Coffee-chipotle ribs
The story goes that one early morning in the mid-1990s, Houston chef Robert Del Grande spilled some of his coffee grounds onto his workstation where he was prepping a filet…
Main dish recipes
Corn and poblano enchiladas
When corn is in season, I love to eat it often. While fresh on the cob with a pat of sweet butter is always simple and satisfying, I also doll…
Tacos al carbon
If you were in Houston in the 1980s, it was hard to escape the ubiquitous tacos al carbon. Ninfa Laurenzo—of the eponymous Ninfa’s—made them her signature dish and as with…
Roast lamb with jalapeño yogurt sauce
It’s said that Texans don’t usually eat lamb. This isn’t true, of course, as the first time I had lamb was in a small East Texas town. I was still…
Red lentils with jalapeños and lime
One of my dearest friends recently gave up eating meat. As we were talking about her new lifestyle, I asked if she was enjoying lots of beans. She replied that…
Cheese enchiladas: the essence of Tex-Mex
Tex-Mex is not Mexican food. That’s right, even though many of the restaurants you see across Texas often call themselves Mexican they’re not. But that’s OK. When Diana Kennedy said…
Country-style pork ribs and sauerkraut
My family loves sauerkraut. My father has a stone crock so he can ferment it at home, and my mom has also canned batches when her garden was overflowing with…
King Ranch bean casserole
The first time I cooked King Ranch casserole, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever had it before. While it’s a classic Texan standby, I’d been gone from the state for…
Cheesy baked pasta with chorizo
Back when I was learning to cook, one of my favorite combinations was pasta, sauce, cheese, and ricotta. That summer, I waited tables at an Italian restaurant and on the…
Classic crispy tacos
If you think of iconic American tacos, the crispy taco what most often comes to mind. This style, which also goes by the name of hard-shell tacos or crunchy tacos,…