On Food & Culture
When I bite into the succulent, sweet Texas Gulf crab meat I am taken back in time. It is 1528 when Karankawas find bedraggled Spaniards shipwrecked on their shores, now called Galveston Island. Lucky for the Spaniards that the Karankawa nurse them, feed them. Evidence …
Meatballs can be German, Swedish, Italian, Spanish or Mexican, pivoting toward this way or that, depending on the addition of ingredients specific to a country’s flavor profile. My recipe here is in no way a traditional Mexican albóndiga, but it is Mexican-inspired because it is …
I love this chile-cheese spread. It’s common all across the southern US, and it is so beloved that folk get into nasty fights and feuds about the correct ingredients and taste. Long live beloved food! This recipe is rich and bold, contrasting the roasted, pungent …
“Layering” happens when one element is placed over another so that we experience them separately and also together over time. Both film and food use the technique of layering to provide a dense and revelatory experience that pushes us beyond a one-dimensional and simplistic way …
I burn this fire on the last day of the year. On a piece of paper, I write my ups and downs of 2013 and sign it. I throw it into the fire. In this last blog I’m going to simply list some favorite 2013 …
Paella is Spanish for friendship? I think so. Well, it should be. In Texas, the term “Spanish” was sometimes used (euphemistically) to mean Mexican, or Mexican American. Restaurants serving Mexican food sometimes called themselves “Spanish” as in Spanish Village or Spanish flowers. Not so much …
A quick, country way to prepare scallops, and throw in vegetables that are lying around. In this classic recipe, the ingredients are not so strong as to overpower the delicate scallops. The trio of shallots, garlic and parsley shouts out, “I’m French!” The olive oil …
Three native ingredients make this traditional salsa a delectable culinary heritage: tomato, chile and salt. Each provides important nutritional elements, and the combination is, well, fresh and delicious. There is much to be said for simplicity. Our Texas Indian ancestors used the salt from two …
“Fricasé” is a Boricua dish and also a Plato Cubano. I first learned to make fricasé from a Chicano friend in college who learned it from a Puerto Rican classmate. There are various Cubano and Puertorriqueño versions, but they all have green olives, and the …
I like to serve fettucine in a huge platter, mixed all together with clams, shrimp and colorful tomato sauce. It looks delicious and everyone can just dig in and enjoy. Fra Diavolo is the name of a 19th century Italian opera. The name, meaning brother …