Real Women Eat Chiles

April 14, 4:43 PMPhoenix Mexican Food ExaminerSunny Conley

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Jane Butel is the author of the sassy-hot cookbook Real Women Eat Chiles.

How real must a woman be to eat chile? Those who desire to stay healthy and demand a hot and spicy lifestyle, writes Jane Butel, author of REAL WOMEN EAT CHILES (Northland Publishing, March 2006, $21.95, hardback). Butel, the “Queen of Chiles” and founder of the Southwestern Cooking Schools  in New Mexico and Scottsdale, Arizona, shares more than 120 low calorie, fiery recipes (with nutritional tidbits) and expounds on the virtues of eating chile – its curative properties, its taste.

As a bonus, Butel shares brief essays and bios from real woman who have “the healthy habit of eating chiles,” including Barbara Richardson, First Lady of New Mexico: “I am definitely a green chile fanatic – it’s a staple in my kitchen! I use it wherever I can on whatever I can. Green chile adds the unique color and flavor of New Mexico to virtually any food. It’s addictive!” Real women, according to the book's jacket “...climb corporate ladders and 20,000-foot mountains, raise corporate profits, kids and garlic…if it works for them, it’ll work for us, too!”

The full color hardback tome with a cover worth framing is divided into four parts: "The Chile Parade" (Butel's personal chile addition), "More than the Common Fruit” (the origin of chiles and its curative properties, "The Chile Habit" (how chiles can add spice to your life and body and the real women, and men, who eat chiles), “The Secrets of Cooking with Chiles” (how to) and "The (awesome) Recipes" from snappy appetizers to sizzlin' desserts.

Trust this real woman food journalist – Butel’s cookbook delivers a satisfying bite that just may appeal to real men as well.

Black Bean and Goat Cheese Chalupitas

“These are really a variation on nachos and are quite good even for a light meal. Adding a hot home-prepared salsa or a round of pickled jalapeno to each really makes them special.”

24 tostados, purchased or homemade
1 (1-pound) can refried black beans
4 ounces (1/2 cup) goat cheese, preferably with southwestern flavorings added (see Note)
24 pickled jalapeño slices or ½ cup homemade hot salsa, any kind

Preheat the broiler. Place the tostados on a baking sheet. Spread each with a layer of black beans, then the cheese, and top with jalapeño slices or salsa. Place under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes, until lightly bubbled. Serve hot.

Note: To prepare the southwestern-flavored goat cheese, if it is not commercially available, add to the cheese: 1-teaspoon ground, pure mild red chile, 1 clove garlic (minced), and a pinch of cumin; stir to blend. Cream cheese can be substituted for goat cheese. Cooking time: 3 to 5 minutes. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Lamb Fajitas

"Lamb is meant for garlic! Here the fresh lime juice and pequin chile are perfect accents… I am a huge fan of lamb, and it is outstanding here, as well as very healthy, low in calories, and without fat."

Juice of 1 lime (about 1 ½ tablespoons juice)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, preferably Spanish
Several grinds of black pepper
1 ½ pounds leg of lamb or sirloin, sliced 1/3-inch thick, fat trimmed and removed
8 white flour tortillas, warmed
Pico de Gallo, for garnish

In a shallow, nonreactive bowl, combine the lime juice, garlic, oil, and ground pepper. Tenderize the lamb with a meat tenderizer. Place the lamb slices, one at a time, in the lime mixture, pressing the mixture into the other side.

Preheat the grill, stovetop grill, or a heavy, nonstick skillet until hot. Sear the meat for 2 or 3 minutes per side. Remove and slice into ¾ -inch strips. Serve in the tortillas with Pico de Gallo. Cooking time: 4 to 6 minutes, Yield: 4 servings

Crab Chard Wraps

"Crab is so flavorful, it does not need much embellishment other than some hot chile and perhaps a swish of lime or lemon. Here, scallions and the mild flavor of pasta add texture and taste. These ingredients also serve to stretch the crab for stuffing into a steamed chard leaf. The mixture could also be stuffed into a corn tortilla, if you wish to eat out of hand."

4 large leaves red-veined Swiss chard, well rinsed
½ pound cooked crab or surimi (imitation crab)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
4 scallions, including tender green parts, chopped
2 cups cooked pasta, such as fusilli, or cooked rice
Jalapeño Lime Cream Dressing (see below), for garnish (optional)

Place the chard leaves in a plastic bag or bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and cook in the microwave oven on high power for about 1 minute, or until the leaves wilt. Or drop the leaves into rapidly boiling water and cook conventionally for about 2 minutes.

Combine the crab, lime juice, scallions, and pasta. Taste and add seasonings, if desired. Divide the crab mixture among the leaves, roll up and secure each with a toothpick…serve with Jalapeño Lime Cream Dressing. Preparation Time: 5 to7 minutes, Yield: 4 servings.

Jalapeño Lime Cream Dressing

1 cup plain yogurt or ¼ cup nonfat sour cream with ¼ cup skim milk whisked in
1 or 2 jalapeños, minced
¼ cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice (1/2 lime)
½ teaspoon lime zest

Combine the yogurt, jalapeños, cilantro, lime juice, and zest. Whisk together, or place in a jar and shake. This dressing will keep at least 2 weeks covered in the refrigerator. Preparation Time: 5 minutes, Yield: 1 cup