On Food & Culture
Chile Serrano is my favorite chile. I eat it raw at lunch or dinner, biting into the green chile, herbaceous and refreshing. A large variety of salsas feature Serrano and here, it’s fried, so the taste is rustic. The tomatoes are also cooked.Chile derives from …
Enchiladas are delicious and delicate. This red enchilada is perfect for romance and to say I love you. I’ve blogged before that to understand an enchilada is to understand our history and community. The tortilla is not a wrap for filling. It is the thing itself: …
In preparation for my class presentation tomorrow, I’m posting these food ideas. I’ll present the class at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. Dr. Maureen Costura teaches the course on ancient foods and this class will deal with indigenous culinary practices of Texas …
Chili, the Tex-Mex version, is different from the original “Carne Con Chile.” What’s Carne Con Chile you say? It means “Meat With Chile” and it’s one of the oldest and most common Texas Mexican dishes whose technique is shared with all the other regions of …
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 …
Amá would make these every New Year’s eve. I recall having a sense of wonder at how she made ribbons out of tortillas. When I make these now I recall happy times with amá, apá and all my brothers and sisters. These are as “party …
I served this at a party cranberry holiday cocktail last night…..it was a hit! It’s a very appropriate cocktail because cranberries are Native American. This holiday cocktail combines tart cranberry flavor with the woodsy, herbal, rosemary. Based on last night’s tasting, it’s gives a sparkling …
Hello, fellow Vegans, welcome to traditional vegan cuisine, an oft-overlooked dimension of Texas Mexican cuisine. They are special for holidays and bring friends and family together. These bean tamales are in every Mexican American home in Texas. Well I can’t make such an absolute statement, …
I think everyone loves and enjoys scallops. This recipe is from my favorite chef champion of French cuisine, (next to Jacque Pépin), Julia Child. The one tip is that the oil must be very hot when you add the scallops. This keeps them crispy on …
I made these with turkey leftover from yesterday’s Thanksgiving feast. The combination of tomato, onion, garlic and chipotle is the basic flavor profile that is used in the classic dish known as “Tinga.” Served in Puebla and central Mexico, It is usually made with shredded …