ingredients.
• Fajita is grilled meat served on flour tortilla. Traditionally the dish was made of a particular cut of beef, but modern recipes experiment with all cuts of beef and also with chicken, pork, and shrimp. Onions and bell peppers are added to the meat while cooking, and condiments like tomatoes, sour cream, salsa and guacamole are also used.
• Chile relleno is a roasted chili pepper stuffed with cheese. The variety of chili pepper generally used for the traditional recipe is fresh poblano pepper, though Hatch green chili is also used in some recipes. The stuffing is made of melted cheese or picadillo meat consisting of pork along with raisins, nuts and seasonings like canella, covered in egg batter or corn flour and fried in oil. Tomato sauce is served alongside.
Southwestern Recipes Trivia
New Mexican Cuisine is a subset of Southwestern Food, and is popular in the states of New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. It is known for the pronounced usage of chili in it, and the most popular variety of chili used in Hatch chili.
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