On Food & Culture
This video was produced by The Southern Foodways Alliance and screened at the annual symposium where I spoke about “The Art of Cooking.” Filmmaker, Ethan Payne, succinctly, visually, shows the differences between tex-mex and the Mexican food of Texas, an important distinction. Making this distinction […]
The original nachos are Texas Mexican and were 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 tortillas, longhorn cheese and pickled Jalapeños. Anaya […]
I love making this queso soufflé for friends. It’s a special recipe that I feature in my new book, “Don’t Count The Tortillas: The Art of Texas Mexican Cooking” published by Texas Tech University Press. Brush aside any fears about making a soufflé and you’ll […]
Mexican queso is chile con queso, and it often misunderstood, confused with the so-called tex-mex dip that’s made by combining canned tomatoes, canned chiles, and Velveeta brand cheese. Even the much quoted Diana Southwood Kennedy admits that she thought Chile Con Queso was not Mexican […]
In the Texas Mexico region, (central, south Texas and northeastern Mexico) ,wheat flour tortillas are fluffy and pliant. They are all-purpose (AP) wheat flour delicacies, and we switch back and forth between these and corn tortillas, depending on the dish we’re enjoying. We always use […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
“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 […]