The Culinary Wonders of Texas

Mind and Palate Bending

I’ve just returned from two weeks in Texas. The first with my family, the second procuring for and teaching a cooking class. As in any visit, work or family oriented, there is a compelling force to go out and sample the local and usually easily identifiable cuisine. Except in Texas where there isn’t A cuisine, but a melting pot of cuisines. There is Tex-Mex of course, described as “not really of the place though found authentically nowhere else”, but the wild cultural diversity in Texas means there is so much more.

My first night there I was invited to a party at Paula Lambert’s home. She is the creator of the Mozzarella Company, and a sparkling Grande Dame in Texas and wherever else she goes. A few days before the evening she sent out a message, “The party has morphed into a Mexican Fiesta! Feel free to dress accordingly.” The dining table was vividly decorated, the buffet table laden with everything from slow-cooked beans to shredded adobe chicken to braised pork and all the vegetable fixings you could imagine, including guacamole and a bowlful of jalapeno-filled pickled vegetables, along with a constant stream of fresh-fried corn tortillas. Voila, Tex-Mex with a touch of Italiano in the wines which, predictably given the host, were a perfect choice.

The following evening, we went to El Ranchito near the Bishop Arts neighborhood of Dallas, where a great mariachi band accompanied us through the best margarita I’ve ever had, made with Socorro Blanco Tequila and bigger than the Gulf of whatever it is called…, parillada, a medley of seasoned meats, peppers, and onions served on the parillada grill, guiso di cabrito, stewed baby goat with haunting spices and pico di gallo, and mollejos, sweetbreads served with slow-cooked charro beans (this, a true surprise). Our waiter, as for most of the staff, spoke no English, but a language I call Warmjoyish, because he dispensed these two things with abandon and efficiency. It was pure food and ambiance in a setting where the neighborhood outside the door was far, far away.

A couple of days later we went to HMart for groceries and were completely waylaid by the luscious aromas from the carousel of stands at the back of the store. Given the ambiance one could fear banality but no! We ordered bibimbap with spicy gochujang (pepper paste) and Manduguk with a raw egg yolk perched on top, both transportingly delicious. Seriously.

And then there are places that fulfill my expectations of the Texas I’ve known for a long time, the ones that you couldn’t visit anywhere else. In Dallas, they tend to emit wafts of smoke and lots of lather atop the glasses. But I will say that the smoke is always great, and the liquid in those lather-topped glasses gets better with every visit as Texas breweries refine their craft. On this visit, my crush on Lockhart Smokehouse in Dallas was re-affirmed. Like any good barbecue joint, you order at the back of the place near the smoker, where Texas post oak burns. If you cannot decide or are, like me, fascinated by different cuts and preparations, speak up and the guys behind the counter will haul out a hunk of meat, slice off a generous little slab and give you a taste. Your decision made, the meat is sliced or chunked, wrapped in butcher paper and slid into your hands. You can get cornbread, slaw, beans, potatoes, and a short stack of maybe Wonder bread too. Washed down with a great beer like Real Ale Devil’s Backbone or even Lone Star, you know you’re in Texas.

This trip, Local Yocal in the cute, historic downtown of McKinney was my favorite discovery. A restaurant that feels like a restored barn and has its own butcher shop nearby, the portions are Texas-size and sparklingly fresh, the home-cured bacon fat and sticky, the wagyu beef burgers as big as your head and oozing with sauce and real cheese. Fries are fat and crisp, and they serve mayonnaise for dipping. The list of local craft beers takes up half a wall, local craft gins another.

I have the added delight of stepping into a Georgian culinary world when I visit, thanks to my daughter-in-law. I am besotted by her home-pickled vegetables, khachapuri (golden, boat-shaped cheese bread), pkhali (creamy spinach and walnut balls), and lobio (elegantly seasoned red beans) that beg you to ask for more.

This time, we had the added wealth of her father’s wine, made at his vineyard just outside Tbilisi. He sends it over in plastic water bottles filled to the very top and wrapped to within an inch of its life with thick tape. Unconventional packaging that somehow, preserves the wine perfectly. Georgian wines are near-legendary; her father’s meets the legend.

And then there are the Indian eateries everywhere, which defy description in their goodness, at least here…

It makes for head-whirling and entirely surprising variety simply because on the surface, Texas can seem like a snakepit of macadam, winding highways populated by outsize vehicles, whether menacingly weird Cybertrucks (or CYBRTRCK as Tesla’s erstwhile owner calls it), bulbous BMW’s that can carry a baseball team, or beefed up pickups that are so high off the ground they come with their own steps so normal people can get in them. One wouldn’t think that cuisines of the world would be around every corner, or that they would be any good. But they are, and they are.

To offer a French cooking class amongst all this color is a vivid contrast to just about everything, because the dishes we prepare are so delicately refined, so Frenchily designed, so carefully presented. But Texas in general has a love affair with France, so there is much enthusiasm and many takers. And I find that as I love to dive into a new culinary universe when I go to Texas, so those who take my classes do the reverse, participating in my French culinary world. And that is the thing with food – there are no boundaries, just places to explore!

I’m offering here a recipe for the pickled vegetables that Paula set on her table, made by her friend and cohort in cuisine, Dan Nelson, which I have adapted slightly to fit the ingredients I have here. Serve these with anything, anywhere (really terrific with fresh sardines, fajitas, tacos, grilled chicken, scrambled eggs…you get the idea). Buen Provecho/Bon Appétit!

VERDURAS ENCURTIDAS PICKLED VEGETABLES

I tasted these at Paula’s house, where they were made by Dan Nelson of Vision Design Inc. who was inspired by one from Martínez, Rick. Salsa Daddy: A Cookbook: Dip Your Way into Mexican Cooking (p. 147). Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed. It is slightly adapted here.

1 medium (12.5 oz;356 g) red onion thinly slices
4 medium chiles jalapeños rinsed, stemmed, seeds and pith intact, cut into fine rings
2 medium (6 oz; 180g), carrots washed and cut into matchsticks
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, preferably Tellicherry
1 tablespoon allspice berries
2 cups (500 ml) distilled white vinegar
⅓ cup granulated sugar
4½ teaspoons coarse sea salt
1 fresh bay leaf (laurus nobilis), or dried imported bay leaf
1 tablespoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
1 orange, preferably organic or untreated, rinsed, zest removed in strips then sliced in ¼-inch thick slices
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

1. In a 1-quart/liter nonreactive container with a lid, pack the onion, jalapeños, and carrots pretty firmly.

2. In a large dry saucepan, toast the peppercorns and allspice berries over medium heat, tossing constantly, until just fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat to add the vinegar, sugar, and salt. Return to the heat, whisk to mix, then bring to a boil, whisking from time to time until the sugar and salt are dissolved.

3. Remove the pan from heat and add the bay leaf, oregano, and orange zest. Let cool until it is warm room temperature, then stir in the orange juice, lime juice, and the garlic.

4. Pour over the vegetables to cover. Seal the container and let it sit at room temperature for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Taste it every day to see how the flavor develops as it sits, and when it’s to your liking (but no longer than 3 days, this isn’t intended to be a long ferment), move to the fridge and store for up to 3 months.

About 1 quart;liter