“Sense of place” in its most literal form is a term used in land planning and architecture, yet it can mean so much more. Consider a simmering pot of red chili with a bowl of plump, soft pinto beans on the side; or a stacked ground-beef enchilada topped with a fried egg. Few things better embody a sense of place for Santa Fe, N.M.

Kip Wilborn, 53, grew up on the New Mexico food of his mother and grandmother, and it’s still the food he cooks with passion at his Manoa home.

Wilborn is a tenor who has sung professionally in opera and musical theater for nearly 30 years. In 2007 he married Jan Yokota after meeting her at a Hawaii Opera Theatre benefit, and swapped a life of traveling 10 months of the year to settle in Hawaii.

“The chili is definitely not like the one served at Zippy’s,” he says with a laugh. The comment pokes gentle fun at his brother-in-law, Paul Yokota, president of Zippy’s.

The difference? While both versions include beef and ground chilies, in New Mexico they’d run you out of town if your pot included tomatoes or onions. There the chili bears no sweetness; it is flavored primarily with chili peppers. Wilborn says the most popular are Hatch chilies, which hail from an area of the same name.

In fact, New Mexico cuisine — distinctive from Mexican cuisine — is all about the chilies.

When Wilborn is back home, he stops at a fruit and chili stand called Romero’s, located between Santa Fe and Hernandez. There the chili peppers are roasted fresh and ground for customers.

When that runs out, he orders both sweet and hot chili powders online. He says using the right chilies, which vary in smokiness and flavor, makes all the difference.

Wilborn’s mother and grandmother made the red chili often with just a few ingredients: bacon grease, beef, pork, Hatch chili powder, garlic and beef broth — no beans included.

A good store-bought chili powder such as Gebhardt’s could substitute for Hatch chilies, but the real deal has an inviting aroma and rich flavor.

Wilborn uses their recipe and starts with well-marbled beef and pork shoulder for the long-simmering stew. He remembers that his grandmother’s recipe originally called for pork exclusively, but when the family moved to a cattle ranch, the recipe evolved to include beef along with the pork.

Much the way Hawaii eaters serve rice, Wilborn’s grandfather insisted on having pinto beans at the table for every meal. The beans are soaked overnight, then simmered about two hours with chunks of salt pork.

At the table, each person adds in his own beans to the chili, with the optional toppings of grated cheese (he prefers Longhorn cheddar) and a dollop of sour cream.

Here Wilborn shares not just his grandmother’s chili recipe, but one of his family’s easiest dishes, a stacked enchilada for which lean ground beef is simmered in canned red enchilada sauce, then served on a quickly warmed corn tortilla.

The tortilla is layered with iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes, onions, grated cheese and the warm meat with sauce. Another warm tortilla is stacked on top with more sauce and cheese, then topped with a sunny-side-up egg.

The dish takes just 15 minutes to pull together, yet it is exceptionally delicious. The lettuce and onions add crunch, while the tortilla and meat sauce provide the soft binding that pulls it all together.

For a full New Mexico culinary experience, serve the red chili, pinto beans and stacked enchiladas together for one meal.

Kip Wilborn’s New Mexico specialties

Grandma Crystal’s New Mexico Red Chili

2 pounds marbled beef or beef for stew, 3/4-inch cubed

1 pound marbled pork, 3/4-inch cubed

4 tablespoons bacon grease, divided (from about 12 ounces of bacon)

3 to 4 tablespoons red New Mexico mild or sweet ground chili peppers (substitute with 5 tablespoons general chili powder)

1 tablespoon red New Mexican hot ground chili peppers (substitute with cayenne pepper, to taste)

6 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

3 cups low-sodium, no-fat beef broth

Water, as needed

Salt, to taste

In a hot, large skillet or Dutch oven, in 2 to 3 batches, sear beef and pork in bacon grease. Add all meat back to pot, and over high, add mild chili peppers/powder to taste, then hot chili peppers/cayenne if using.

Add garlic and beef broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Cook covered until meat is tender, about 2 to 3 hours. Stir occasionally and add water as necessary (be careful not to add too much). Add salt to taste.

Skim oil and serve hot, with pinto beans (see recipe), and cheddar cheese and green onion if desired. Serves 6 to 8.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (based on 8 servings and not including salt to taste): 300 calories, 15 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 110 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 38 g protein

Pinto Beans

2 cups dried pinto beans

1 piece salt pork, 1-by-1-by-2 inches, cut in 4 pieces

Water to cover

Pick over beans, then soak overnight covered in at least 2 inches of water. Cover bowl with dish towel.

The next day, rinse beans well and place in heavy pot. Add salt pork and cover with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes, then reduce heat to simmer 2 to 3 hours. Stir occasionally until beans are cooked to desired consistency. Add salt to taste. Makes about 5 cups.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (not including salt to taste): 350 calories, 10 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 150 mg sodium, 48 g carbohydrate, 16 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 17 g protein

Stacked Enchiladas

1 pound lean ground beef

1 (28-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (Old El Paso brand recommended)

1/4 cup cooking oil, such as canola

8 yellow corn tortillas (Mission brand recommended)

2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

1/2 small white onion, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

10 ounces cheddar cheese, freshly grated (Longhorn recommended)

4 eggs

In saucepan over medium heat, brown ground beef until fully cooked. Drain fat. Add enchilada sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and keep warm, but do not burn.

In separate skillet, heat oil until smoking. Drop 1 tortilla into oil and soften in pan, about 2 seconds on each side. Keep tortilla soft — do not fry or make crisp. Remove tortilla and place on paper towels to drain.

Place tortilla on plate, add 1/2 cup lettuce, sprinkle with onion and tomato to taste, add cheese and meat sauce. Heat another tortilla and place on stack. Spoon more sauce and garnish with cheese. Repeat to make 4 stacks.

Fry eggs and top each enchilada stack with an egg. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 800 calories, 49 g fat, 20 g saturated fat, 325 mg cholesterol, 1,500 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 8 g sugar, 52 g protein

Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S., a nutritionist in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa.