cookbook review {the homesick texan-by lisa fain}

such a gorgeous book
the homesick texan

slick and bright

filled with beautiful food

real food

styled to seduce
without mocking the earnest home cook

(we've all been there, full of color and gloss on the page and just a muddle of beige in our home kitchen)

the homesick texan tells a story

of a time

of a place

of a person

of a passion

skillfully woven like heirloom linens
 yellowed with age
and
well worn memories

everything is not BIG in texas

lisa fain proves

flavors can be bold in their subtlety 

with careful alchemy

dried chiles are coaxed back to life

delicately nudged into sweet strawberry guajillo jam

and then

as if a storm rolled in

generously heaped into one-hour texas chili

the food in this book is not fussy

nor is it expected

its pages do not hold

a nacho recipe

piled high with runny cheese and a week's worth of calories

rather

you find

fresh baked corn chips neatly crisp 

each composed to a perfect bite

in the hundred plus recipes

you will find

the makings of

a homey winter breakfast 

biscuits, cream gravy, canned apples and migas

a summer lunch 

avocado soup, crawfish rolls and cornmeal shortcakes

a longhorn tailgate 

chipotle pimento cheese, dr. pepper ribs, shrimp and okra gumbo, cornbread and cobbler

along with many other intrigues

that will coax the texan out of you

The Homesick Texan is now available on-line and at your local book shop 

i give it a strong recommend

a small group of us virtually gathered each week

to cook, share and review

(you can see those recipes and reviews here)

as part of this effort

we received an advance copy of 

The Homesick Texan by Lisa Fain

gratis

from

Hyperion Publishing

*This post is part of The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef

spinach and mushroom enchiladas {cooking from the homesick texan}

hubster was living in alaska

when we met

he had
what i like to call

a food routine

minimally diverse

and

easily prepared

as i write this

i feel sorta bad

i suppose

there was a bit of steam-rolling involved

his beloved flavor-wave
relegated

to a dust laden storage bin
paired with
a slightly traumatic

relocation
to a place

where winter is 

a bit of rain

and 

breakfast of fresh seasonal fruits

aside from everyone
being all up in his business

he doesn't mind it much

unless

he is craving enchiladas

then
i hear how much he loved

the spinach enchiladas in anchorage

how perfect

and creamy

and spinachy

i do like spinach

he says

in a tone more suited to love of chocolate cake

than greens

hubs is neither italian nor jewish

but

when it comes to

my play in his separation from
those enchiladas

i
feel
the guilt

imagine my joy

when he came to me

with

the homesick texan cookbook

in hand

turned to page 155

can you make this?
was his query

spinach and mushroom enchiladas

with

tomatillo salsa

using the best wasilla accent i could muster
i tossed a
"you betcha"
right to him

spinach and mushroom enchiladas w/tomatillo salsa
from the homesick texan
4-6 servings
(printable recipe)
tomatillo salsa
1 poblano chile
1/2 lb fresh tomatillos, husks removed or 11 oz can tomatillos--drained
1/2 cup cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1-2 serrano chiless, seeds and stems removed, cut in half
1 tsp lime juice
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp vegetable oil
salt and black pepper to taste
roast the poblano chile under the broiler until blackened, about 5 minutes per side.  place the chile in a paper sack or plastic food-storage bag, close it tight, and let the chile steam for 20 minutes.  take the chile out of the bag and rub off the skin.  remove stem and seeds and chop the chile. place in a blender.
meanwhile, if using fresh tomatillos, on high heat, bring a pot of water to boil and cook tomatillos until soft, about 5 minutes.  drained cooked tomatillos. (if using canned, skip this step.)  place tomatillos, either cooked or canned, in the blender with the poblano chile. add the cilantro, garlic, serrno chiles, lime juice, chicken broth, and cumin, and blend until smooth.  
heat the oil in a pot on medium low, pour sauce into pot, turn the heat down to low, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. adjust seasonings and add salt and black pepper to taste.
Filling
1 tsp vegetable oil
10 oz mushrooms, sliced (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/2 medium yellow onion--sliced
2 cloves garlic--minced
1 serrano chile, seeds and stem removed--diced
1 lb fresh spinach or 10oz frozen spinach thawed
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 Tbs lime juice
1/4 ts cayenne
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
heat the oil on medium in a large skillet.  saute the sliced mushrooms for 5 minutes. add a pinch of salt and with a slotted spoon remove the mushrooms from the skillet and place in a large bowl. add to the skillet the onion and cook until translucent, 5 minutes. add the garlic and serrano chile and cook for another minute. add the spinach. stir until it is mixed with the onions, garlic and serrano chile. cover the skillet and cook for 5 minutes or until it is wilted.
remove the lid and season the spinach with salt and pepper.  drain spinach mixture and add to the bowl with the mushrooms. stir in the ricotta cheese, lime juice, cayenne. cumin and cinnamon and mix well.  taste and adjust seasonings.
For the Enchiladas
1 Tbs vegetable oil or lard
12 corn tortillas
2 cups monterey jack cheese--grated
preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a large baking dish.  in a skillet heat up the oil or lard on medium-low heat. one at a time, heat up the tortillas in the hot oil.  keep them wrapped in a cloth or tortilla warmer until all the tortillas are heated.
take a heated tortilla and with tongs, dip it into the salsa.  shake off most of the salsa, but make sure that its moist enough to be pliable. lay the tortilla on a place or clean cooking surface, add 1/4 cup of the filling down the center of it, and then roll the tortilla. place rolled enchilada in the greased baking dish and repeat with remaining tortillas. pour salsa over enchiladas and top with grated cheese.  bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is lightly brown and bubbling.

*This post is part of The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef

poblano macaroni and cheese {cooking from the homesick texan}

i grew up in

a waspy neighborhood

too rude?

perhaps i should say

well heeled

cotillion on tuesday

types

how we landed there

i 

do 

not 

know

a

bronx bred
italian family

moving in

must have been quite the shocker

a very dark man

(my father)

doing his own landscaping

seemed to be

equally disturbing

i tell you this

so you'd understand

it wasn't until my thirteenth year

that i discovered macaroni and cheese

while babysitting

mrs. ran me through the schedule

bath, bedtime

no tv

no prank calls

and for dinner?
i queried

pointing to

a little blue box on the counter

she said

the girls love macaroni and cheese

...out it came

in my not so soft voice

lilting to a question

is that what is in the box?

to which

i got the look

it made me feel

unamerican

it. is. true.

i didn't know

macaroni and cheese

came in a blue box

to me

macaroni

was a big plate of pasta

meatballs and sausage

cheese came in wheels, grated tableside

i think she felt sorry for me

fast forward more than 30 years

in of which

i have eaten 

many a mac n' cheese

boxed 

from scratch

scroxed

none being

a healthy eat

this one

however

uses

the fresh bite of citrus and cilantro

combined with the warmth

of 

poblano and cayenne

to cut through the dull sludge

of

gobs of  gooey dairy

which most macaroni and cheese recipes

hide behind

thus

wrapping this fabulous meal

in the illusion

of 

spa food

  *This post is part of The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef

  poblano macaroni and cheese

8 servings

(printable recipe)

2 poblano chiles

8 oz (2 cups) elbow macaroni

2 Tbs unsalted butter

4 cloves garlic--minced

2 Tbs all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 tsp mustard powder

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp lime zest

1/2 cup cilantro--chopped

salt and black pepper to taste

4 cups (12 oz) grated white cheddar cheese

1/2 cup cojita cheese--for serving

roast the poblano chiles under the broiler until blackened, about 5 minutes per side.  place chiles in a paper sack or plastic food-storage bag, close it tightly, and let the chiles steam for 20 minutes.  take the chiles out of the bag and rub off the skin. remove stem and seeds and chop the chiles into 1" long pieces

bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta.  cook according to your package's directions and then drain the pasta.  (you want the pasta to be cooked but not mushy; i cook my pasta 5 minutes.)

preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  grease a large baking dish or cast iron skillet, and pour the drained pasta into the dish.

in a pot (you can use the pot the pasta cooked in or you can do this while the pasta boils), on low heat melt the butter. add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. whisk in the flour and cook until a light brown, toasty paste is formed, about 1 minute.  whisk in the milk and stir until it's thickened a bit but still fluid, about 1 to 2 minutes. remove the pot from the heat and stir in the mustard powder, cayenne, cumin, lime zest, cilantro and chopped poblano chiles. adjust seasonings and add salt and black pepper.

slowly add half of the cheddar cheese and stir until it's melted and well combined into the sauce.  (if the sauce has cooled too much and the cheese won't melt, return the pot to low heat on the stove.  if, however, the sauce gets too thick, like a custard, you can then thin it by stirring in milk, a teaspoon at a time.)  pour sauce over pasta and top with the remaining half of the cheddar cheese and bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until brown and bubbling. sprinkle with cojita cheese, and serve immediately.

austin-style black beans {cooking from The Homesick Texan}

mention austin, texas 

and my heart skips a beat

soulful-gritty musicians

artists, farmers, chefs

gathering to share

amazing food

freshly harvested

properly spiced 

my vision of austin?

accidentally hip

here is the rub

i have never been there

NEVER

i thought i was once

but 

i was sorely mistaken

imagine my joy

upon receiving my assignment
as part of 

the

 i was to make
austin style black beans

at last
my first
legitimate
 taste of austin

no surprise
just as i imagine 
toothsome
darkly rich
edged in spice
and
a bit
smoky

i know this
because i was there
i have pictures to prove it

austin style black beans

 (printable recipe)

 from The Homesick Texan Cookbook by Lisa Fain

1 lb. dried black beans

1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped
½ c. cilantro, divided
½ tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbs. tomato paste
¼ c. lime juice
salt, to taste

rinse and sort through beans, discarding any stones or shriveled beans.  place beans in a large pot and cover with 1 inch of water. bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes.

drain and rinse the beans in a colander in the sink.

return the empty pot to the stove and on medium-low heat, warm the vegetable oil.  add onions and carrots to pot and cook until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. add garlic and cook another 30 seconds.

return beans to the pot along with the chipotles and half of the cilantro. cover with 2″ water, bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low and simmer uncovered for 1½ hours.

after 1½  hours, add remaining cilantro, cumin, tomato paste, and lime juice. taste and add salt.   cook uncovered for another 30 minutes, or until beans are tender all the way through (will vary depending on the freshness of your beans). when done, smash a few beans against the side of the pot with a spoon to thicken, if you wish. stir the pot and serve. 

  *This post is part of The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef