On Food & Culture
“Nacho’s” is an original Texas Mexican (not Tex-Mex) dish that was created by culinarian, Ignacio Anaya (nickname Nacho) in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, across the river from Eagle Pass, Texas. It is a thoughtful, beautifully balanced combination of just three ingredients, corn chips, longhorn cheese and […]
Potato and egg breakfast tacos were my lunch staple all through grade school. My mom would make them for all us kids, and send us off to school with these wonderful tacos wrapped inside a brown paper bag. By lunch time they were cold, but […]
Stereotypes appear both in food and film. Sometimes they are employed for humor or satire and at other times they are a pejorative representation of people and places. In this essay I will describe how some Tex- Mex food is stereotypic, how US films depict […]
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: […]
We call cucumber, pepino. This cucumber chile martini draws upon two Mexican flavor traditions. The first is adding chile to pepino, a combination of freshness and piquant that is gorgeous. The second tradition is making sweets that combine chiles with various fruits. In this “Cucumber […]
When you want an aromatic salsa on the table, use this Chile De Arbol. Native Mexican, of course, its flavor is similar to that of the Serrano. But unlike the Serrano, chile de arbol is used mainly in its dried form. The name “chile of […]
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. […]
Squash Blossoms abound here in Spring and Summer. Not surprising since the squash is native to Mexico where the flower, Flor de Calabaza, has many delicious uses in tamales, quesadillas and soups. The Europeans fell in love with them and were delighted that this little […]
Sangria is of Spanish origin, the word deriving from “sangre,” meaning blood. The correct spelling uses an acute accent: sangría. The blood-red wine punch became popular with the English around mid 1700’s. It came to Latin America and to Texas once the Spaniards began their voyages […]
Karla McLaughlin drove all the way to my home to deliver this 15 pound organic-fed, free-roaming turkey and two pork loins. She generously took the time because I was in a pinch, facing a party deadline. She is a one-of-a-kind farm owner. Knowledgeable, caring and […]