On Food & Culture
Basil Bruscheta is a crisp and refreshing appetizer for this “the climate has changed” dangerous summer. This morning I pinched off some beautiful plump basil leaves for some tomato and basil bruscheta I’m serving at lunch. I find that in Houston the basil plant has …
Salt Aire Margarita is topped with a foam created by Chef José Andrés. It’s the specialty margarita served at his Oyamel restaurant in D.C. The first time I tried it I fell in love with it. I think it’s a great way to add a …
Sinaloa Chilorio is a unique and famous specialty of the western coastal state. I’m serving it here with Ensalada de Bodas, another specialty of the northern Mexico region. Sinaloa Chilorio is similar to other chile con carne (chile with meat) dishes characteristic of Mexican cuisine …
I dedicate this crab-stuffed Poblano dish to the Karankawa descendants in Corpus Christi and across Texas. The gulf coast was their home for millenia. As I was growing up, we’d regularly climb on the pickup and drive to “Corpos” for a day on the beach. …
Holiday Buñuelos meant delicious excitement when I was growing up and our family celebrated new year’s eve. Amá would celebrate every new year by making buñuelos. They’re crisp and light. I serve them with no-dairy chocolate. I recall having a sense of wonder at how …
Happy Holidays. How about a smoked guajolote, turkey for Thanksgiving. The guajolote, turkey, is native to Texas and Mexico. Over millenia, it was hunted by Native Americans for feathers, food and fashion. Some of the bones (the hollow ones) were fashioned into necklaces. It was …
Meatballs in tomato broth were a favorite recipe of my sister Gloria Fernández. She added rice to the meatballs, as do many family cooks in south Texas and northeastern Mexico. They are part of our traditional cuisine, with the flavoring and caldo, broth, different from …
Nopalitios agua fresca is a recipe I’ve adapted from one published in the monthly magazine, El Mesteño: A Magazine About Mexican-American Culture And Heritage In South Texas And Mexico. It was published by Homero Vera. Nopalitos are part of the Texas Mexican culinary heritage since …
Hoja Santa is native to the southern regions of Mexico and is especially common in the states of Hidalgo, Veracruz, Oaxaca and Quintana Roo. Though it grows here in Texas, it was not a part of my family’s Texas Mexican cooking as I was growing …
In our south Texas and northeastern Mexico culinary region, pinto beans are the staple in native Mexican-American homes. No exceptions, not ever. I was amazed when, working in Chiapas, Mexico during my sophomore year of college, I encountered black beans. They were such a radical, …