Myths of Living in the Southwest: Debunked

Taos Ski Valley

Guest Post

This post is by James Lander of the couponing website, Couponing.com. They strive to provide the most authoritative and comprehensive repository of couponing information available on the web.

For many Americans, the Southwest seems like part of a completely different country; with its vast deserts and relatively small presence in the day-to-day media in America, many people hold misconceptions about the Southwest that simply are not true. Let’s look into some of the more common myths about life in the Southwest and see if we can break them open.

 

It’s Too Hot and Dry All The Time

 

While vast stretches of the Southwest are indeed dry, hot desert, this is definitely not the case everywhere. In fact, the Southwest is home to some of the country’s most majestic winters and snow activities. For those who like it to be warm all year round, stick closer to the Mexican border especially in areas likeArizona. If you want to get out and enjoy what winter has to offer, however, check out northernNew Mexicoand areas likeTaosfor awesome ski resorts and snow activities.

 

Many parts of the desert Southwest also enjoy cool evenings in contrast to their hot days. Because of the wide expanses of land, temperatures can change quickly from hot to cold and residents can enjoy a cool break from a long hot day.

 

Nothing Grows There

 

In fact, the American Southwest is home to some of the most vibrant and unique plant life that nature has to offer. From agaves to yuccas, the plants that grow and bloom in the Southwest can be incredibly vibrant sources of natural beauty. Some residents – through diligent watering and maintenance – are able to cultivate more traditional gardens, but most embrace the fantastic flora that naturally populate the desert climate.

 

Many residents of the Southwest create elaborate xeroscape gardens that allow them to create vibrant plant environments that need little to no water. By incorporating the natural beauty of the Southwest – balancing blooming cactuses with dry grasses and other plants – these gardeners can build complex and beautiful gardens right in their own backyards. Unique plant life grows across the Southwest and makes it one of the most interesting natural landscapes to inhabit.

 

There’s Nothing to Do

 

A common misconception about the Southwest is that everything is far away across a big, flat desert. This is absolutely not so! There are a number of vibrant big cities across the Southwest includingSanta Fe, NM; Albuquerque, NM; andPhoenix,AZ.With all of the same modern luxuries of another other major American city, residents who crave hustle and bustle, shopping, museums, and everything else a city-dweller hopes for. Communities likeAlbuquerqueoffer their own particular specialties like vibrant music and arts scenes.

 

On the other side of the spectrum, the Southwest is home to an incredible array of outdoor activities to fit any nature-lover’s wildest dreams. There are rivers to raft or kayak down, mountains to climb, beautiful trails to hike and explore – and let’s not forget theGrand Canyon. With a landscape unlike any other inAmerica, the Southwest offers an unlimited number of options for people to get out of the house and have a great time.

 

All the Food is Tex-Mex

 

Unsurprisingly, given the close proximity to the Mexican border, a significant portion of the food you’ll find in the Southwest is based on flavors and techniques common to Mexican cuisine. And while this will be some of the best, most authentic Mexican food you’ll ever eat in your life, there are plenty of other options as well. Communities across the Southwest offer cuisine of all kinds that cater to the preferences of their residents. Many residents of the Southwest highly value local farming and organic practices, so “green” foodies will be right at home.

 

Ranching and farming are still major parts of the Southwest food economy, so meat-lovers will have no problem finding a good steak or other delicious meal to order. Local eaters are also treated to many local specialties, which cannot be found elsewhere in the United States including green chili – a favorite of Southwest diners.

 

As you can see, the American Southwest has plenty to offer an open-minded visitor who is willing to put aside everything they thought they knew about the area before. It can seem like a vast, unfamiliar territory, but anyone who decides to come by and check it out will almost certainly find something new, different, and just their style.

 

 

 

Chef’s Journey From Africa To Taos

Photo: Tina Larkin

Originally published in Taos News

South African chef participates in Annual Taos Winter Wine Festival

Shane Alexander, the chef at the Snakedance Condominiums’ restaurant and a South African native, ended up in Taos because of—love.

“I was supposed to go to culinary school in 2007,” he said, “but I put it off to come here and learn to ski and snowboard.” He began to work as a bellman at Alpine Village Suites. There he met his wife, Sydna, who managed the property at the time. “Deciding to come back and stay was easy,” he said. “Sydna was here!”

Before coming to Taos, Alexander spent 2 years traveling between The Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Arizona, and The Tides Inn in Irvington, Virginia, where he worked as a server. “Then I began to develop an interest in the Food and Beverage industry,” he said. “I researched many culinary institutes, both in South Africa and America, and finally settled on Warwick’s Chef School in Hermanus Cape Town because I wanted to receive the best possible training.”

After finishing culinary school, he returned to Taos in 2009 and was hired at Lambert’s of Taos by Ky Quintanilla. “He helped me develop and refine what I had learned at school,” Alexander said. “I still appreciate his patience and hold on to his words of knowledge.”

He started working as the chef at the Snakedance Condominiums’ restaurant in the winter of 2009. “I truly count myself blessed to have been surrounded by such passionate and skilled chefs as I have met here,” he said.

For Alexander, the most rewarding part of being a chef is to know that people are pleased with the food he has prepared. “But the most difficult part is always hard to pinpoint,” he said. “Every day is filled with challenges and if it takes a while to figure something out, it can be frustrating. For me, a challenging task was learning to cook, and especially learning to bake, at high altitude because I learned everything I know at sea level.”

Though Alexander enjoys all kinds of foods and preparations, his favorites, and the ones that he excels at, are stocks, soups and sauces. “Livers, hearts and kidneys are also favorites,” he said.

As for his preferred kitchen appliance, Alexander mentions, like many other chefs, the robot coupe. But the most important thing, he said, is a willingness to learn and a passion for food.

“The best chef is the one who can take on every challenge on food,” he said, “the one who is constantly, consistently and vigilantly working to improve on his skills.”

Alexander will be preparing multicourse menus for the 26^th Annual Taos Winter Wine Festival that will take place from January 24^th to the 27^th. Diners will be hosted at severalTaos’ restaurants, including Lambert’s, Bavarian and Sabroso.

The Winery Diners at the Snakedance restaurant will feature Marietta Cellars on the 24^th, Heitz Cellars on the 25^th and a dinner through the South of France with Charles Neil on the 27^th.

“I’m really excited about the game bird courses,” Alexander said. “They include squab and pheasant, and I am also particularly excited about a lobster and sweet bread pairing with Zinfandel for the Mariettta dinner.”

The menus have already been started and can be viewed on the hotel website. “They are always developing and sometimes even get changed a little right before the dinner,” Alexander said and added, “for the better.”

The Winter Wine Festival has a long tradition. In 1991, a group of Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley winemakers and winery owners came to Taos Ski Valley on a ski week. Chris Stag, one of the founders of the festival, suggested that they come back the following year, bring a case of wine and write off their trip. “This sparked the idea to combine the love of skiing and the outdoors with great wine tasting in a more intimate setting,” said Alexander.

In 1992, Roger Mariani, Chris Stag and Greg O’Byrne got together and decided to kick off the Wine Festival with the motto “Keep it small, intimate and fun for all.”

“I think of the Festival not only as a way of having fun and tasting great wines, but also as an educational experience,” said Mariani, who is the general manager of Snakedance Condominiums. “We offer seminars, which this year feature Marqués de Riscal Rioja and Around the World of Pinot Noir, among other selections.”

The Grand Tasting, on January 28^th, will take place in the Ski Valley, at the foot of chair lift #1. It features more than 155 different wines that come from 30 participating wineries. It also includes tastes from a dozen of Taos’ finest restaurants.

“This is a remarkable event,” said Alexander. “It gives people the opportunity to comfortably approach a winemaker and talk about the wines that interest the participant without the disappointment of battling through the many hundreds, or sometimes thousands, that go to any other wine festival. Besides, Taos is the perfect setting for the fun experience of tasting an ample selection of wines!”

To find out more about the Winter Wine Festival, visit www.taoswinterwinefest.com

 

To find out about the Snakedance restaurant diners go to www.snakedancecondos.com

Recipes by Chef Alexander

Green Chili Black Bean Soup

 

- 1 cup dried black beans (soaked for 6 hours, then strained)

- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

- 1/4 cup white wine

- 1 red onion, diced

- 2 cloves garlic, sliced or minced

- 1 jalapeño (seeds removed and diced)

- 2 cups roasted hatch green chili, diced

-1 tomato (seeds removed and diced)

- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce

- 1 lb of bacon, cooked and sliced (save bacon fat)

- juice from 1 lime

- 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro

- 1/2 teaspoon each cumin, coriander and dried oregano

- 1 bay leaf

Method:

In a large pot, sauté onions, garlic and jalapeños in bacon fat for 3 minutes on a medium heat. Add white wine to deglaze. Add beans, dried herbs, lime juice, bacon, BBQ sauce, green chili and tomatoes and heat through.

Add stock and turn the heat up to high. Once the soup begins to boil, turn the heat down to low, cover with aluminum foil and cook for 2 1/2-3 hours. Check the liquid level every 30 minutes.

Once the soup is cooked, turn the heat off, add the cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To make this soup vegetarian, leave out the bacon and use canola or vegetable oil.

Boerewors (South African farmers’ sausage)

 

- 1 lb. ground beef, pork, lamb or game

- 2 slices of bacon, diced

- 1 oz. red wine vinegar

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

- 1/8 teaspoon each ground nutmeg, thyme, allspice and cloves

Method:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours before using.

 

Liver pate

 

-1 lb. chicken livers. (soak in milk the night before, strain and chop roughly)

-1/4 lb. butter

-1/4 cup brandy

- 1 yellow onion, chopped

- 1 tablespoon each freshly chopped rosemary and thyme

- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

- 1/4 cup cream sherry (optional)

 

Method:

In a deep sauté pan, sauté onions until they become translucent. Add livers and cook until golden brown. Add brandy and cream sherry. Be careful to take the pan off the heat, brandy is highly flammable! Be careful when placing the pan back on the heat, too. Flambé.

Reduce the liquid by half. Add fresh herbs and heavy whipping cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

Turn the stove off, add butter and allow it to stand until butter is melted.

Place all the ingredients into a food processor. If your processor is small add ingredients in smaller amounts. Puree and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Place into a container, allow it to cool at room temperature, then cover and refrigerate.