ETHNIC COOK : At Home on the New Mexican Range

Great New Mexican food has a flavor all its own, and Sally Alegria has experienced some of the best of it. Born in Silver City, in the southern part of the state, Alegria grew up in New Mexico ranch country, where even the simplest dish was superb because the ingredients were fresh off the land.

Alegria longingly remembers the hearty breakfasts at her grandfather’s ranch. Her grandmother would make little cakes, flat as tortillas, with rich cream skimmed off the top of new milk. Then there were scrambled eggs, tasting wonderfully light and fresh because they’d just been plucked from the nest. Red or green chile sauce was always on the table, even for breakfast, but if you didn’t feel up to a hot jolt that early, you could have homemade jam. Meat, perhaps pork chops, was set out for the men who would work long hours in the field, and they’d go off with packed lunches that included quesadillas or empanadas stuffed with beans, meat, cheese and chile.

No sooner was breakfast done than work started on dinner. A pot of beans bubbled all day on the wood-burning stove, and when the ranchers returned, they tucked into a big spread of meat, beans, more chile salsa, fresh picked vegetables, rice, potatoes or fideo --coil vermicelli simmered with tomatoes and green peppers. On Sundays, there would be dessert--pumpkin empanadas and arroz con leche (rice pudding) were favorites. But every day the family had freshly made flour tortillas. Cooked over a wood fire, the tortillas had a flavor that Alegria has never experienced since.

Today, Alegria lives in Pasadena, where she owns a shop (Plain and Fancy Tiles), collects Oriental antiques and gives dinner parties at which she often serves a New Mexican dish. Friends especially enjoy her calabacitas --squash cooked with cheese, corn and green chiles. It’s a simple dish, the sort that would be at home on the New Mexican range. The only difference is, Alegria has to shop for ingredients at the supermarket rather than picking squash off the vine, corn off the stalk and putting in cheese made with milk from the family cows. Incidentally, the substitution of Velveeta is entirely authentic for modern New Mexican home cooking.

SALLY ALEGRIA’S CALABACITAS CON QUESO

15 large pattypan squash

1 large white onion, finely chopped

1 (7-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, drained

1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles

Salt

1/4 pound Velveeta cheese

Cut each squash into 5 wedges. Combine squash and onion in Dutch oven. Add 1 or 2 inches water. Cover pot and simmer until vegetables are tender. Drain off water and discard. Crush squash and onion with potato masher. Turn into strainer and strain 10 minutes.

Return vegetables to pan. Add corn and chiles and mix lightly. Season to taste with salt. Heat 5 to 6 minutes, or until heated through. Just before serving, add cheese and heat until just lightly melted. Do not allow cheese to boil and become watery. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

118 calories; 454 mg sodium; 13 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 1.15 gram fiber.