TAMALES
Stock your freezer with these holiday staples by the dozen.
El Modelo, a Albuquerque culinary landmark since 1929, is renowned for its handcrafted, half-pound red chile pork and green chile chicken tamales.
EL MODELO
El Modelo tamales are more than just a holiday staple, they’re a part of Albuquerque’s culinary heritage. Established in 1929 by Carmen Garcia, the restaurant started as a tortilla business in a small three-room house. Over time, tamales became a centerpiece, thanks to Petra Vargas, who taught the Garcia family her technique.
Virginia Chittim, who has owned El Modelo since 1985, says the red chile pork and green chile chicken tamales remain fan favorites. Beloved for their size and flavor, each weighs a whopping half-pound, double the size of many competitors. “We grind our white corn and chile by hand,” Chittim says. They’re made by an experienced team, many of whom have been with the restaurant for decades. “We have 10 tamaleras during the holiday season, and they each can make a tamale in under a minute,” she proudly notes, adding that they make more than 4,000 by December 15. “We don’t accept preorders unless it’s three dozen or more,” Chittim says. First come, first served begins on December 21. TRY THIS: “Save some room for our stuffed sopapillas,” Chittim says. “We make the bolas every day. Very work intensive, but worth it.”
EL RIALTO/ABRAHAM’S TIENDITA
Las Vegas’s El Rialto and its next-door take-out spot, Abraham’s Tiendita, offer a holiday specialty: calabacitas tamales. Originated by beloved cook Mary Ann Tafoya, who worked at El Rialto from its inception in 1975, the recipe features yellow and green squash, sweet corn, green chile, and cheddar. “Our secret is using the chicharrón lard in the masa,” says owner Juan Garcia. “Last-minute begging is pretty normal.”
ERLINDA’S TAMALE XPRESS
The holidays in Gallup just weren’t the same without Erlinda’s red chile pork tamales. Luckily, after a three-year hiatus, the beloved tamale shop returned last winter in the form of Erlinda’s Tamale Xpress food truck. “Even people who’ve left Gallup come back just for our tamales,” says co-owner John Salaz of his family’s 75-year-old recipe.
POSOLE
Warm, hearty, and topped with tradition, posole is Christmas in a bowl.
La Cocina, founded by Jessie Maestas in 1970, continues to serve generations with fresh, local ingredients and authentic dishes like posole.
LA COCINA
Española’s La Cocina has welcomed generations of diners—from politicians to locals—who come for the food and stay for the “mi casa es su casa” hospitality. Founded by Jessie Maestas in 1970, the restaurant is built on her commitment to fresh ingredients, local chile, and attention to detail. This legacy continues under her grandson, Phil Maestas, and his husband, Javier Sánchez, the former mayor of Española.
“In everything we strive to do, we make it taste like Grandma Jessie’s,” Sánchez says. This includes their simple posole made of pork, onion, and hominy simmered for five-plus hours. “Other than the spice of love, our posole remains pure so customers can add their own red or green Bueno chile,” Sánchez explains. TRY THIS: Posole is but one component of Jessie’s Combination Plate, with a cheese enchilada, a beef enchilada, a pork tamale—smothered in green and/or red chile—and a side of beans and posole. (No modifications are allowed because Grandma Jessie made it perfect as is, obviously!)
BOSA DONUTS & BURRITOS
Bosa Donuts, in Las Cruces, may be known for fritters, but it’s also an unexpected hot spot for New Mexican fare. When owner William Cardoza took over the franchise in 1996, he introduced his Aunt Lolita Valdez’s recipes, including her beloved posole. “It makes me feel really good when people tell me how much they like the food,” Cardoza shares, “like I’m doing something great with my life.”
BARELAS COFFEE HOUSE
“We serve the food we grew up with,” says Geri Gonzales, co-owner of Barelas Coffee House in the Albuquerque neighborhood of the same name. The 46-year-old restaurant is famous for family recipes like the posole, a “very simple recipe of white corn, baked carne adovada, and red chile.”
SIPS
Get cozy with some warming beverages this winter.
Try Algodones Distillery's Blue Corn Whiskey.
Photograph courtesy of Algodones Distillery.
ALGODONES DISTILLERY BLUE CORN WHISKEY
From the hot toddy to the old-fashioned to eggnog, whiskey cocktails bring the holiday cheer. At Algodones Distillery, tucked at the end of a winding dirt road near the Río Grande bosque, whiskey gets a New Mexican twist with heritage blue corn. “We really wanted to highlight what’s hyper-local,” says co-owner Greg McAllister, “like blue corn, piñon, juniper, pecan, and our deep well water.”
For their four whiskeys, McAllister and business partner David Pacheco source their corn from San Jon. It’s roasted and ground before being cooked and distilled in large copper stills (the spent mash is donated to a local pig farmer), and aged in-house. The duo’s Niña Baby Blue Corn Bourbon, for example, ages inside charred new American oak barrels for six to 30 months. “Blue corn has a high oil content that imparts a nutty popcorn flavor after roasting,” McAllister says. “It pairs really well with cocktails that have a little citrus.” To sample, reserve a tasting appointment at the distillery, or visit the Ruidoso tasting room at the Perfect Gift. TRY THIS: Blue corn whiskey hot toddy. In a big mug, combine 2 ounces boiling water, 1½ ounces Algodones Blue Corn Whiskey, and 1 teaspoon local honey. Add 3 whole cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, and 1 lemon slice, and let steep for 5 minutes. Add a sprinkle of ground nutmeg just before serving.
SWEET SANTA FE HOT CHOCOLATE
You can find anything from pre-Columbian delicacies to inventive modern drinks at Sweet Santa Fe, a hot spot for cacao elixirs. Get Christmassy with its line of European-inspired sipping chocolates, which includes peppermint and lavender flavors. “They’re sweet but not overly sweet,” says co-owner Diana Kelley.
MONTOYA ORCHARD APPLE CIDER
Montoya Orchard, in Velarde, is a northern New Mexico go-to for local apple cider. “We’ve been around for 40 years,” fourth-generation farmer Victoria Montoya says proudly. Grab a liter at the annual Rail Yards Holiday Market, in Albuquerque, or order online for
local delivery.
NOSHES
Round out your holiday meal with these tasty bites.
Michelle Michelotti-Martinez of Eatentions in Albuquerque recommends creating a festive nosh board with local New Mexico specialties, balancing flavors, textures, and colors.
Photograph courtesy of Eatentions.
DIY CHARCUTERIE BOARD
An eye-catching nosh board is the cornerstone of any holiday gathering—especially when it showcases some of New Mexico’s tastiest products. “I source local as much as possible,” says Michelle Michelotti-Martinez, whose Albuquerque-based catering company, Eatentions, is known for creating elaborate charcuterie boards and grazing tables. For those assembling their own, Michelotti-Martinez advises “splurging on a few specialty items,” like a truffle gouda or a cranberry goat cheese from the Mouse Hole Cheese Shop and veal sausage from No Bull Prime Meats (both in Albuquerque) and honey from the Honey Shack, in Los Lunas. “Then fill in the space with essentials that won’t break the bank,” she says, suggesting local nuts, popcorn, chocolate, pickled veggies, and seasonal or dried fruits.
To arrange, she recommends that each item touches something with a contrasting shape, color, or flavor. “Pair nuts and chocolate, use cups of mustard or jam to separate hard and soft cheeses, and alternate pockets of bread and crackers. Cut hard salami into squares but roll prosciutto—a pattern will emerge as you go.” To complete the look, adorn the board with seasonal flora: eucalyptus stems, rosemary sprigs, and cut pomegranates. “It adds an elegant touch,” she says. TRY THIS: An Eatentions-inspired shopping list: Heart of the Desert red chile pistachios (Alamogordo); Relleno Brothers honey sriracha gouda (Ruidoso); Proofed Bread Co. green chile cheddar sourdough (Las Cruces); Old Pecos Foods pecan honey mustard (Santa Fe); The Cornivore New Mexico Sunset popcorn (Albuquerque); and Taos Sprouted Hummus red chile lime hummus (Taos).
CAFE CHICA, BOMBOLINI
Hot take: the best part of a Hanukkah meal isn’t the latkes, it’s the sufganiyot. Also known as bombolini, the jam-filled donuts at Albuquerque’s Cafe Chica have flavors like arroz con leche and blueberry lavender. “Our flavors change every two weeks,” says owner Mariah Granone.
BIZCOCHITOS
New Mexico’s favorite cookie tastes of sugar, spice, and everything nice.
The red-chile bizcochito from Santa Fe Biscochito Company is a bold treat that mixes sweet and spicy New Mexico flavors.
SANTA FE BISCOCHITO COMPANY
There’s a line out the door at Santa Fe Biscochito Company, also known as the Home of the Biscookie—a New Mexico–style ice cream sandwich.
Cookies made with eggs, sugar, vanilla, and lard, and flavored with anise, bizcochitos appear at the holidays but are available year-round by bakers throughout the state. Some are round and some are square; theirs are about three-inches square and stamped with a Zia symbol. “I didn’t have a family recipe, because my grandmother was a tortilla maker, so I had to come up with my own,” owner Richard Perea says. “I experimented a lot, but it turns out that simple is best.”
He offers bizcochitos with traditional cinnamon and sugar as well as green- or red-chile-dusted options. He made his original Biscookies with vanilla ice cream blended with bizcochito bits. His expanded list of ice cream flavors now includes Chingon Piñon, Java Chip, and the newest, Pumpkin Spice Latte. TRY THIS: The red-chile bizcochito is an adventure into the complex geography of sweet and spicy.
GOLDEN CROWN PANADERIA
Baking a selection of tempting goodies in Old Town Albuquerque since 1972, Golden Crown Panaderia offers traditional bizcochitos as well as chocolate, cappuccino, and blue corn. “The corn is milled at Isleta Pueblo,” says owner Christopher Morales.
