ETHNIC COOKING : White Corn and Black Pottery

“I was born and raised in Texas; Japanese cooking isn’t my thing,” says Mabel Enkoji. But what does intrigue the Japanese-American ceramic artist is Pueblo Indian food.

Enkoji, an accomplished potter whose works were recently on exhibit at the Whittier Art Gallery, first encountered Pueblo culture in the early ‘70s. She’d gone to Idyllwild to take a summer course with the late Maria Martinez, San Ildefonso Pueblo’s legendary potter. Martinez and her husband, Julian, developed the art of making black-on-black pottery, producing the first pieces about 1919.

The class led to Enkoji’s interest in the Martinez family, whose members carry on the craft--and to her love for Pueblo food.

At least twice a year, Enkoji eats with the members of the Martinez clan at San Ildefonso, which is 25 miles north of Santa Fe on the route to Taos. No casual traveler, Enkoji conducts tours to New Mexico that focus on Pueblo culture. Dinner in the Martinez home highlights the tours, which take place in April and October. The aim is to raise funds for a film featuring several generations of the Martinez family. It’s to be called “Pe’ee Quiyo : Spirit Woman of Clay” and will deal with the cyclic life of the Pueblo and how clay is part of that cycle. Kathy Sanchez, a great-great-granddaughter of Maria and Julian Martinez, will direct the film.

Recently, Frank and Annie Martinez--Frank is a grandson of the pottery pioneers--came to Enkoji’s Whittier home, where Annie and Enkoji collaborated on lunch. They served a collection of Indian stews in bowls crafted by Enkoji.

The flavors were simple, direct and marvelous. The Martinezes had brought along special New Mexican ingredients: dried corn for posole, small dehydrated corn kernels called chicos , fresh green chiles from Hatch--reputedly the source of the state’s finest chiles--and bundles of a dried flowering herb known as “Indian tea.”

Annie Martinez also supplied the decorative bread that she bakes in the horno, an earthen oven fired with cedar wood. The Pueblo custom is to dunk the bread in the juices of the stew. For this occasion, Martinez and Enkoji had cooked three of these hearty dishes: posole (a simple combination of chicken and dried corn), pork simmered with chicos and pork with green chile.

Modernizing age-old Indian cooking techniques, they used slow cookers for the prolonged simmering. But they ate in traditional fashion, placing a ladle of each stew side by side in a single bowl. Glasses of cool Indian tea--judging by flavor, the herb is chamomile--accompanied this repast, along with a mixed salad and fruit.

The most typical Pueblo dessert, says Martinez, is bread pudding layered with cheese and raisins and soaked with spiced, caramelized sugar syrup. The best time to sample this and other San Ildefonso dishes is on Jan. 23, during the annual feast day honoring the Pueblo’s patron saint. “People come from all over the world,” Martinez says. “Anyone can come.”

Events start on Jan. 22 with nighttime bonfires and dances. On Jan. 23, families hold open house, serving food to visiting friends and family. Along with the stews and bread, there are potato, green and gelatin salads, bread pudding, prune pies and bizcochitos (cookies). Baking starts three days in advance in hornos that can hold 55 loaves of bread at a time.

Think of this recipe as a base. You add the seasonings of your choice--maybe dried ancho chiles to give the posole a smoky spiciness as it cooks, or just onions and garlic. In the test kitchen we cooked the posole with 1 chopped onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 teaspoon oregano and 1 dried ancho chile; the results were delicious. The posole can be cooked overnight in a slow cooker set on low. In the morning, shred the chicken breast and return it to the pot. Mabel Enkoji’s variation is to add a chicken bouillon cube instead of salt.

ANNIE MARTINEZ’S POSOLE STEW

1 pound dry or frozen posole corn

1 whole chicken breast

1 tablespoon salt

6 cups water, about

Wash posole corn well. Place in large pot and add chicken, salt and enough water to cover generously. Bring to boil, cover and cook 3 to 4 hours, until posole bursts like popcorn. Remove chicken breast after about 2 hours and set aside. Add more water during cooking as needed to keep corn covered. Shred chicken, return to pot and heat. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

99 calories; 1,026 mg sodium; 22 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 0.26 gram fiber.

Note: Posole corn is available in Mexican markets and some supermarkets. Canned hominy may be substituted. Drain and add to other ingredients 30 minutes before serving.

New Mexican chiles are much hotter than California’s Anaheim chiles. If you want authentic spicy New Mexican flavor, supplement Anaheims with a couple of jalapenos.

SAN ILDEFONSO GREEN CHILE STEW

1/2 pound fresh New Mexico or other green chiles, roasted and peeled

1 pound pork, cut into small cubes

1 small onion, chopped

1 to 2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 to 4 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

Cut chiles into small cubes. Combine pork, chiles, onion, garlic, water and salt in large saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 2 hours, or until meat is very tender. Serve in shallow bowls. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

172 calories; 654 mg sodium; 58 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 18 grams protein; 1.15 grams fiber.

Annie Martinez lets the bread rise overnight, then kneads it in the morning and lets it rise again before forming loaves. If you’re in a hurry, one rising will also give good results.

PUEBLO HORNO-BAKED BREAD

6 cups flour

2 tablespoons lard

1 package dry yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups warm water

3/4 teaspoon salt

Lard or butter

Mix flour with lard until mixture forms fine crumbs. Dissolve yeast with sugar in water. Add to flour mixture with salt. Mix well to make dough, adding more water if needed. Knead thoroughly. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk.

Punch down and divide in half. Shape 2/3 of each half into large ball. Form remainder into small ball. With sharp scissors, make 4 cuts toward center of each ball as if dividing in quarters, but do not cut through. Place small portion of dough on top of larger portion. Place loaves on greased baking sheets, cover with cloth and let rise 30 to 60 minutes in warm place.

Bake at 350 degrees 45 minutes or until tops are browned. Remove from oven, rub tops with lard or butter and cool on rack. Makes 2 loaves.

Each serving contains about:

232 calories; 149 mg sodium; 2 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 45 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.17 gram fiber.