On Food & Culture
Pecan makes these stuffed mushrooms a crunchy treat. Pecan stuffed mushrooms are a favorite for parties and, yes, football games. Both the nut and the word, “pecan,” are Native American. European immigrants were not familiar with the pecans, which reminded them of walnuts. In fact, […]
This brussels sprouts dish is a prime example of how foods evolve in delicious ways through human migration and cultural crossings. This robust dish augments the unique flavor of the sprouts (make sure you get fresh ones) with two Texas native ingredients, pecans and Serrano […]
Let’s start this new year with an innovative use of the wonderfully aromatic herb, Hoja Santa. It’s traditionally always served cooked, but here I make it into a salad, paired with equally aromatic fennel seeds and cold-weather greens. I think that Hoja Santa will become […]
Sometimes, when you want a break from wheat and gluten, you can enjoy a variety of delicious dishes that harken back to the days before wheat was grown in the Americas. This is one of them: Shrimp with Tatuma Squash Noodles, “Camarón y Calabacita.” The […]
You can feature these crisp vegetables as a buffet dish, or you can plate them as a first course for dinner. (Recipe is from Truly Texas Mexican: A Native Culinary Heritage In Recipes.) As a Mexican-American family, we ate lots of vegetables, many of them […]
Braised leeks are an elegant accompaniment to roasts. The goal of braising is to allow time and very low heat to work their twofold magic of softening the leeks and intensifying their flavor. That rich glaze is not achieved with fats (this recipe has no […]
I make large batches of this zesty, hearty tomato sauce and freeze it in plastic bags. It’s really great for spaghetti, meatballs and especially in baked dishes like eggplant parmigiana and pizzas. Recipe Ingredients (makes 4 cups) 4 cups Roma tomatoes, canned or fresh 2 […]
This morning I roasted pecans. Break them into pieces, add a little salt and into the oven they go. The aroma fills the home with delicious recollections. Food is memory and the pecan is a good example of this. Pecan is an iconic ingredient in […]
When you just feel like having friends over for a “gussied up” dinner party, try this delicious mushroom strudel. This lacto-vegetarian dish is rich and fancy, but you can assemble everything ahead of time and, when your friends arrive, pop it in the oven. No, […]
This morning I thought about the thousands of acres of prime farmland dedicated to growing corn that will not feed anyone at all! It will go to make fuel, as in this picture of trucks emptying corn into an ethanol plant in Iowa. Corn for […]