Recipes and Essays

Agua de Jamaica, Hibiscus

Agua de Jamaica, Hibiscus

 Agua de Jamaica is as colorful as it is refreshing.  I love the delicious tart taste. It is enjoyed all over Mexico and Central America.  Hibiscus flowers boiled in water with a little sugar, that’s all it is.  I suggest you make and taste this […]

Mayonesa Texana – Chipotle/Yerbaniz Mayonnaise

Mayonesa Texana – Chipotle/Yerbaniz Mayonnaise

This mayonnaise has a pinkish color from chipotles and a robust aroma that comes from yerbaniz, an herb that is sometimes called Mexican mint marigold.  I think “Mayonesa Texana” is an apt name because the chipotle and yerbaniz together give it a Texas Mexican profile.Southern […]

Chile Relleno – Stuffed Poblano Chiles

Chile Relleno – Stuffed Poblano Chiles

This is a dish for dinner parties. The picture was taken by my dear friend, renowned visual artist Cesar Martínez, during a dinner at the CIA Nao Restaurant in San Antonio. Chef Gerónimo López and his CIA staff prepared a full dinner, with appetizers, featuring […]

Corn Tortilla: flavor, texture, aroma

Corn Tortilla: flavor, texture, aroma

The corn tortilla. Think of it as, well, not a wrap.  Not a pita.  Not bread, and certainly not a shell. Erase such conceptions and associations, then give a fresh look at this iconic food.  In culinary terms, an iconic food is one that is […]

Albóndigas de Chile Ancho – Chile Ancho Meatballs

Albóndigas de Chile Ancho – Chile Ancho Meatballs

This recipe is an excerpt from Truly Texas Mexican: A Native Culinary Heritage in Recipes published by Texas Tech University Press, 2014. Albóndigas illustrate the dynamism of food pathways, the routes by which foods travel via bird flights, human wars, marriages, and so on. As […]

Summer Salad: Jícama, Cucumber with Chile Serrano Dressing

Summer Salad: Jícama, Cucumber with Chile Serrano Dressing

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 […]

Pescado Zarandeado – Delicacy From Nayarit

Pescado Zarandeado – Delicacy From Nayarit

Pescado Zarandeado is an outdoor barbecue is the perfect venue to savor this example of the cuisine found in the state of Nayarit on Mexico’s Pacific coast.  It is nuanced and complex in flavor, tender inside and outside a crisp Guajillo glaze. Nayarit is from […]

A Mother’s Day Breakfast Recipe from “Amá”

A Mother’s Day Breakfast Recipe from “Amá”

On this Mother’s Day I’m re-posting a breakfast recipe from my book, Truly Texas Mexican: A Native Culinary Heritage In Recipes. At long last the book has been released and has started shipping. Thank you, friends and colleagues who contacted me yesterday, saying that the […]

Salsa Verde Cocida, A Fresh Salsa For Spring

Salsa Verde Cocida, A Fresh Salsa For Spring

Now that tomatillos are in season, this is a traditional cooked salsa recipe that is great on grilled fish tacos. Recipe: (makes 1 ½ cups) Ingredients: 8 oz tomatillos, about 3 medium tomatillos 1 Chile Jalapeño.  Sometimes these chiles can be large and that is […]

First Public Reading of “Truly Texas Mexican”

First Public Reading of “Truly Texas Mexican”

Preceding the release of the book, I was invited to read sections from history, archaeology and recipes. Truly Texas Mexican: A Native Culinary Heritage In Recipes Mi Tierra Mexican Restaurant, Founded in 1941 November 14, 2013 6-9 PM 50 scholars, artists, chefs and activists. San […]