SOUTHWESTERN CUISINE NEW AND OLD

…a serious influence
The American Southwest will always be a serious influence in my cooking and lifestyle.
Not only are there many regionally based cuisines in Mexico itself, but there are also unique variations in the American states bordering Mexico as well.

..."specialties" can run the gamut
This can include specialties from each of the border states- California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Those “specialties” can run the gamut from authentic Mexican traditions to highly adapted and popular cooking styles such as Tex-Mex. This does not even touch on the creative “Nueva” cooking from South Florida reflecting both Latin American and Caribbean influences.

…you will notice distinctly different styles
Even if you have wandered across the Border States (like I have) tasting food in the small Mexican restaurants along the way, you will have noticed distinctly different styles in the cooking of say, south Texas and northern New Mexico. There are also many chefs experimenting with combining the new and old in examples of crossover fusion cooking.

…it is quite possible to preserve authentic…classics…while encouraging innovation
Such innovation is not without controversy; although it seems to me that it is quite possible to preserve authentic regional classics while at the same time encouraging innovation and creativity in the kitchen. Such concepts as fusion, New American, New Regional American or even more specifically Comida Nueva are in a sense not new at all. The term “New American Cuisine” can probably mean just about anything. For my purposes here I define it as a combination of favorite regional foods and any number of international cooking techniques.

Antoine’s …can hardly considered modern or trendy
With the celebration of Mardi gras still fresh in my mind, I’m reminded of a very interesting conversation that I once enjoyed over lunch with Bernard R.Guste at his French Quarter restaurant, Antoine’s. Mr. Guste is the fifth-generation proprietor at the landmark New Orleans Creole establishment. Founded in 1840, this classic Creole eatery can hardly be considered modern or trendy. Yet, more that 150 years ago, this restaurant was experimenting with what can be called “New American Cuisine.”

Lacking a suitable snail in southern Louisiana…
As Guste tells the story, his great, great grandfather, remembering the succulent escargot of his native France, wished to serve something similar at his New Orleans restaurant. Lacking a suitable snail in southern Louisiana, he turned to an interesting substitute. In a move that would be considered rank heresy to many of his countrymen, the chef opened fresh oysters, packed the shell with delicious green herb sauce and baked them on a bed of rock salt. Thus was born Oysters Rockefeller, the original recipe still a secret to this day. Mr. Guste’s story has always seemed to me to be the perfect example of how to explain the rationale behind the New American movement.

My own tinkering…has not always been greeted by such enthusiasm.
Now, although generations of Americans have delighted in this chef’s innovation, my own tinkering with tradition has not always been greeted by such enthusiasm. Once upon a time, I suggested a minimal effort to make the lowly taco more appealing and acceptable to a vegetarian. My idea was to replace ground beef with a mixture of brown rice, cracked wheat and tofu flavored with easily recognized Mexican seasoning. It was really almost an afterthought and not one in which I had invested much time or energy. That being admitted, look at the extreme reaction that my recipe received from a food writer in one of the major Texas daily newspapers.

Real Texan (?)…
“We offer the following, not as a recipe we expect any real Texan actually to prepare and eat, but as an example of how New Age food mongrelization debases tradition.”

...self-appointed cultural arbitrators
Well now…….of course, I had to respond in kind! So, I said, “when self-appointed cultural arbitrators retreat into complaints about what a “real” Texan or “real” anyone might do or eat, it leaves me more than a little suspicious of that person’s sense of identity. Scratch the surface of someone crying about being a “real” Texan and often you will find just another self-consciously insecure urban cowboy wannabe!”

Naturally, I will share the recipe with you, let you judge for yourselves and hopefully inspire you to post some comments of your own.

TEXAS TOFU TACOS
Makes about 12 hearty tacos

18 oz. firm tofu
1 cup cooked crack wheat
½ cup cooked brown rice
2 cloves garlic, minced and mashed
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1 ½ tsps. Salt or to taste
½ tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. whole cumin seed, lightly toasted
3 Tblsp. tomato paste
¼ cup Avanti Savoia all-purpose cooking olive oil
12 corn tortillas
½ cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated

1. Crumble tofu into a bowl with cooked cracked wheat and brown rice.
2. Add minced garlic and chopped onion to tofu-grain mixture along with salt, red pepper, cumin seed and tomato paste. Toss lightly.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet and stir in tofu-grain mixture. Cook 3 or 4 minutes or until sizzling and hot.
4. Heat tortillas home style by placing each one directly on a medium burner, either gas or electric, for just enough time to mark each side. Just a few seconds will be enough and a little practice will make you comfortable with the process.
5. Serve taco mix with heated tortillas and grated cheese. Allow guests to fill their own tacos.
6. Serve with guacamole, salsa and fresh sprigs of cilantro.

Texas Independence Day
On March 2, 2009 Texas celebrated 173 years of independence. We are observing the occasion not only with this post exploring culinary tradition and innovation, but also with a Southwestern “fiesta” for our friends, the East Tennessee Chapter of the American Wine Society. The menu will include Antojitos (Appetizers), Platillo fuerte (Main Course) and Postre (Dessert). The photo on this post is of the Main Course, Open Faced Turkey Tamales with Mole Sauce. Check out our next post with the complete menu, recipes, fiesta photos and a selection of wines carefully chosen to match the many flavors.

MARDI GRAS POSTSCRIPT:
Sometimes it’s easy to let simple things slip your mind. Like for instance, just how luscious our Carnaroli rice from Cascina Belvedere really is. Aroma, flavor, beautiful appearance and delicate texture... this plump, white rice from the Piedmont and Lombardy regions almost upstaged the gumbo we served with it for Mardi gras.

Gone to Texas Part II

Part Two: ROMANTIC SAN ANTONIO

San Antonio is located about 80 miles southwest of Austin, but it is well worth the effort to make a little detour on the way and visit the historic community of New Braunfels. Founded by German settlers it is located in the heart of the Texas Hill country. The little town has interesting hotels, restaurants and plenty for visitors to do. We felt that we had to make a stop at New Braunfels’ Naegelin’s Bakery, because it is 139 years old and the oldest bakery in Texas. Try their sausage or fruit Kolaches as well as their famous strudels. A cup of coffee and a treat from Naegelin’s will be just about right to help you finish the journey to San Antonio.

The Alamo City is one of the great tourist destinations in America. Downtown San Antonio profited greatly from the improvements left from their World’s Fair held in 1968; most notably, the charming Paseo del Rio or Riverwalk. Although the Riverwalk was designed in 1929 it was the renovation for the Fair that made it the magnate for visitors that it is today. The length of the Riverwalk is crowded with a warren of eateries and watering holes. One can hear a wide range of live music ranging from Mariachi bands to excellent jazz. Hotels and beautiful Cypress trees line the banks; one ancient titian is reported to be three hundred years old. One of the most pleasant ways to see the sights is by taking Rio San Antonio Cruise. The cruise lasts for about 40 minutes and includes a really informative narrative while you float along 2 ½ miles of the river.

We did make a food stop at the Casa Rio Restaurant, were we once again were tempted by the chili, which we found excellent. Do stick with a cold cerveza and skip the sangria. Schilo’s Delicatessen is not strictly speaking on the Riverwalk, although it is right around the corner on East Commerce. Established in 1917, it is a San Antonio institution serving German Deli food and pitchers of their glorious homemade root beer.

Mi Tierra Café y Panderia (Bakery) should be at the top of anyone’s restaurant list while visiting San Antonio. This San Antonio landmark has been serving Mexican food since 1941. The restaurant is located within the old Mercado and shopping can still include clothing, leather goods, paper mache’ art, blankets, and pottery. Mi Tierra is open 24/7 and is often the last place to visit after a night of revelry in the city.

We began with a Margarita and their Botanas platter of assorted appetizers. We especially enjoyed their assorted nachos and the refried beans. I was determined to sample the Enchiladas de Polla en Mole. Chicken Enchiladas in Mole Sauce which is a rich dark brown sauce that contains some dark chocolate. It doesn’t much taste like chocolate but it does taste wonderful. My wife opted for the Menudo, a beef tripe stew that is famous in the Southwest, among other things for being something of a hangover cure. Does it work? We didn’t have the necessary buzz going to be able to test it, but the locals swear by it. More because it was there than because we were still hungry, we did order the Vanilla Flan and Dulce de Leche Cheesecake. There also literally dozens of Mexican pastries and candies that you may order from their Panderia (bakery). In my many years of visiting San Antonio I do not believe that I’ve ever missed the occasion to dine at Mi Tierra.

Millions of tourists visit and most make a stop at the Alamo- its real name being the Mission San Antonio de Valero. It is one of five historic Spanish missions laid out over about an eight mile stretch of the San Antonio river. These Franciscan missions were not in the strictest sense just churches, they were walled communities. They became small Indian towns, complete with bastions of fortified towers. The missions in some cases had small living quarters built in the walls themselves. There were churches within the complexes of course. Today those historic sites are still active Roman Catholic Parish churches, as may be noted by service schedules and worshipers quietly praying even in the midst of visiting tour groups. I love visiting these old missions, there is always something soothing and serene about them. I have thought many times about how far away from their home these Franciscans were and the challenges they must have faced bringing their religion and culture (for better or worse) to the new world. It was the missions in the southwest that first introduced viticulture to America because of their need for wine for Mass.