On Food & Culture
Sinaloa Chilorio is a unique and famous specialty of the western coastal state. I’m serving it here with Ensalada de Bodas, another specialty of the northern Mexico region. Sinaloa Chilorio is similar to other chile con carne (chile with meat) dishes characteristic of Mexican cuisine […]
Happy Holidays. How about a smoked guajolote, turkey for Thanksgiving. The guajolote, turkey, is native to Texas and Mexico. Over millenia, it was hunted by Native Americans for feathers, food and fashion. Some of the bones (the hollow ones) were fashioned into necklaces. It was […]
Meatballs in tomato broth were a favorite recipe of my sister Gloria Fernández. She added rice to the meatballs, as do many family cooks in south Texas and northeastern Mexico. They are part of our traditional cuisine, with the flavoring and caldo, broth, different from […]
FOCUS ON HOUSTON: Yucatán cuisine is the first feature in this 5-part series for diners who are looking for a unique Mexican dining experience. Houston is home to many fine Mexican restaurants, gracing every neighborhood of the city, but in this series I focus on […]
This caldo de carne seca, dried beef soup, is the perfect Texas Mexican recipe to begin the new year, 2022. Caldo de carne seca is like a rustic broth and is a true rancho recipe. The Spanish word rancho means a common meal, a mess […]
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 […]
“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 […]
I’m making the iconic Texas Mexican dish, Calabacita Con Pollo, squash with chicken, and I’m relating it to a dish from central Mexico, chicken poached in a garlic-cumin broth. It’s from the state of Hidalgo, in the central Eastern region of Mexico, the homeland of […]