Maybe it's the reports from Austin's SXSW conference that are still coming in. Maybe it's the ridiculously warm and welcome weather we've been having on the West Coast. (Sorry, East Coast! Come visit?) Either way, we're craving Tex-Mex and we're craving it bad.
Tex-Mex is a curious blend of cuisines. You get some truly authentic Mexican dishes and others with distinctly cowboy origins. Throw in a California avocado or two, and there you have it. If this is fusion, we welcome it.
1. Jalapeno Poppers from Gourmet Magazine - Just one is never enough.
2. Acapulco Enchiladas from Sunset Magazine - Almonds and chopped olives give these enchiladas a southwestern twist!
3. Ranch Chicken from Pioneer Woman - Bacon makes everything better. And bigger.
4. Puffy Tacos from Homesick Texan - A uniquely Texan treat!
5. Baja-Style Tempura Fish Tacos from Leite's Culinaria - Add a Japanese influence to that blend of Tex-Mex cuisines!
6. Texas Caviar from Martha Stewart - Nothing like this blend of black-eyed peas and roasted red peppers to round out a meal.
7. Beef Chili with Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits from Smitten Kitchen - Here's one for those of you struggling to make it through the last few days of winter.
8. 7-Layer Bean Dip from Simply Recipes - A required pre- and post-dinner snack.
9. Skirt Steak Fajitas from Saveur Magazine - You know you want one.
10. Grilled Stuffed Peppers from Epicurious - On the grill or under the broiler, these are make excellent party dish.
What's your favorite Tex-Mex food?
Related: Authentic Mexican: Five Recipes from Rick Bayless
(Image: Romulo Yanes/Gourmet)
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I'm salivating...
I love the 7 layer dip recipe from elise.
Hot beans is a must!
That's just too much work for jalapenos.
Mix cheddar with cream cheese and stuff into jalapeno halves. Top with chopped cooked bacon or bacon bits. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.
Bake 15 minutes at 425F. I can eat dozens of these things. Nowhere near as greasy as the deep fried stuff but just as good.
Last week, I ate cheese enchiladas at Chuy's or Maudie's (both Austin Tex-Mex chains) four days in a row.
Four days in a row.
It's definitely Tex-Mex weather.
Yummmm....
Jalapeño poppers are tastier if you try them with cream cheese (i.e. Philadelphia)
Tex-Nex recipes with no queso dip?? I keep reading all about the queso dip in and around SXSW and now I want to make some. Anyone? I need to get me some Velveeta.
It's Tex-Mex with "M"
@hamiltonmka - you'd probably appreciate this post on street fair cheese nachos! Some of the commenters give tips on making it truly Texas-style: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/street-fair-food-week/how-to-make-nachos-at-home-street-fair-food-week-092875
Nooooooo! Not Velveeta! To paraphrase a Matt Martinez recipe - grate a block of American cheese. Saute some onions, peppers and celery, and add the cheese and some chicken broth (for consistency). You will never eat a Velveeta-based queso again.
Seconding the chicken broth recommendation for queso (or use veggie broth or milk to thin it out for the vegetarians).
Processed cheese is fine, either white American if you want to make a Kerbey Lane knock-off version or Velveeta. Most Tex-Mex restaurants are using Land O' Lakes Extra Melt.
And my favorite Tex-Mex dish is cheese enchiladas with chili gravy. :)
The list looks good, but I would replace Pioneer Woman's Ranch Chicken for Homesick Texan's King Ranch Chicken. PW's chicken is very Southern homestyle, but it's not Tex-Mex at all. King Ranch Chicken, however, is a very common dish here and has the Tex-Mex influence (tortillas and Ro-Tel tomatoes). http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2007/10/king-of-casseroles-king-ranch-chicken.html
Only things I could add would be taquitos/flautas, tamales, and... fried avocado. One has not lived that has not tried fried avocado!
Oh I love stuffed Jalepenos
holy crap. now i'm STARVING
GORO GORO.
Highly, highly recommend the jalepeno popper dip over at Annie's Eats. Fantastic flavor!
What's my favorite Tex-Mex food? Besides queso...nothing. Having been born in a Texas town with a heavy Mexican influence, then living for 4 years in both Austin and Houston, its a shame to mess up good, authentic Mexican food with any "Tex-". There are too many good hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurants around here to bother with any cowboy influence.
We love our tortas, too. My favorite is brisket with avocado, lettuce, queso fresco, mayonnaise, and chile hot enough to put blisters on your tongue.
Asiago cheese and bacon sausage (sausage made from smoked bacon) add a lot more flavor to poppers. yum.
Discussions of Tex-mex can start a war. Mexican food and Tex-mex are two distinctly different cuisines, saying you hate all Tex-mex because it messes up authentic mexican cuisine seems extremely shortsighted, like you'll only ever eat one type of food without regional variation. I also think the insinuation that tex-mex is "cowboy" or white people food as opposed to "mexican" is not borne out in Texas. I think Tex-mex is a cuisine developed by a cultural marriage of different heritages. A melting pot of queso if you will.
Queso is a food from the gods. I think the Homesick Texan blog addresses queso wonderfully. Reading the comments here makes my head explode. The idea of putting chicken stock in queso is insane to me. INSANE.