Cole Cooks: New Mexico Frito Pie Recipe
Frito Pie is a dish I had always associated with Texas. However, in our travels to New Mexico we found a version of Frito Pie that is quite different from what we are used to. This Frito Pie was more like a salad. It almost seemed borderline healthy. So, of course, we had to make our own.
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Before trying it in New Mexico, the version of Frito Pie I was used to was a bag of Fritos with the chili poured on top. This is the version Eater discusses in their article on the subject.
We had a very different version of Frito Pie at Duran’s Central Pharmacy in Old Town Albuquerque. This version was more of salad. Fritos were placed in a bowl and topped with meat, lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes.
The New Mexico magazine has a good article on the history of Frito Pie. Duran’s is listed as the number one place for this dish. However, one Santa Fe chef is quoted saying “I wouldn’t consider eating it unless it’s served in a bag; otherwise it’s not authentic.” Duran’s chili is definitely not served in a bag.
Whether it is in a bag or not, the key feature of New Mexico Frito Pie seems to be the red chili sauce. We have a recipe to make our own sauce, but in a pinch, you can find some decent red sauce at the store or online.
This is an easy recipe to make and it is a definite crowd pleaser. Basically, you just cook ground beef with red sauce and chili powder. If you wanted to you could even leave out the red sauce and simply make regular taco beef. We add beans to our ground beef to up the protein.
We like to place all the toppings out so everyone can make their own. You simply pour Fritos in a bowl and add toppings. You could even leave out the meat for a vegetarian version.
New Mexico Frito Pie
Central Pharmacy in New Mexico. It is served in a bowl almost like a salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 15 ounce can kidney beans optional
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 cup red chili sauce see recipe
- Fritos
- Toppings lettuce, onions, cheese,, tomato
Instructions
- In skillet brown ground beef. Add beans (is using), chili powder and red sauce and stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- In a bowl place a layer of Fritos. Top with ground beef mixture. Add tomatoes, lettuce, onions, cheese and any additional toppings as desired.
New Mexico Red Chili Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 oz Dried New Mexico chiles
- 4 cups beef stock chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
- 2 Tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano or marjoram
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- Heat a pot of water to boiling. In a large skillet, toast whole chiles on both sides until steaming. Work in batches if necessary. Add toasted chilis to boiling water. Reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. When cool enough to handle remove stem and seeds.
- In a blender combine chiles with stock or water. Work in batches if necessary. Puree the chiles.
- In large skillet heat lard or vegetable oil. Add onion, garlic and flour. Cook until golden, stirring frequently. Add chili puree, cumin, Mexican oregano (or marjoram), vinegar, salt, and honey.
- Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 15 minutes.
- When mixture is cool process in a blender. Work in batches if necessary.
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