El Paso-style chile con queso, 1947
El Paso has long been one of my favorite cities. When I considered where to live upon my return to Texas, El Paso…
Fried green chile strips
After a weekend at a friend’s ranch house in the Panhandle, I decided to stay in the area a couple more days. That…
Fried green tomatoes
The first time I encountered fried green tomatoes was via the film of the same name. I had never heard of the dish…
Guacamole with corn (guacamole con elote)
Some things never change and that old saw about Texas weather being predictably unpredictable still holds true. Take last Sunday, for instance. In…
Shrimp nachos, San Antonio style
The other day I was at a restaurant, and we ordered the nachos. When they arrived, I was shocked to see that they…
Pigs in jalapeño-cheddar pretzel blankets
Many years ago, a friend from Austin and I were taking the train from New York to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to see another friend…
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…
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…
Pickled black-eyed peas
When Helen Corbitt, the famed Texan chef, arrived in Texas from New York in 1931, she was presented with the state’s love for…
