On Food & Culture
Verdolaga, purslane in English, is the indigenous Texas Mexican herb that I love to serve for company. It is my “go to” recipe for a delicious green side dish that goes with absolutely anything. Verdolaga grows plentiful for most of the year in central, southern […]
In Chicago I presented a slide show about how cooking is memory, relationship and ethics. I also conducted a cooking workshop to demonstrate how to make gorditas, working with dried chiles, cactus, corn masa, and pinto beans. No lard, thank you. It was a 4-hour […]
In Texas, guacamole is omnipresent. There are as many recipes as there are bragging-prone hermanas and hermanos. I myself not being one to brag,, Ahem.., my recipe is based on 3 simple rules. 1. Purchase them Green and Hard. Rodolfo Fernandez is the top […]
Large white corn kernels pop open to form small little flowers. Brilliant the cook that invented this attractive dish. Cooked with special combinations of red chiles it is a traditional dish that is also cooked by native communities northwest of us, Pueblos in New Mexico […]
Hello, fellow Vegans, welcome to traditional vegan cuisine, an oft-overlooked dimension of Texas Mexican cuisine. These bean tamales are in every Mexican American home in Texas. Well I can’t make such an absolute statement, but I can say that they were definitely in my home […]
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, […]
Chalupas are made even more delicious when you can compose them yourself, satisfying your taste urges and personal preferences. You deserve to get what you want, so interact with the ingredients, live it up! Caveat: refried beans always form the bottom layer of the chalupa. […]
These tacos are a variation of the famous Baja California fish taco. I omit the wheat flour batter, thereby focusing exclusively on the flavor and texture of the freshly-made corn tortilla. It also foregrounds the sweet fresh fish. I use tomatillo salsa to continue the […]
Serrano Salsa is a classic Texas Mexican table salsa. If you’re from this region, send me an email or comment about how you’ve savored this in your home. Amá (we did not use the Spanish word, mamá) always had this salsa on the kitchen table. […]
Summer watermelon served as an appetizer, becomes formal for a dressed-up party. Here I make little watermelon bowls and place them on a thin Jicama wafer. Let the fiesta begin! The filling is spicy guacamole with grapes. A sliver of fried Yucca finishes the canapé […]