Mexican - - Page 4

by Emily

Everything’s Bigger in Texas (Including the Tacos)

Texas. Land of Shiner Bock, queso, beef, dry rub BBQ, and Mexican (okay, Tex-Mex) food. Truly one of my favorite places to chow down. I visited Austin and San Antonio at the end of September, partially to join the 10th Anniversary celebration of Austin City Limits, but let’s be honest, also partially to eat everything I set my eyes on.

I’ll go ahead and admit it, authentic Mexican is great but my heart truly belongs to Tex-Mex, something of which my hometown of Seattle has very little. I knew I had to take advantage of Texas while I could, so one day we headed to the Hildebrand area of San Antonio to a little…establishment…well.. fast food-ish shack imaginatively called Taco Taco.

Quite the luxurious digs, eh? No matter, everyone knows that some of the best food comes from some of the most unassuming exteriors. I took it as a good sign. Speaking of signs, inside Taco Taco there are multiple signs and banners proclaiming that they were named “Best Tacos in America” by Bon Appetit (a bit of internet research informs me this honor was bestowed in 2007). It has also garnered a fair amount of recognition from various Texas publications over the years, so I had to see if it could live up to the hype. Plus I just have a very tacky propensity for needing to try anything proclaimed the biggest, best, most famous, etc…. So I knew I had to go for it and order the taco that made Taco Taco famous: the El Taco Norteño.

by Borracho

At the Root of It….

Summer is only halfway over and yet I am already seeing ads for school supplies. I lamented that fact to a friend and it got us talking about the relative simplicity of times when all we had to worry about was new classmates and teachers, purchasing Trapper Keepers and writing essays about what we did on our summer vacation. It’s a shame because it hasn’t been until recent years that my summer’s have been worth writing about.

This summer, in addition to a few vacations and long weekends, I have tried to take some trips right in my own kitchen. You see, earlier this year, our local grocer made a concerted effort to rotate in small amounts of “exotic” produce that are typically not found in upstate PA. Because of this, I decided that each week I would purchase whatever was new and figure out something to do with it.

There seems to be little rhyme or reason to how each week’s produce is chosen and so my results have been hit or miss. At different times I have been greeted by tamarind with its beautiful brown pod and fleshy fruit, pungent salsify, dragon fruit and the kiwano melon (which looks like it is straight out of a 1970’s Star Trek movie). One of the more successful attempts I have had with this rotating produce experiment was when I walked in to find dozens of waxy, starchy pieces of yucca root piled high. While I had never worked with it before, my produce guy Brett said that it was similar to a potato and could be prepared as such.

in Personal / Recipe / Veggie 3 comments

by Emily

100 Ways to Cook with Tequila

Ahhh, tequila, Mexico’s miracle elixir. This mysterious potion has the ability to both enhance and ruin lives. Often in the same 24-hour period.

There is no better time to celebrate the wonders of tequila than mid-spring, that festive portion of the year when Cinco De Mayo comes to call! Cinco is the ideal excuse for a night of debauchery. However if you, like me, crave a year-round “south of the border” journey for your tastebuds without the shame spiral and permanent liver damage, these tequila-based recipes are just what the doctor ordered! That and some anti-cirrhosis pills. (Do they make those? They should. I’ll look into this for everyone. You’re welcome.) Ole!

Click on the photos for full recipes.

in 100 Ways / Drinks / Featured / Lists 7 comments

by Russell Warnick

Ancho Chile Onion Ring Quesadilla

I think it has become apparent that I’m not one for following Michelle Obama’s healthy eating campaign. Considering that my recent creations have included nacho-stuffed potato skins and mac ‘n’ cheese in a grilled cheese, some might argue I’m actually a secret Palin operative. I’m not, I promise you. I just like to fry things.

My better half is a meat and potatoes kinda guy — no greens, no fruit and no vegetables. So once in a while I like to try cooking something that I know he’ll enjoy. In this case I combined his love of Mexican food with our combined love of fried food. I present to you the Ancho Chile Onion Ring Quesadilla.

in Cheese / Featured / Recipe / Veggie 2 comments

by Borracho

Friday Food Porn: Lost in Translation

This was my view at a recent stop to a local taqueria. If you live in an area with a large Hispanic population, you may be familiar with this image. Bimbo bakery is the largest bakery in the world, with brands in Mexico, Europe and the US. You would think someone in the marketing department would have called a meeting about the name and the fact that the mascot is a satisfied looking bear with an eclair phallus. Apparently not.

in Photos 3 comments

by Borracho

Torta Reform

Due to the nature of my regular nine to ~~five six seven~~ whenever-I’m-done job, I am what you may call a Road Warrior. I spend 80% of my time traveling throughout the wonderful state of Pennsylvania. As an added bonus, this has led to some really great food finds that I would not otherwise have known about.

I found myself last week without a lunch and only about 15 minutes away from a small Mexican restaurant a friend of mine had recommended. This friend grew up in southern Texas and is pretty stringent in his standards for Mexican food. He will rail against the evils of pre-packaged taco shells and refuses to even say the words “taco” and “bell” in the same sentence, so I felt that I could trust his opinion. Pulling up to the restaurant, I was a little unsure. The GPS told me I had arrived but the fact that I had pulled up to a small storefront with no signage was a little concerning. Once I stepped out of the car though, I was comforted by the fantastic smells of coastal Mexico.

As soon as I walked in, I knew I had come to a seriously tasty place.

in Cheese / Restaurants / Sandwich 4 comments

by Borracho

There’s Nothing Wrong With Being Husky

I was running late for work the other day and realized I didn’t have time to make lunch. The forecast of sleet and snow all day pretty much assured that I wouldn’t feel like going out to grab something midday so I pulled a few tamales from the freezer and was out the door. It wasn’t until I had unwrapped my first pickled jalapeno tamale that I realized, I had not written anything about my efforts to make them a few weeks ago!

Depending what part of the country you are from, tamales may be easy to purchase at local restaurants and markets but I assure you that in upstate Pennsylvania, that is not the case. Thankfully part of my family is originally from south Texas so tamales have been part of many holidays and family gatherings growing up. I still get ~~blamed~~ reminded about the first family gathering with Wifey when I forgot to tell her to not eat the husk.

Tamales are as much about the time and comraderie that goes into making them as they are the rich, flavorful and sometimes spicy result. Years ago, I put no thought into how they were made but lately, I have made a point in figuring out a pretty decent version. Slightly intimidating due to the time required, if you take the time to try, you can easily test them in small batches and come up with all sorts of tasty combos. This last time we went with pickled jalapeno and peanut chipotle chicken varieties. The basic prep is below but feel free to play around with these true hot pockets.

in Recipe 0 comments

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