Mourning in Phoenix

A sad, sad day last Friday as Richardson's burned. Richardson's was a small restaurant specializing in New Mexico style food, which may not always have been authentic, but it was always very good. Their chili policy - "You order it, you eat it". Often, the red was hotter than the green. Until they rebuild I'm not going to be able to get my Carne Adovada (chunks of pecan wood smoked pork simmered in red chile) fix. Withdrawal symptoms may be intense, painful and prolonged.

Sad for the business owner...was it arson or a accidental kitchen/electrical thing? You can take comfort in the fact that you had such a great place, in the first place, plus knowing that it will be rebuilt even better than before. We had such an event happen to us too. 90 minutes down the road in a little berg called Williams just off I-5 is a well-know pit stop for travelers called Granzella's. Good food, foodie gift shop and locally owned by the same family for many, many years. A kitchen fire one morning during breakfast, and the whole place was gone in a matter of minutes. Two years later, it is back, bigger and better than ever with new and updated everything. It is well-run and the flocks are still flocking. They did open temporarily across the street, with limited menu, but the flocks still came.

Karen, it was accidental - looks like the fire started in the air conditioner on the roof and it happened in the middle of the afternoon. Fortunately nobody was hurt.

In the meantime, do you want any carne adovada recipes?

In the meantime, do you want any carne adovada recipes?

Sure - I'll just have to buy a smoker. That's what made the Richardson's version so good!

You can buy pecan wood plain or in cans for smoking in a grill.

From Tomasita's Restaurant in Santa Fe:

Carne Adovada with Chile Caribe

16-20 red chile pods, seeded and with stems removed
4 cl garlic
1 TBS salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1 TBS oregano
4 lbs lean pork, cubed

Soak chile pods covered in warm water for 10 min to soften. Drain. Place chiles a few at a time in a blender with engouh water to create desired consistency and blend until smooth. Add garlic, salt, cumin and oregano to make chile caribe, the sauce for the marinade. Place cubed pork in a baking pan and add the chile caribe. Cover and let stand for 8-24 hrs in refrig. Bake at 350F for 40-60 min.

When I get home, I'll find some other recipes.

I use the same method as the recipe Larry posted, but I usually add half a minced onion to the pot with the dried chiles while making my red chile. I also omit salt.

I use the same method as the recipe Larry posted, but I usually add half a minced onion to the pot with the dried chiles while making my red chile. I also omit salt.

Hey, Princess, good to see you 'round these parts again. Hope all is going well for you.

Mark Lipton