Navajo Tacos and Jewelry

Introductions & Chat
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To me, Navajo Tacos will always remind me of Turquoise jewelry.
Sharing why.

When I lived and worked in Chinle, AZ, we served Navajo Tacos for lunch on Fridays.
There was a fairly large Hogan on the grounds that was utilized for several things. The tacos were made and served there.
People would come from around the area to enjoy them.

When we first stared working there, the tacos were made by a Navajo Grandma and her son. He worked where we did as an aid.
She always wore the most beautiful jewelry and hair adornments. Was unable to speak Anglo, but her son translated for her. We spoke often, when I got a taco.
It was her and some of her friends who showed me how to make Navajo style jewelry. In the Hogan. It was always left open, for anyone to utilize.

Eventually her son found another job and they no longer made the tacos. My husband was asked if he could make and serve the tacos. He was pretty good at cooking, so said sure.
He was shown exactly how to make the giant tacos that everyone wanted. At least the fry bread pre-made by some Navajo Grandma’s, so he didn’t have to worry about that.

They were giant, to us Anglos from Wisconsin. About 12” across. The fry bread was piled with seasoned mutton, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.
For non-traditionalists, there were onions and black olives available. A variety of taco sauces.
One taco would easily serve 2-3 people.
At times, the wait for a taco was over 30 minutes, due to their popularity.
Eventually, employees at the local hospital, just down the road, would call in their order ahead of time.

For me, Turquoise jewelry, a Hogan and Navajo Tacos will always belong together.

No photos of the Hogan or tacos, but here is one of the necklace that I made with help from the Grandma’s.
Still have it, but rarely have a chance to wear it.

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Great story @fernwood !

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love it :slight_smile: we were in Chinle in June, visiting family that work at the hospital, and had take-out Navajo Tacos for lunch

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I love hearing your stories about the time you lived in Chinle. Thanks for sharing!

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One time I was with my friend who volunteers on the rez, and we were on the east side in the checkerboard area a bit north of Nageezi. Some of her Navajo friends took us to a little Navajo Church that was selling Navajo Tacos and fry bread burgers to raise money for their local girls basketball team. Man, they were yummy!

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I can imagine they were.
There are people selling what they call “Indian Tacos” in Wisconsin. They are made with greasy fry bread and ground beef.
To me that is not a Navajo Taco.
Fry bread must be cooked in lard, which is readily available here. using Crisco often makes it greasy and not taste right. Lamb meat is available, too, but a lot more expensive than ground beef. I have not seen anyone selling mutton here. Back then, it was an inexpensive alternative to other meats and a tradition. It did take some doing to make it tender, but many knew how to make it taste great.

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Hey @fernwood Curious, are hatch green chile peppers a common ingredient in Navajo food. The View Hotel restaurant has a killer Green Chile Stew.

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Thank you for sharing your Chinle story. It bought me back to a roadside stand where I tried my first fry bread. While it was not a Navajo taco, I will always remember it. Thanks for bringing back great memories.

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Y’all are making me hungry!

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My husband makes a fantastic green chile stew.
It’s a staple here in NM, very popular during cold weather.

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just found out this afternoon that there IS a pow wow coming to town-aug.17 at the lighthouse.

'spect they’ll have some fry bread but not any sort SW tribal style.

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Oh yum!!! I can hardly wait to go to feast day at Zia. We typically spend most of the time with our friends Elizabeth and Marcellus Medina. They are right on the plaza so it’s a great place to see the dances…dancers come in and out of the house to eat, etc. And the chili stew is just fabulous!

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I’m remembering the enchiladas Christmas style at The Shed…and carne adovada at Maria’s…(Santa Fe) Sigh. I literally would go to NM just for the food.

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@Stracci….would your hubby share his recipe for Green Chili stew? I have one we really like, but I’m always looking for a more authentic recipe😁

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Yes it is. Green Chile is grown in central and northern New Mexico as well, and some of the best is grown in rural areas between Albuquerque and Taos. Both red and green chile are staples in the pueblos as well. If you go into just about any Native home on a feast day and are invited to eat, you’ll likely find both on the table.

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@Bmpdvm

Hubby adds 2 ingredients that we discovered add amazing flavor to the typical Green Chile Stew, rosemary and Worcestershire sauce. We have a big rosemary bush in our yard, and it does wonders for pork dishes. He added the Worcestershire as an experiment and it really is the magic touch of flavor.

We get our green chile from the grocery store, where they roast it fresh in the late summer.
Every grocery store has a huge roaster out on the sidewalk, where they roast 40 lb. sacks of chile all day long. There is a huge demand for it, and the smell is amazing.
But you can use roasted chile in the jar, or in frozen tubs, too

I asked him how he does it, and this is what he said:

Green Chile Stew

2 lb. pork shoulder, trimmed of fat, cut in 1" cubes
5 peeled (med. size) russet potatoes, chop 1" cubes
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup chopped onion
3 sliced carrots
2 sliced stalks of celery
2–32 oz. cartons Swanson chicken broth
1 t. Salt
1/2 t. Black pepper
1 t. dried oregano
1–5" sprig of fresh rosemary (dried is ok, too)
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
3/4 cup roasted chopped green chile (medium, not hot)

In a large pot, brown pork in a bit of olive oil.
Add onions, garlic and cook till softened.
Add Worcestershire, carrots, celery, salt & pepper, sprig of rosemary, oregano, bay leaves.
Add 2 cartons broth and bring to simmer.
Add potatoes and cook till tender, about 15 minutes.
Add green chile and simmer another 10 minutes.
Remove bay leaves and rosemary sprig.
Serve with Pueblo oven bread or any rustic bread.

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Here are two good videos about oven bread.
Look at these beautiful women! And it’s such hard work, too.
They sell this bread in the Pueblos, but I get mine at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.

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Oh we will be making this!! YUM! Tell your hubby thank you for sharing!

I can just imagine how good the roasting chile must smell. I remember way back driving the main road from Santa Fe to Taos and stopping at a stand and buying a chile ristra. One of the other things I love about the Northern New Mexico food was how sometimes they serve posole with the beans instead of rice.

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@Stracci Tell your hubby thanks so much! I wish we had a grocery store that flame roasts chilis! I usually just blister them over my gas range top flame, then chop them along with tomatillos, toasted garlic onions, etc in my food processor. I’ll try adding rosemary and worchester sauce next time I make it, which won’t be now since it’s so hot! I Love having it simmering on a cool fall/winter day!

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The other dish I learned to love in NM, and now make here sometimes, is calabacitas. We here in Indiana are known for having wonderful fresh sweet corn, and this is the time of year for that and yellow summer squash. Making that with a bunch of green chile is so yummy.

Hmmm… Maybe this is why I really like corn jewelry :laughing:

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