On Food & Culture
In the Texas Mexico region, (central, south Texas and northeastern Mexico) ,wheat flour tortillas are fluffy and pliant. They are all-purpose (AP) wheat flour delicacies, and we switch back and forth between these and corn tortillas, depending on the dish we’re enjoying. We always use …
You can feature this jicama salad as a buffet dish, or you can plate the vegetables as a first course for dinner. The Serrano chiles perk up the lime dressing. I grew up in a Mexican American family that, like many others, ate lots of …
Serve nopalitos con huevo with freshly made corn tortillas. The tang and crispness of the nopalitos are wonderful for breakfast. It’s a classic Mexican dish that’s enjoyed all over the US and Mexico, and certainly everywhere in the Texas Mexican region. Moreover, nopalitos are a …
A whole chicken, cut up into parts, was what went into arroz con pollo, this iconic dish that is traditional for us Texas Mexicans, Mexicanos, Mexican Americans, Chicanos. I prefer to call myself a Chicano. We were also called pochos by some, and “greasers” by …
Mazapan Mexican peanut candy is lush and delicious, and it’s the perfect weekend recipe because it requires no cooking. I suggest you call up some friends and have fun making Mexican mazapán. Make a big batch, like I did, and you will also make memories. …
Cornbread is among my formative childhood memories. Amá made it especially for family celebrations, and to make cornbread dressing with pecans and raisins. Corn arrived in Texas around 700 AD, and it was the Caddo civilization in East Texas that cultivated and developed the grain …
Here’s my twist on the classic Louisiana Gumbo dish. “Cultural Appropriation” this is not. Why? Because I’m naming boundaries and giving them their due. Also, because cooks are always exploring, always re-imagining dishes, and that’s how cuisine evolves. This recipe is long on technique, so …
Puerco En Chile Colorado is one of the iconic Texas Mexican dishes that is shared with other regions, especially the northern regions of Mexico, each region of course having its slight variations. I grew up with this on our table, whenever we could afford meat, …
Direct, uncomplicated, profuse flavor. I think oftentimes we miss so much by complicating our everyday, wasting time with artifice. Just look at the beauty of what’s around you, get real, honestly. We roast Anaheim chiles then eat them with hot yellow corn tortilla and salt. …
This fresh corn skillet, Guisado De Maíz, is all about simplicity and the importance of basic cooking techniques. “Do the basics brilliantly” was the constant mantra of one of my chef instructors at the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Hinnerk Von Bargen. It was also …