Adán Medrano https://adanmedrano.com/ On Food & Culture Mon, 29 Jun 2026 14:14:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 Avocado and Kidney Bean Salad https://adanmedrano.com/avocado-kidney-bean-salad-aguacate-oregano-vinaigrette/ https://adanmedrano.com/avocado-kidney-bean-salad-aguacate-oregano-vinaigrette/#respond Mon, 29 Jun 2026 14:05:37 +0000 https://adanmedrano.com/?p=12695 This avocado and kidney bean salad is creamy but with no lactose. The adjective “creamy” does not require actual cream from cows, as this recipe clearly demonstrates. The bite of white kidney beans is naturally smooth and creamy. Together, kidney beans and avocado make a 

The post Avocado and Kidney Bean Salad appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>
This avocado and kidney bean salad is creamy but with no lactose.

The adjective “creamy” does not require actual cream from cows, as this recipe clearly demonstrates. The bite of white kidney beans is naturally smooth and creamy. Together, kidney beans and avocado make a wonderfully bright and, yes, creamy salad.

Recipe for Avocado and Kidney Bean Salad

From “The Texas Mexican Plant-Based Cookbook” by Adán Medrano, published by Texas Tech University Press

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 large Haas avocado, small dice
1 medium red bell pepper, small dice
juice of 1/2 lime
1 Tbs. cilantro, chopped
1 cup white kidney beans
1 small serrano chile, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
Method
Place the avocado, red bell pepper, serrano chile, and cilantro in a bowl and mix gently so that the avocado dice do not get smashed.
Add the beans, lime juice, and salt and combine well. Taste and adjust the salt.
Serve immediately at room temperature or chill for 1 hour.

The post Avocado and Kidney Bean Salad appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>
https://adanmedrano.com/avocado-kidney-bean-salad-aguacate-oregano-vinaigrette/feed/ 0
Cactus and Pinto Bean Salad https://adanmedrano.com/cactus-pinto-bean-salad-nopalitos-frijoles/ https://adanmedrano.com/cactus-pinto-bean-salad-nopalitos-frijoles/#respond Wed, 17 Jun 2026 15:12:37 +0000 https://adanmedrano.com/?p=12684 Cactus and pinto bean salad is an iconic meal. You’ll never go wrong pairing these two ancient and iconic ingredients: nopalitos and pinto beans. The pairing is as natural as you can get. The Caddo people, known as the Hasinai kingdom, grew beans and traded 

The post Cactus and Pinto Bean Salad appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>
Cactus and pinto bean salad is an iconic meal. You’ll never go wrong pairing these two ancient and iconic ingredients: nopalitos and pinto beans. The pairing is as natural as you can get.

The Caddo people, known as the Hasinai kingdom, grew beans and traded them with other Texas Indigenous groups. A Spanish priest who lived among the Caddo people, Fray Francisco Casañas de Jesús María, reports in 1691 that the Caddo farmers planted at least five varieties of beans.

Cactus has been integral to our culture for more than 9,000 years. Evidence of cactus is found in Hinds Cave, a unique and important archaeological site, near Del Rio, Texas. Our Texas ancestors not only ate the nutritious cactus paddles and the prickly pear fruit but also used the dried pads as pouches for carrying stuff. Hinds Cave has flooring mats that are made of dried cactus paddles dated to 6400 BC. The floor mats were used to cover the dusty floor. The spines, of course, were removed.

From The Texas Mexican Plant-Based Cookbook by Adán Medrano

Ingredients (serves 6)
1/4 lb. (1/2 cup) dried pinto beans
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups water
1 lb nopalitos, small dice
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 cup tomato, small dice
1/2 cup red onion, small dice
1 Tbs green chile serrano, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
1 tsp raw agave nectar
1 tsp fresh Mexican oregano, minced
1/4 tsp salt or to taste


Method
1. In a saucepan, add 2 cups of water, beans, garlic, salt, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover, and boil for about 90 minutes to 2 hours, or until the beans are soft. Watch the beans regularly and add water as needed. Allow the beans to cool, then drain. Save the water to make bean soup or for enfrijoladas. (I’ll share those recipes in upcoming posts).
2. In a saucepan, add the diced nopalitos, 1 cup of water, and 1 tsp. salt and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated. Set aside and allow the nopalitos to cool.

–To make the vinaigrette
Whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, agave nectar, salt, and minced oregano until it emulsifies. Alternately, place in a jar and shake vigorously.
–To make the salad
Mix together the drained beans, drained nopalitos, tomatoes, onion, and chile serrano. Add the vinaigrette and mix thoroughly. Adjust the salt as desired.
Serve at room temperature or chilled.

The post Cactus and Pinto Bean Salad appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>
https://adanmedrano.com/cactus-pinto-bean-salad-nopalitos-frijoles/feed/ 0
Chicano 50 Cocktail Marks 50th Anniversary of the Founding of San Antonio CineFestival https://adanmedrano.com/chicano-50-cocktail-50th-mezcal-watermelon-san-antonio-cinefestival-adan-medrano/ https://adanmedrano.com/chicano-50-cocktail-50th-mezcal-watermelon-san-antonio-cinefestival-adan-medrano/#respond Sat, 30 May 2026 15:00:28 +0000 https://adanmedrano.com/?p=12641 The Chicano 50 cocktail marks the Golden Anniversary of the year I founded the San Antonio CineFestival: 1976–2026. The 50th anniversary refers to the founding of the festival in 1976. Stewarded by San Antonio’s Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center since 1981, San Antonio CineFestival continues in 

The post Chicano 50 Cocktail Marks 50th Anniversary of the Founding of San Antonio CineFestival appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>
The Chicano 50 cocktail marks the Golden Anniversary of the year I founded the San Antonio CineFestival: 1976–2026. The 50th anniversary refers to the founding of the festival in 1976. Stewarded by San Antonio’s Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center since 1981, San Antonio CineFestival continues in its 47th edition, scheduled for July 9-12, 2026.

It is recognized as the first Latino film festival in the United States and now the nation’s longest-running Latino film festival.
See the press release below for the full details of the founding and history.

The Chicano 50 cocktail is a variation that I made on the Chicano 40 cocktail created by  San Antonio mixologist Jeret Peña 10 years prior.  Jeret creates a brilliant watermelon shrub, adds mezcal, Campari, tequila and finishes it with a chamoy watermelon popsicle!
Served as an agua fresca in a double old fashioned glass, the Chicano 50 cocktail retains the original’s bright watermelon notes and the popsicle!

Recipe for the “Chicano 50” Cocktail (original recipe by Jeret Peña)

Ingredients (makes two cocktails)
2 oz. Watermelon Shrub (recipe below)
1 oz Campari
1/2 oz Mezcal
2 1/2 oz Tequila
2 Chamoy-covered watermelon lollipops

To make the Watermelon Shrub (requires 24-48 hours prep time)
5 cups Watermelon
1/2 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Apple Cider vinegar
Method
1. In a blender, purée 5 cups of fresh watermelon and strain it through a fine mesh sieve. This will yield 3 cups of liquid.
2. Add the sugar and vinegar and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Place in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.

To Mix the Cocktail
1. Mix all of the ingredients (except the lollipops) and stir until well blended.
2. Fill an 8–10 ounce Old fashioned glass with ice and pour the cocktail. Garnish with the lollipop.

Chicano 50 – Órale!

PRESS RELEASE: 

A Projector in a Tree: 50 Years Since Adán Medrano Founded America’s First Latino Film Festival

Founded in 1976 as the Chicano Film Festival, the San Antonio CineFestival is now the nation’s longest-running Latino film festival.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the San Antonio CineFestival by filmmaker and food writer Adán Medrano, a landmark in U.S. Latinx film history. Founded in 1976, it was originally named the Chicano Film Festival and is recognized as the first Latino film festival in the United States.

Stewarded by San Antonio’s Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center since 1981, the San Antonio CineFestival returns July 9–12, 2026, for its 47th edition, marking 50 years since its founding in 1976.

Its origins on August 25-26, 1976 were auspicious, if improvised. A 16-millimeter projector hoisted into a tree. White bed sheets stretched across the back wall of a building. An empty lot on the campus of San Antonio’s Oblate School of Theology. Flies and mosquitoes swarming the projectionist through two late-summer evenings.

That improvised beginning reflected a larger conviction behind the festival. At a time when institutional support for Latino media was scarce, Medrano believed that grassroots filmmakers across the country were creating localized stories that were not only national stories, but universal human stories. Their films shared themes of liberation, cultural celebration, historical investigation, and visions of the future emerging from the lived realities of the Chicano experience.

Medrano credits the Texas Commission on the Arts with taking an early chance on the concept through a $5,000 arts grant that made the first festival possible. The funds enabled him to identify, locate, and rent films from around the country — works he regarded as seminal expressions of emerging Chicano and Latino filmmaking.

But Medrano reserves his deepest gratitude for the small team of young friends who believed in the idea from the beginning and worked to bring it to life. He also credits the Mexican American community of San Antonio, whose response created the momentum that sustained the festival. That momentum began on the first evening of the inaugural screening, when approximately 2,500 people arrived to claim, witness, and celebrate stories that reflected their own lives and experiences.

Among the films selected by Medrano for the inaugural festival were Survival by Moctezuma Esparza; Requiem 29 by David Garcia; Dia de Plaza by Severo Perez and Judith Anne Perez; Los Vendidos by Luis Valdez and Luis Ruiz; La Madre: A Portrait by Adán Medrano and Carlos Amezcua; and The Case of Joe Campos Torres by Tony Bruni and Carlos Calbillo.

What began with a small team of young organizers quickly expanded into a citywide undertaking. Churches, television stations, newspapers, schools, professional organizations, businesses, and community associations across San Antonio joined the effort. The response surpassed expectations, attested by the 2,500 people who attended the two-night outdoor event, confirming a strong public hunger for these stories and for a cinema that reflected Chicano and Latino experience on its own terms.

Looking back today, Medrano points to one glaring absence in that first program: women-made films. The imbalance reflected broader realities within independent and Chicano filmmaking in the 1970s, where women’s work often struggled for visibility, funding, and distribution. Recognizing that gap, the festival later made women filmmakers, women’s leadership, and films made by women a central focus of one of its subsequent editions — an important expansion of the festival’s original vision and an effort to widen the field it had helped create.

For Medrano, the significance of that shift can be understood through works such as Sylvia Morales’ landmark film Chicana, a foundational intervention in Chicana feminist cinema, and the work of filmmakers such as Susan Racho, co-creator of The Bronze Screen, documenting Latino film history and representation in American cinema.

In 1980, the festival added the name San Antonio CineFestival to its official Chicano Film Festival title, thus anchoring its identity to the city where it has continued to cement its national reputation. The name transition was reflected in promotional artwork, including a poster by artist César Martínez that is part of the collection of the Smithsonian Institution.

In 1981, Medrano transferred the festival — together with foundation and National Endowment for the Arts funding attached to it — to the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. The move placed the festival within a strong cultural institution and community base.

“Looking back, transferring the festival to the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center was one of the most consequential decisions of my career,” Medrano said. “It secured the festival’s future by embedding it within a robust organization and community.”

Five decades after a projector was lifted into a tree and films flickered across white sheets in a vacant lot, the festival’s founding vision — community-driven filmmaking rooted in the Chicano experience — continues to resonate.

Media Contact:
Adán Medrano
adan@jmcommunications.com

###

The post Chicano 50 Cocktail Marks 50th Anniversary of the Founding of San Antonio CineFestival appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>
https://adanmedrano.com/chicano-50-cocktail-50th-mezcal-watermelon-san-antonio-cinefestival-adan-medrano/feed/ 0
Cold Mango Soup is Texas Mexican — Not Tex-Mex https://adanmedrano.com/cold-mango-soup-texas-mexican-tex-mex/ https://adanmedrano.com/cold-mango-soup-texas-mexican-tex-mex/#respond Fri, 15 May 2026 17:37:56 +0000 https://adanmedrano.com/?p=12623 This delicious soup is both savory and sweet, and it provides a remedy when the days bring on relentless heat. The sweetness of mango is tempered by the acid of vinegar and a bit of onion, and I think you’ll like the refreshing taste of 

The post Cold Mango Soup is Texas Mexican — Not Tex-Mex appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>
This delicious soup is both savory and sweet, and it provides a remedy when the days bring on relentless heat. The sweetness of mango is tempered by the acid of vinegar and a bit of onion, and I think you’ll like the refreshing taste of cucumber.
To serve, pour the chilled soup in 4 bowls and float 1/2 Tbs. of the chile sal cucumber dice on each bowl as garnish.

NOTE about Texas Mexican and Tex-Mex

When I make this distinctiion, I do not disparage, I simply explain that the two types of food are  not the same. Both are beloved by many, but they are in fact very different. Different in their history, their flavor profile and their outdoor signage.

Here’s the difference in a nutshell, (breve, para que quepa en una cáscara de nuez).
–Texas Mexican is the indigenous cooking of Native Mexican American families of Texas whose ancestors arrived and  began cooking in what is now Texas 15,000 years ago. The flavor profile favors ancient techniques of roasting, boiling, steaming and drying. Contemporary dishes build upon indigenous traditions and include: nopalitos con huevo, caldo de res, capirotada, fideo, carne guisada, machacado, and powdered shrimp croquettes during Lent.  Family cocineras/os call it “Comida Casera,” home-style cooking.
In their outside signage, these restaurants use the term, and identify as: Mexican restaurant.

–Tex-Mex is the Texas restaurant cooking that became popular around the 1930’s when Anglo-run restaurants began to imitate the flavors of indigenous Texas Mexican food. The flavor profile favors mainly the technique of deep fat frying. Contemporary dishes build upon the dishes of “Comida Casera” but increase the use of cumin and also of yellow cheese, using it as a topping for most plates. Tex-Mex restaurants will not serve the core Texas Mexican dishes like caldo de res, nopalitos con huevo, fideo or machacado.
In their outside signage these restaurants prominently use the term and identify as: “Tex-Mex”– v.g. Chuy’s Tex-Mex; Gringo’s Tex-Mex; Candente Tex-Mex, etc.

Recipe for Cold Mango Soup

This recipe is reprinted from “The Texas Mexican Plant-based Cookbook”
Ingredients (makes 4 cups)
2 medium mangos (14 oz. of pulp)
4 oz. cucumber, peeled, quartered
3/4 oz. white onion
2 oz. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. distilled white vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups water
For garnish
4 Tbs. cucumber, sliced into 1/4-inch dice
1 Tbs. chile sal (recipe follows)
Method
1. Peel the mangos and cut off all the pulp away from the pit.
2. In a blender, place the mango pulp, peeled cucumber, and all the other ingredients (excluding the garnish ingredients) and blend for about 1 minute, until smooth and creamy.
3. Chill the soup for 4 hours or until it is completely chilled.
4. When ready to serve, gently toss 4 Tbs. of cucumber dice in 1 Tbs. chile sal so that the dice are completely coated. Set aside.

To serve, pour the chilled soup in 4 bowls and float 1/2 Tbs. of the chile sal cucumber dice on each bowl as garnish.

Recipe for Chile Sal

Ingredients (makes 3/4 cup)
1 oz. chiles guajillos (about 5 chiles)
1/4 oz. chipotle chile (dried, not in adobo, about 1 small chile)
1/4 oz. pasilla chile (about 1 chile)
salt in a ratio of 1 to 5
Method
In a spice grinder, grind all of the chiles into a very fine chile powder.
Measure the chile powder in a measuring cup or use a measuring spoon. Add salt to the chile powder in a ratio of 1 part salt to 5 parts chile powder. Mix well.
Sprinkle on fruit of all kinds and on your favorite dish instead of just salt. You can also rim your margarita glass with this delicious chile sal powder.
Store in an airtight container.

 

The post Cold Mango Soup is Texas Mexican — Not Tex-Mex appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>
https://adanmedrano.com/cold-mango-soup-texas-mexican-tex-mex/feed/ 0
“A Street Called Dolores Huerta” by Nikki Darling https://adanmedrano.com/poem-dolores-huerta-street-nikki-darling/ https://adanmedrano.com/poem-dolores-huerta-street-nikki-darling/#comments Thu, 19 Mar 2026 11:50:44 +0000 https://adanmedrano.com/?p=12613 This poem by Nikki Darling was written ca. 2019 to honor Dolores Huerta. It’s prescient. Points to abuse of women by men, most often hidden.  The shame of Cesar Chavez is now bravely brought to light  by Dolores Huerta.  The pain. Her immense courage! “A 

The post “A Street Called Dolores Huerta” by Nikki Darling appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>

This poem by Nikki Darling was written ca. 2019 to honor Dolores Huerta.
It’s prescient. Points to abuse of women by men, most often hidden.  The shame of Cesar Chavez is now bravely brought to light  by Dolores Huerta.  The pain.
Her immense courage!

“A Street Called Dolores Huerta”
by Nikki Darling

I grew up driving down streets
that had the names of great men.

Men I admired.
Men who inspired me
to look inward and find
my courage, voice and value.

I grew up driving down streets
named after men.
Great men.

Men I should seek to find.
Men I should hold other men accountable to.

There are great men.

Your violent words and actions
do not and will not find a place in my life.

The names of these men
showed me what men could be.
What men were capable of.

I grew up driving down streets
named after men.

These men however, despite their greatness,
I was driving down streets
I could never grow into.

I could never be, you see, a great man.

What then would it be
to drive down a street named Dolores Huerta?
What would it feel like
and where would it go?

Would it cross seventeen
when I hated who I saw in the mirror?

Or the corner I turned
when at 31 I finally had the courage
to dump an emotionally abusive man?

Who would drive it?

The mothers who get up at 5 a.m.
to take their children to relatives
willing to watch them
while they went to work
to put food on a table
from an employer
who did not offer childcare?

Would it be tended
by the hands of women
bloody from years of bending over
to pick strawberries?

Would it cross the place
my car broke down at 19
and I had to hike home
covered by a blanket
afraid that men might see me?

Would it cross the place
other women came together
to weave a wider road?

My guess is it would not be tended regularly
and perhaps the journey would be rough
from potholes and city neglect,
but it would be travelled.

It would take me somewhere.

What would it be like
to drive down a street named Dolores Huerta?

It would be like taking a journey
down a road I knew was meant for me.

A road I knew had been travelled
before my arrival.

A street that although at times difficult
would lead me someplace finer
and that perhaps my traffic
would demand new and better roads.

I have driven down streets
named after great men.

A street named Dolores Huerta
would be a street worth seeing.

It would be valuable.
It is necessary and urgent.

Let us come together and build it.
We need desperately someplace to go.

###

The post “A Street Called Dolores Huerta” by Nikki Darling appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>
https://adanmedrano.com/poem-dolores-huerta-street-nikki-darling/feed/ 2
Nopalitos Asados Con Vinagreta https://adanmedrano.com/nopalitos-asados-roasted-cactus-vinagreta-vinaigrette/ https://adanmedrano.com/nopalitos-asados-roasted-cactus-vinagreta-vinaigrette/#respond Mon, 09 Mar 2026 12:59:33 +0000 https://adanmedrano.com/?p=12600 Nopalitos are sometimes pickled (en escabeche), but here the vinegar combines with chile guajillo  for a light dressing. These nopalitos asados, roasted,  echo the traditional hot dish, nopalitos with red chile . Its a wonderful appetizer, letting your guests slice off portions and enjoy with 

The post Nopalitos Asados Con Vinagreta appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>
Nopalitos are sometimes pickled (en escabeche), but here the vinegar combines with chile guajillo  for a light dressing. These nopalitos asados, roasted,  echo the traditional hot dish, nopalitos with red chile . Its a wonderful appetizer, letting your guests slice off portions and enjoy with corn tortillas. Makes a sublime taco!

This recipe is from The Texas Mexican Plant-Based Cookbook

Recipe for Nopalitos Asados Con Vinagreta

Ingredients (serves 8)
4 nopalitos (cactus paddles), cleaned of spines. Some stores sell the nopalitos already cleaned, so it is convenient to purchase those. Just make sure that they are fresh, firm, and bright green.

Olive oil to brush on the cactus paddles

For the vinagreta
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 chiles guajillos, deseeded, deveined
1 tsp. salt

Method
1. To clean the nopalitos, place newspaper sheets, parchment, or other paper on a cutting board to catch the spines, some of which are powdery and can attach to the skin. Using tongs and a sharp knife, cut out all the spines from the cactus paddles.The spines are on little bumps, which helps in cutting them out. Rinse the nopalitos and carefully discard the spines.

2. Brush the paddles with olive oil, then place them on a comal or on a wood-burning grill, at medium-high heat. Cook until the paddles are fully tender and acquire some dark, roasted spots, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from the heat and allow to cool

2. Make incisions inside the middle of each cactus paddle, lengthwise, 1/2 inch apart, starting 1/2 inch from the top and ending 1/2 inch from the bottom.  Fold the cactus paddles lengthwise in half, loosely, so that the incisions create folded ribbons. Arrange the folded paddles side by side on a round platter, the thin portion in the center, forming a large floweret.

3. Place all the vinagreta ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth and emulsified.

4. Pour the vinagreta in the center of the floral pattern, then use a brush or spoon to cover the entire surface of the nopalitos.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

The post Nopalitos Asados Con Vinagreta appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>
https://adanmedrano.com/nopalitos-asados-roasted-cactus-vinagreta-vinaigrette/feed/ 0
Red Chile Spinach Enchiladas https://adanmedrano.com/pasilla-chile-spinach-enchilada-salsa-rancheras/ https://adanmedrano.com/pasilla-chile-spinach-enchilada-salsa-rancheras/#respond Fri, 20 Feb 2026 13:57:21 +0000 https://adanmedrano.com/?p=12581 Although we never ate them in our home when I was growing up, spinach enchiladas are common in many Texas Mexican restaurants, served as a vegetarian dish. Spinach is related to beets and Swiss chard. It was first cultivated in Iran over 2,000 years ago, 

The post Red Chile Spinach Enchiladas appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>
Although we never ate them in our home when I was growing up, spinach enchiladas are common in many Texas Mexican restaurants, served as a vegetarian dish. Spinach is related to beets and Swiss chard. It was first cultivated in Iran over 2,000 years ago, was taken to Spain by the Arabs during their 800-year occupation of the Iberian Peninsula, and reached us after the Spanish invasion of Mexico and Texas. With raisins and pine nuts, this is a tasty party dish, made extra special with a topping of fresh salsa ranchera.

NOTE ABOUT CURRENT TIMES:
For more than 500 years, Native people have survived invasion, genocide, forced removal, and attempts at erasure.

Our food is memory. Our food is ceremony. Our food is survival.

Today we are again witnessing cruelty — families torn apart by policies enforced by ICE, children held in detention camps, people killed in our streets, including in Minneapolis. We are told this is normal. It is not.

Donald Trump and those who support his policies are advancing a politics of fear, punishment, and exclusion. We know from our history what happens when leaders target the most vulnerable and call it patriotism.

So I cook. I gather. I nourish.

This is how we resist. This is how we remember who we are.
As we have always done, we will prevail.

Recipe for Red Chile Spinach Enchiladas

Recipe for Red Chile Spanish Enchiladas is from “The Texas Mexican Plant-Based Cookbook”

Ingredients (serves 4)

3 pasilla chiles
3/4 cup water, 
additional water as needed
12 corn tortillas
1 Tbs. canola oil
1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped

For the salsa ranchera
2 lbs. Roma tomatoes
4 oz. quartered white onion
2 serrano chiles (use only 1 chile for a less hot salsa)
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
2 lbs. fresh spinach
2 Tbs. canola oil
6 Tbs. pine nuts
6 Tbs. dark raisins
1/2 tsp. salt or to taste

For the spinach filling
2 lbs. fresh spinach
2 Tbs. canola oil
6 Tbs. pine nuts
6 Tbs. dark raisins
1/2 tsp. salt or to taste

Method

To make the red chile
1. Slice open the pasilla chiles and remove the stem, the seeds, and the veins. Place them in a saucepan and cover them with water. Bring the water to a boil, then turn off the heat and let the chiles rehydrate for 20 minutes, until soft and pliable.
2. Place the chiles in a blender with 3/4 cup water and blend on high until they form a smooth purée with no granules. (You may have to let the chiles cool before doing this, depending on your blender.) If there are still some particles, strain through a fine mesh sieve.
3. Heat 1 Tbs. canola oil in a large saucepan, then pour in the chile purée. Watch for splatter, keeping a lid handy to cover the saucepan halfway as necessary. Fry the chile for about 6 minutes until the color deepens. Add just enough water so that the chile is slightly soupy and thinly covers the back of a spoon. Set aside and keep warm.

To make the salsa ranchera
1. In a comal (griddle) or cast iron skillet, roast the tomatoes, onion, serrano chiles, and garlic cloves until they roast and develop black spots, about 7 minutes.
2. Peel the garlic cloves and place them with the serrano chiles and one half of the tomatoes in a blender and blend for a few seconds until smooth. Add the onion and the remaining tomatoes and blend for 4 to 7 seconds, just enough to incorporate the onion and the tomato but still have some tiny bits of texture. Add salt to taste. Set aside and keep warm.

To make the spinach filling
1. Cook the spinach in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain and allow to cool. When it is cool enough to handle, squeeze clumps of spinach very tightly to remove all the moisture. Chop the spinach into small pieces, then separate the clumps.
2. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbs. canola oil and add the spinach, raisins, pine nuts, and salt. Stir vigorously to separate any spinach clumps and incorporate the raisins and pine nuts. Cook for 2–5 minutes until the pine nuts begin to brown. Set aside and keep warm.

To assemble the enchiladas
Working with two spatulas, dip a corn tortilla into the warm pasilla chile for about 5 seconds. Depending on how dry your tortillas are, it may take 8 seconds, but watch carefully because if you dip them for too long, they will fall apart. Remove the chile-infused tortilla and place it on a plate. Add 3 Tbs. of the spinach mixture and roll it, seam side down. Do this with all of the tortillas, transferring them 3 to each serving plate. Spoon 1 Tbs. of salsa ranchera over each enchilada and serve immediately. Place the remaining salsa in a bowl for guests who may want additional salsa.
As necessary, reheat the enchilada plates for 5 minutes in a 350°F oven or in a microwave oven for 30 seconds.

Garnish with the fresh chopped cilantro.

The post Red Chile Spinach Enchiladas appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>
https://adanmedrano.com/pasilla-chile-spinach-enchilada-salsa-rancheras/feed/ 0
Pozole Verde With Mushrooms https://adanmedrano.com/pozole-verde-mushrooms-green-posole/ https://adanmedrano.com/pozole-verde-mushrooms-green-posole/#comments Sun, 18 Jan 2026 16:57:58 +0000 https://adanmedrano.com/?p=12569 At dinner parties this pozole verde with mushrooms is a dish that wows with its bright green color and herbal flavors. The history of pozole, spelled with an “s” in South Texas and Northeastern Mexico, begins 3,500 years ago in what is now Guatemala and 

The post Pozole Verde With Mushrooms appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>

At dinner parties this pozole verde with mushrooms is a dish that wows with its bright green color and herbal flavors.

The history of pozole, spelled with an “s” in South Texas and Northeastern Mexico, begins 3,500 years ago in what is now Guatemala and Southern Mexico. Women transformed simple corn kernels into a nutrition-rich food through a molecular process that involves boiling dried corn with calcium hydroxide (slaked lime). The process is called nixtamalization. It turns corn kernels into hominy.

This recipe is from “The Texas Mexican Plant-Based Cookbook”
published by Texas Tech University Press.

Recipe for Pozole Verde With Mushrooms

Ingredients (serves 4)
3/4 lb. cremini mushrooms, washed, sliced
1/2 cup white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 poblano chiles
1 serrano chile
2 tomatillos, peeled, washed, and quartered
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup chard, washed and chopped
1/8 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
1 1/2 quarts light vegetable stock (most store-bought vegatable stocks will be light in color, not made with dark roasted vegetables. This so that the bright color of the greens can shine through.)
1 lb. hominy, canned, or you can make your own, recipe here
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 cup roasted and ground pumpkin seeds (optional)
2 leaves of epazote (optional)Garnish
1 avocado, diced
4 radishes, washed, sliced
1 cup thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
4 tostadas, recipe hereMethod
1. In a Dutch oven, heat 1 Tbs. vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes, until they are soft, the edges a bit browned. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl.
2. In the same Dutch oven, add the diced onion, lower the heat, and cook for about 4 minutes until the onion becomes translucent. Add the garlic and cook an additional 1 minute. Then return the mushrooms to the Dutch oven. Set aside.
3. Place the chiles poblanos under a broiler and cook them for about 5 minutes, until the skin blisters, turning slightly brown with some black spots. Flip them and do the same to the other side. Remove them from the broiler and cover completely with a damp cloth for 15 minutes.
4. When cool enough to handle, peel the outer paper-thin skin from the chiles. Slice each chile lengthwise to remove all the seeds and the stem. Set aside.
5. If you are adding the optional pumpkin seeds, use a cast iron or other skillet, on medium heat, and roast the pumpkin seeds for about 5 minutes or until they start turning a golden color. Remove from the heat immediately. Overcooking them will develop a bitter taste. Set aside.
6. In the same skillet, on medium heat,roast the chile serrano and the tomatillos until they are soft and develop black spots, about 5–7 minutes. Set aside.
7. In a blender, add the poblano and serrano chiles, tomatillos, cilantro, chard, epazote (if using), and oregano and blend on high until the purée is smooth and velvety. Add 1/2 cup water as needed to blend the ingredients well.
8. In a saucepan, over medium heat, add the green purée and cook for 5 minutes until the color deepens to an earthy green. Then add the powdered roasted pumpkin seeds and combine well.
9. Add the cooked purée to the mushroom mixture in the Dutch oven; add the hominy and heat thoroughly.
Serve hot, accompanied with tostadas and garnishes so that each diner may enjoy according to their preference.

The post Pozole Verde With Mushrooms appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>
https://adanmedrano.com/pozole-verde-mushrooms-green-posole/feed/ 1
Chile Mushroom Tamales for Christmas https://adanmedrano.com/chile-mushroom-tamales-christmas/ https://adanmedrano.com/chile-mushroom-tamales-christmas/#respond Fri, 19 Dec 2025 15:21:43 +0000 https://adanmedrano.com/?p=12558 Chile Mushroom Tamales are now my fav for family tamaladas.  The umami flavor of mushrooms in this dish is pumped up with the red chile and spices. Make these tamales for special Christmas get-togethers, and they will be a hit. They can be served together 

The post Chile Mushroom Tamales for Christmas appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>
Chile Mushroom Tamales are now my fav for family tamaladas.  The umami flavor of mushrooms in this dish is pumped up with the red chile and spices. Make these tamales for special Christmas get-togethers, and they will be a hit. They can be served together with another vegan recipe, tamales de frijol, that I included in my cookbook, Truly Texas Mexican: A Native Culinary Heritage in Recipes.

Although lard is much used today in the making of tamales, neither pork nor lard is the most traditional way of celebrating family Navidad tamaladas. Spanish pigs did not initially receive a warm welcome from native peoples. Historians describe the pigs as carriers of the diseases that were responsible for the death of 90–96 percent of the native populations in the US, a devastating number. In the northern state of Coahuila, both the Pausan and Julime native communities did not eat pork. They did raise pigs but used them for trade with non-natives.

In this traditional plant-based recipe, the combination of chiles, corn masa, and mushrooms gives Navidad a celebratory return to our delicious culinary roots.

This recipe is from “The Texas Mexican Plant-Based Cookbook” published by Texas Tech University Press

Ingredients (Makes 12–16 tamales)
1 1/2 lbs. baby bella mushrooms, quartered
2 Tbs. canola or vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. salt
water for steaming the tamales
For the chile paste
3 chiles anchos
3 guajillo chiles
1 large clove garlic

3/4 tsp. cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2–3/4 cup water
1 Tbs. canola or vegetable oil
additional
water for soaking chiles
For the masa
2 1/4 cups masa harina (corn flour)

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 3/4 cups water

1/2 cup canola oil, hot
1 Tbs. chile paste
12-16 dried corn husks that have been rehydrated
Method
Submerge the dried corn husks in a large bowl of water and soak them for 1–2 hours or overnight.
To make the filling
1. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbs. vegetable oil on high. When the oil begins to become wavy, add the mushroom quarters and sauté them until the edges are golden and crisp, about 10 minutes. Set aside and allow them to cool.2. When the mushrooms are cool, place them in a food processor, along with 1/2 tsp. salt, and pulse to make a paste that still has bits of texture. Taste and adjust the salt as needed. Set aside.To make the chile paste
1. Deseed and devein all the chiles. Place them in a medium saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover the saucepan, and hold for 20 minutes to rehydrate the chiles.
2. In a blender, place the rehydrated chiles along with the garlic, cumin, salt, and 1/2 to 3/4 cup water, enough for the blender to run smoothly. Blend until the paste is completely smooth. This may take up to 1 minute on high speed. If there are still bits of chile, strain through a fine mesh sieve.
3. In a large saucepan, heat 1 Tbs. canola or vegetable oil, then add the chile paste, being careful with any splatter as the chile paste meets the hot oil. Fry the chile paste for 5–8 minutes until the color has deepened and the flavors combined. Most of the liquid will evaporate, leaving a thick paste that is not runny at all. Set aside.For the masa
1. In an electric mixer, place the masa harina, salt, water, and 1 Tbs. of the chile paste. Mix until the ingredients combine to form a dough.
2. Turn off the mixer. Heat the oil on medium heat and when it is hot, add it very slowly and carefully to the dough in the mixer, being careful to prevent splattering.
3. Turn on the mixer to the lowest setting and blend the oil into the masa; increase the speed as the oil is incorporated. When the oil is fully incorporated, mix on high for 15–20 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.To assemble the tamales
1. Remove the corn husks from the water and shake to remove excess water. Trim each one so that the wide edge is about 6 inches.
2. Place 3 Tbs. of the masa onto each husk and spread it evenly starting about 3 inches from the pointed tip all the way to the wide end.
3. Spread 1 tsp. of the chile paste onto the masa, making a stripe lengthwise. Then, add 2 Tbs. of the mushrooms on top of the chile paste stripe, forming a lengthwise ridge in the middle of the husk. Fold the husk over the filling, rolling it like a cigar. Fold the pointed end down on the side that is opposite the seam. This will keep the tamal from unfolding.
4. Steam the tamales in a steamer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
TIP: Place a penny in the water of the steamer so it makes a clinking noise. If it stops clinking, you need to add more water.

The tamales are cooked when the masa peels off the husk easily.

The post Chile Mushroom Tamales for Christmas appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>
https://adanmedrano.com/chile-mushroom-tamales-christmas/feed/ 0
Regio Cafe: A Mother and Daughter Shape One of San Antonio’s Most Authentic Kitchens https://adanmedrano.com/regio-cafe-san-antonio-authentic-mexican-kitchens-tortillas/ https://adanmedrano.com/regio-cafe-san-antonio-authentic-mexican-kitchens-tortillas/#respond Sat, 29 Nov 2025 22:42:38 +0000 https://adanmedrano.com/?p=12534 Regio Cafe in San Antonio is the story of a mother and daughter who built a legacy of flavors rooted in the borderlands of South Texas and northeastern Mexico. Now a landmark of Tobin Hill, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, Regio Cafe reflects the 

The post Regio Cafe: A Mother and Daughter Shape One of San Antonio’s Most Authentic Kitchens appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>
Regio Cafe in San Antonio is the story of a mother and daughter who built a legacy of flavors rooted in the borderlands of South Texas and northeastern Mexico. Now a landmark of Tobin Hill, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, Regio Cafe reflects the culinary traditions and family heritage of Aurelia Montemayor and her daughter, Norma Gonzalez, and how their shared roots shaped one of the city’s most authentic kitchens.

Aurelia arrived in San Antonio from Monterrey in 1976, looking for a long-lost cousin. While looking for her cousin, she found work at La Norteñitas de Monterrey, where she undertook kitchen chores with no experience and learning the kitchen one step at a time.  Eventually she was able to find her cousin and, as good luck would have it, he helped her get a job at the Esquire Tavern downtown, a well-established and respected local institution.

There, she met María Cardona of Nuevo Laredo, who taught her how to make the deliciously soft, lithesome flour tortillas that she had learned from her mother a style unique to the region of South Texas and northeastern Mexico. Aurelia has followed that recipe ever since, and those same tortillas remain at the heart of Regio’s menu. Some aficionados like Dr. Arturo Madrid of Trinity University, recognize it as the best in San Antonio.

Aurelia’s daughter, Norma, arrived in San Antonio in 1991 to join her mother, and ten years later, they opened Regio Cafe together, continuing the culinary practices Aurelia had learned and making them the foundation of the restaurant. From the start, their goal was to serve food true to their shared region—Texas Mexican cooking shaped by the kitchens, markets, and family tables that stretch from San Antonio to Nuevo Laredo and beyond.

One of the signature dishes served at Regio Cafe:  Regio Fideo, Fideo Loco. (Photo courtesy Regio Cafe)

The dishes at Regio reflect that continuity. Soups like caldo de res and fideo echo generations of home cooking, or what locals call comida casera. Carne guisada and other staples highlight flavors unique to the region, different from what is found in more southern parts of Mexico. But the dishes are not alone, they are embedded in a culture of hospitality.  Dr. Antonia Castañeda says that she loves Regio because the kitchen will make her tortillas extra toasty, also around the edges.  Customers really feel at home, it’s natural.

Laredo and San Antonio Style tortillas, soft, lithesome (Photo courtesy Regio Cafe)

The flour tortillas follow Aurelia’s decades-old method: 25 pounds of all-purpose flour, a cup of salt, a cup of baking powder, and a large ball of vegetable shortening mixed before adding about a gallon of water to form a soft dough. After resting, the dough is divided, rolled into balls, flattened by hand with a palote, and cooked on a comal, plancha, until golden spots appear. Once reheated, they return to the soft texture that has become the restaurant’s signature.

For Aurelia and Norma, these routines are acts of cultural preservation. Their recipes have traveled with them, and each day they continue the practices they learned in Monterrey, San Antonio, and Laredo kitchens. Passed from mother to daughter, the dishes served at Regio Cafe form a living record of Texas Mexican cooking—a cuisine shaped by the region and sustained through decades of daily labor. In every tortilla, every bowl of caldo de res, and every plate of carne guisada, the restaurant celebrates the food enjoyed by Mexican American families all across Texas: authentic, rooted in tradition, and mouthwateringly delicious. Qué rico!

WHERE: 1706 McCullough Ave, San Antonio, TX 78212
Phone: (210) 226-0038
Menu: regiocafetx.com

En Español                 En Español                     En Español

Regio Café en San Antonio es la historia de una madre y una hija que construyeron un legado de sabores arraigados en las tierras fronterizas del sur de Texas y el noreste de México. Hoy, convertido en un referente del barrio Tobin Hill—uno de los más antiguos de la ciudad—Regio Café refleja las tradiciones culinarias y la herencia familiar de Aurelia Montemayor y su hija, Norma González, y cómo sus raíces compartidas dieron forma a una de las cocinas más auténticas de la ciudad.


Aurelia llegó a San Antonio desde Monterrey en 1976, con la esperanza de reencontrarse con un primo perdido desde hace muchos años. Mientras lo buscaba, encontró trabajo en un restaurante, La Norteñitas de Monterrey, donde asumió labores de cocina sin experiencia previa, aprendiendo paso a paso. Con el tiempo logró encontrar a su primo y, como golpe de buena suerte, él la ayudó a conseguir empleo en el Esquire Tavern del centro, una institución local bien establecida y respetada.

Allí conoció a María Cardona, de Nuevo Laredo, quien le enseñó a hacer las deliciosamente suaves y flexibles tortillas de harina que había aprendido de su madre, un estilo único de la región del sur de Texas y el noreste de México. Aurelia ha seguido esa receta desde entonces, y esas mismas tortillas siguen siendo el corazón del menú de Regio. Algunos aficionados, como el Dr. Arturo Madrid de la Universidad Trinity, las reconocen como las mejores de San Antonio.

La hija de Aurelia, Norma, llegó a San Antonio en 1991 para reunirse con su madre y, diez años después, juntas abrieron Regio Café, continuando las prácticas culinarias que Aurelia había aprendido y convirtiéndolas en la base del restaurante. Desde el inicio, su objetivo fue servir comida fiel a su región compartida: tradiciones culinarias mexicanas del sur de Texas y el noreste de México, formadas en cocinas familiares, mercados y mesas que se extienden de San Antonio a Nuevo Laredo y más allá.

Uno de los platillos emblemáticos que se sirven en Regio Café: Regio Fideo, Fideo Loco. (Foto cortesía de Regio Café)

Los platillos de Regio encarnan esa continuidad. Sopas como el caldo de res y el fideo evocan generaciones de cocina hecha en casa, lo que los locales llaman simplemente comida casera. La carne guisada y otros clásicos resaltan sabores propios de la región, distintos a los que se encuentran en zonas más al sur de México. Pero los platillos no están solos; están inmersos en una cultura de hospitalidad. La Dra. Antonia Castañeda dice que le encanta Regio porque la cocina le hace sus tortillas más tostaditas, también en las orillas. Los clientes realmente se sienten como en casa; es algo natural.

Tortillas estilo Laredo y San Antonio: suaves y flexibles. (Foto cortesía de Regio Café)

Las tortillas de harina siguen el método de Aurelia, perfeccionado a lo largo de décadas: 25 libras de harina de trigo, una taza de sal, una taza de polvo para hornear y una gran bola de manteca vegetal, todo mezclado antes de añadir aproximadamente un galón de agua para formar una masa suave. Después de reposar, la masa se divide, se bolea, se aplana a mano con un palote y se cuece en el comal o la plancha hasta que aparecen manchas doradas. Al recalentarse, vuelven a la textura suave que se ha convertido en el sello del restaurante.

Para Aurelia y Norma, estas rutinas son actos de preservación cultural. Sus recetas han viajado con ellas y, cada día, continúan las prácticas que aprendieron en las cocinas de Monterrey, San Antonio y Laredo. Transmitidos de madre a hija, los platillos que se sirven en Regio Café conforman un registro vivo de la cocina Texana Mexicana: una gastronomía moldeada por la región y sostenida a lo largo de décadas de trabajo diario. En cada tortilla, en cada plato de caldo de res y en cada orden de carne guisada, el restaurante celebra la comida que disfrutan las familias mexicoamericanas en todo Texas: auténtica, arraigada en la tradición y deliciosamente irresistible. ¡Qué rico!

DÓNDE: 1706 McCullough Ave, San Antonio, TX 78212
Teléfono: (210) 226-0038
Menú: regiocafetx.com

The post Regio Cafe: A Mother and Daughter Shape One of San Antonio’s Most Authentic Kitchens appeared first on Adán Medrano.

]]>
https://adanmedrano.com/regio-cafe-san-antonio-authentic-mexican-kitchens-tortillas/feed/ 0