Description
Who says cooking is for homebodies? Veteran Texas food writer Robb Walsh served as a judge at a chuck wagon cook-off, worked as a deckhand on a shrimp boat, and went mayhaw-picking in the Big Thicket. As he drove the length and breadth of the state, Walsh sought out the best in barbecue, burgers, kolaches, and tacos; scoured museums, libraries, and public archives; and unearthed vintage photos, culinary stories, and nearly-forgotten dishes. Then he headed home to Houston to test the recipes he’d collected back in his own kitchen. The result is Texas Eats: The New Lone Star Heritage Cookbook, a colorful and deeply personal blend of history, anecdotes, and recipes from all over the Lone Star State.
In Texas Eats, Walsh covers the standards, from chicken-fried steak to cheese enchiladas to barbecued brisket. He also makes stops in East Texas, for some good old-fashioned soul food; the Hill Country, for German- and Czech-influenced favorites; the Panhandle, for traditional cowboy cooking; and the Gulf Coast, for timeless seafood dishes and lost classics like pickled shrimp. Texas Eats even covers recent trends, like Viet-Texan fusion and Pakistani fajitas. And yes, there are recipes for those beloved-but-obscure gems: King Ranch casserole, parisa, and barbecued crabs. With more than 200 recipes and stunning food photography, Texas Eats brings the richness of Texas food history vibrantly to life and serves up a hearty helping of real Texas flavor.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments viii
Introduction ix
Part 1 - Lone Star Seafood
Tartar Sauce and Hurricanes 3
Galveston Bay Oysters 13
On a Shrimp Boat 25
Barbecued Crabs 37
The Cajun Invasion 49
Part II - East Texas Southern
Boardinghouse Fare 63
Juneteenth 81
Mayhaw Jelly and Dewberry Jam 93
Part III - Vintage Tex-Mex
Chili con Carne 105
Felix and El Fenix 117
The Green Chile Line 125
Old-Fashioned Tacos 135
Part IV - Old World Flavors
The German Belt 147
Czech Texan 161
The Menger Hotel 171
Fancy French Restaurants 181
Part V - Country and Western
Chicken-Fried Steak in Paradise 193
Shade Tree Barbecue 207
Hamburgers and Carhops 223
Ice Cream Socials 237
Part VI - New Texas Creole
Spaghetti Wester 255
Banh Mi on the Bayou 263
Indian Cowboys 271
Resources 282
Photo Credits 283
Bibliography 284
Index 286
