Caldillo, West Texas beef and green chile stew
The first time I heard about caldillo, it was in a comment from a reader. The discussion was on how best to use up an abundance of green chiles, and…
Tex-Mex recipes
Fried avocado tacos
After a rousing David Byrne set at the Austin City Limits Festival last fall, my friends and I were famished after all the dancing and singing. With an hour before…
Salsa verde chicken tamale pie
A Texan friend of mine who is a private chef in California remarked that she had been introducing her clients to all the Texan classics such as chicken-fried steak, fajitas,…
Tex-Mex beef and bean stew, aka Lakemont chili
My family has a dear friend who moved from Houston to Georgia when she and her husband retired. She’s an excellent cook and from time to time, she and I…
Texas caviar chile con queso
This time last year, I was asking people for black-eyed pea recipe ideas. Most shared with me dishes that involved lots of pork and peas, a common combination as the…
Chile relleno casserole, El Paso style
When I first read the recipe for chile relleno casserole I found in my family’s stash of cards, I was struck by the instruction to use a one-inch layer of…
Brisket enchiladas
This summer, after an afternoon of shopping at North Park in Dallas, a friend and I got into her car and realized we were hungry. As we pondered our nearby…
Soft cheese tacos
My friend was confused. She had heard me order a soft cheese taco plate, but when it arrived, she pointed at it and said, “What’s that? Those are enchiladas not…
Churro brownies
Often I’ll hear about new restaurants in Texas to try and because I’m thousands of miles away, I can only look at the menu and imagine how the food must…
Crazy nachos
Whenever I fly into Dallas, my first stop is Herrera’s on Sylvan. It’s a family-owned Tex-Mex restaurant that I’ve been eating at almost my entire life. The original Herrera’s, which…
