On Food & Culture
Mesquite country bread is made with mesquite powder (flour) and yeast (levadura) and the combination makes this an original unique pan de campo. I first tasted this recipe when I helped bake it with Francisco Guerra, San Antonio chef and caterer, at a celebration of …
Bubbling Queso Fundido is sometimes called choriqueso (chorizo-cheese). It’s a favorite throughout the Texas Mexican food region, which includes south Texas and northeastern Mexico. I make it regularly, especially when unexpected company drops in. Just pop it in the oven and wait for it to …
Tacos al pastor come to us as a Middle Eastern culinary tradition, the Turkish döner kebab being the earliest precursor. It became shawarma, in various spellings, in other Middle Eastern areas and gyros in Greece. Muchas gracias to the Lebanese community for bringing this delicious …
I make chile ancho meatballs in the opening kitchen scene of the award-winning documentary film, “Truly Texas Mexican.” The documentry was screened as “Official Selection” at the Sonoma International Film Festival and the festival asked me to make this cooking video, which screened alongside the …
Greet springtime with bite-size chipotle cherry tomatoes. Pop ’em into your mouth for a blast of bright flavor: tart, smoky herbal. Thesy make great appetizers as well as additions to dishes of grilled vegetables and meats. Chipotles are ripened jalapeños that have been dried and …
Salsa ranchera is truly a cornerstone of Mexican gastronomy. This roasted salsa ranchera version has an earthy, smoky taste that makes it perfect for spring cookouts, accompanying roasted vegetables, meats and fish. There are also boiled and fried versions, and of course, the original fresh salsa …
Capirotada bread pudding is a delicious, beloved Texas Mexican traditional dish. But cumin and garlic? They were never part of any capirotada bread pudding recipe I had ever tasted. Certainly cilantro, pecans, piloncillo, cheese. So I really perked up when Laredo-born artist, César Mártinez, told …
Writers who examine, probe and dig into tacos always have a point of view, a starting point that comes from their personal history, and their ancestry. When they write or scribble their taco stories, they straddle and stride from somewhere between a totem and a …
“Truly Texas Mexican,” the documentary film about Texas borderland cuisine, starts streaming this week on Amazon, Apple TV and Google TV. It will also be broadcast on local PBS stations. A production of JM Media, LLC, the 90-minute movie is shot in south Texas along …
Pan De Campo is a core, “mero mero,” rancho tradition in south Texas and northeastern Mexico. Historian Homero Vera lives in Premont and in Sarita, Texas, and documents South Texas, Northern Mexican history and culture. It was in his monthly magazine, El Mesteño, that I …