The New Southwest A Taste of Fire And Fun

Anything from the American Southwest always has a cool vibe.The architecture has a rustic yet funky look. The furniture and jewelry also reflect that as well as saluting a blend of different indigenous influences. The same could be said of the cuisine.It s a blend of Native  American and Mexican, resulting in a fusion of different, tastes, colors and textures.

It is the theme of a brand new cookbook, The New Southwest by Meagan Micozzi (Hippocrene Books Publishers, New York).This is a fantastic book, chock full of all sorts of different recipes. What I love about it is that it has a dictionary of all the ingredients used in the cuisine as well as their usage. Ms. Micozzi, a  food blogger who lives in Arizona , embraced the cuisine, and is an expert on it. She gives good tips about roasting chiles just right as well as making Southwest basics such as tortilla, and chorizo . She also categorizes the recipes which is perfect if you're planning a Southwestern ,Mexican influenced brunch or dinner party.

The dishes are not all spicy chiles and tortillas. The variety is staggering. There are some good breakfast ones such as pinto  bean breakfast patty melts as well as sweet glazed avocado(!) doughnuts.The side dishes are yummy and would give zing to any holiday meal.Instead of plain sweet potatoes, try the chipotle twice baked sweet potatoes or the drunken black beans spiked with tequila.Chipotle figures big in this cuisine and  chipotle mustard livens up a grilled cheese sandwich.It also breathes life into Ms. Micozzi's adobo chicken wings. Make these along with the many cocktails included for a fun weekend dinner. Finish with some of the dessert recipes like the chia (yes that chia that covers those cheesy clay figures) cupcakes or buttery feast day cookies.

Southwestern cuisine is one of the tastiest but also one of the most exciting. Get The New Southwest Cookbook  and experience the fieriness and sweetness of it. Enjoy the zesty, zingy recipes and the many flavors that go with it.