On Food & Culture
Someone always brings cactus salad to my potluck parties. Robust and earthy is how I would describe the flavor of cactus, and in this salad the bright colors make it an inviting buffet dish. Did you know that the cactus is also an enduring, elemental […]
Texas Mexican potatoes, Papas A La Mexicana, are delicious and ubiquitous. From Houston to San Antonio, and all the way from Brownsville to Del Río and El Paso, home kitchens are always stirring up sizzling skillets of Papas A La Mexicana, a Texas Mexican family […]
Acorn squash is zesty, and versatile; can become a lush party dessert or a festive savory buffet feature. Try this recipe for your next dinner party, and serve it with a Texas sauvignon blanc. All winter squashes are perfect for stuffing. Here the sweet pumpkin […]
Perfect for Fall, this french onion tart is a must just plain delicious. Though the French lost out to the Spaniards in their efforts of empire-building in Texas, we nonetheless enjoy their lasting influence on our cuisine. Our traditional wheat roll, bolillo, is French, as […]
Bruscheta is a crisp and refreshing appetizer for these hot summers. 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 to be in the shade […]
Perfect for Sunday dinner, this corn squash guisado is totally Native American. Even the technique is native. A “guisado” is a stew you cook stove top (over a fire. It’s something like a sauté but with liquid added and then cooked slowly so that flavors […]
Verdolaga, purslane in English, is the indigenous Texas Mexican herb that I love to serve for company. It is my “go to” recipe for a delicious green side dish that goes with absolutely anything. Verdolaga grows plentiful for most of the year in central, southern […]
Riced cauliflower is an excellent “go to” recipe that I recommend you integrate into your basic home cooking reportoire. I sometimes mix it with diced tomato and chile serrano, making “arroz de coliflor a la Mexicana,” and it makes a great buffet dish. This recipe […]
In this wonderfully creamy dish, Papas Con Rajas (Poblano Chile Potatoes), the traditions of Peru and Mexico are brought together, potatoes being native to Peru and the poblano chile native to Mexico. Early archaeological evidence of the potato is found in excavations near the town […]
Delicious and nutritious, Nopales or nopalitos are one of the most important Texas Mexican indigenous foods. This nopales recipe is one that I recall my mother making time and time again. It’s straightforward and foregrounds the green herbal flavor of the cactus.Nopal cactus, Opuntia ficus–indica, is […]