On Food & Culture
Cucumber lime agua fresca brings back memories of migrant farmwork and picking cotton. Pepino is refreshing. My amá, mom, swore by it. Picture us teenagers in the cotton fields, on the ground, by the shade of the pickup truck, the sweltering Texas heat unabating. We are …
Tex-Mex food politics gets served up with my opening words, “Enough with the cheese!” I’m honored to be the very first guest on this new video podcast hosted by two inspiring Texas leaders: Representative Christina Morales (District 145) and Representative Ana-Maria Ramos (District 102). They …
This Mexican pescado zarandeado will take your outdoor grilling into unusually delicious territory. The recipe is from the state of Nayarit on Mexico’s Pacific coast. Red snapper is marinated in guajillo-forward spices, then grilled over mesquite, continuously basted, and finished with butter, leaving a moist …
On a wintry night, this creamed celery and cilantro soup offers a comforting warmth—it’s both homey and restorative. While celery and cilantro originally hail from the Mediterranean, they’ve found a unique and cherished place in Mexican cuisine. Today, these ingredients are staples in Mexican American …
This recipe for Penne A La Vodka is lacto-vegetarian. It’s a “go slow” recipe, so you can enjoy a good sipping tequila while you cook it with friends. To bring out the sweetness of the onion while keeping the white color, I cook it very …
Chicken stock tortilla soup bursts with delicious guajillo chile and roasted tomato flavors. Roasting both the tomato and the guajillo chile deepens the complex flavor and also adds a bit of sweetness. With 6 grams of protein per cup, the chicken stock in this recipe …
Mexican gumbo? You be the judge of my twist on the classic Louisiana gumbo dish. Cultural Appropriation? I don’t think so, because I’m naming boundaries and giving them their due. I love exploring new flavors and re-imagining dishes. That’s how cuisine evolves and I think …
Absolutely awesome grapefruit pie celebrates Texas Ruby Red grapefruits. It’s a recipe that artist Celeste De Luna shared with me during the filming of our award-winning documentary, “Truly Texas Mexican, now streaming on Amazon Prime Movies. Celeste De Luna is a native of the Rio …
Dispatch from San Antonio, Texas: If you travel to San Antonio, get out your cellphone and safeguard these 3 chef-owned San Antonio restaurants that will give you the rich and vibrant flavors of San Antonio’s native food. You won’t find them on the famous downtown …
Poetry and food? Absolutely with Huevos Rancheros. I often connect my dishes to music or poetry and when it comes to huevos rancheros it’s easy to do so. Huevos Rancheros is a dish that has inspired poetry from Anthony The Poet (Anthony M. Flores) and …
