Recipe of the week: Lamb-Stuffed Chiles

Food lovers often forget that of all the cuisines folded into contemporary American cooking, the “most important” is native-born, said Bill Daley in the Chicago Tribune. “Just think what our kitchens would be like without tomatoes, beans, squash, and, most of all, corn”—all of which “circled the globe” after Columbus’ arrival in the New World. Keeping the history of Native American cooking alive has become a mission for Lois Ellen Frank, a Santa Fe–based culinary anthropologist and author. “Recipes only remain alive,” she says, “if people cook from them.”

Lamb-Stuffed Chiles

(To be served with a simple puréed tomato sauce and sour cream)

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12 firm green mild chiles, New Mexican or Anaheim

1 tbsp olive oil

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

¾ lb ground lamb

1 large ripe tomato, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bay leaf

½ cup bread crumbs

½ tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

1 tsp salt

½ tsp each pepper, dried thyme

Roast chiles, turning often until charred on all sides, about 15 minutes. Peel, cut off stems, and slice lengthwise. Remove seeds.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add ground lamb, stirring until browned, about 15 minutes. Drain excess fat. Add tomato, gar­lic, bay leaf, bread crumbs, tarragon, salt, pepper, and thyme. Simmer 15 minutes. Cool.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread chiles open on work surface. Top each with lamb mixture. Close chiles around lamb. Place open-side down on oiled baking pan. Bake until hot, about 10 minutes.