On Food & Culture
An enchilada feast marked special occasions in our home. To understand the enchilada is to understand our community. This classic Texas Mexican dish is made with Chile Ancho and Chile Pasilla, blended with oregano and other spices. Bottled “chili” powder is a new invention, a […]
Someone always brings cactus salad to my potluck parties. Robust and earthy is how I would describe the flavor of cactus, and in this salad the bright colors make it an inviting buffet dish. Did you know that the cactus is also an enduring, elemental […]
When you want an aromatic salsa on the table, use this Chile De Arbol. Its flaky and fiercely tasty. Native Mexican, of course, its flavor is very mild, a bit similar to that of the Serrano. But unlike the Serrano, chile de arbol is used […]
Green Salsa, Serrano chile, 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 […]
Depart from the usual shrimp cocktail sauce and go Texas Mexican. Use Serrano chile, cilantro and fresh lime juice. This delicious Serrano shrimp cocktail is reminiscent of the famous Mexican Campechana cocktails in Veracruz, Yucatán and along the Pacific coast, especially in Sonora. Usually, it’s […]
A BBQ Adobo? Here’s a unique Texas Mexican twist for your smoked ham, bbq ribs or brisket: Chile Ancho Adobo. An adobo is a specific type of puréed chile that is blended with herbs and spices. An acidic ingredient lifts the flavors. All adobos depend […]
These fish 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 […]
“Machacado Con Huevo” uses the basic element, salt (sodium choride), to dry and preserve meat. It’s a traditional breakfast dish based on a technique that we inherited from our native Texas ancestors who handed it down to each subsequent generation. Over thousands of years, a […]
Returning to Houston from Galveston Island, “Gringo’s” caught my eye. The sign is dazzling. It also exquisitely illustrates the aspect of Tex-Mex food about which I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. Restaurants cook Tex-Mex dishes because we seek identity, discovery of who we are. […]
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 […]