The Heart Of Texas

My my, Texas chili! I have cooked chili in Texas for over 30 years. The bottom line is there is no definitive recipe and method worthy of the name Texas Chili. As I am from Southeast Texas my information absorbed through the years has been swayed by the Mexicans and the Cajuns. In Southeast Texas we tend to take in information and modify to our melting pot palette’s perspective, always rich in flavor and usually spicier than most. Spice is nice! Well it has been a while since I have cooked us a real big pot of Texas Chili so I decided to get after it. Texas Chili has some common ingredients. Meat, chili powder, onions, camino (cumin), liquid (beef stock, V8, beer…………), cayenne pepper, black pepper, beef stock or boullian and garlic. I like to use Mexican oregano and Mexican camino. The study and chemistry of Texas Chili is as easy or complex as your wish. For instance, chili powder, the key ingredient can be created by smoking and drying your own peppers. There are many...

Growing up my close friend’s mother was 100% Italian. She was from the Palermo region of Italy and she brought her family meat sauce recipe with her. It is spectacular and I can closely duplicate it. I loved her and her passion for cooking! I have taken her recipe and twisted it to my liking. Very much the same way I do everything I cook. I replaced beef short ribs with 99% lean ground sirloin. That’s what I like! Rather than use salt pork, I use pork sausage. The grease in the sausage fills in the gap for the 99% lean sirloin. All the fat is rendered off later anyway. Sirloin has a special flavor and I like it in my spaghetti sauce. Rather than use any salt, I use soy. The sodium from the soy really permeates the entire pot of sauce giving it a deep, rich flavor. When it comes to herbs fresh is best…..for some. But dried herbs work very well. I use oregano, basil and bay in my spaghetti sauce. I add herbs the whole cooking process for a d...

Have you ever had bad breath in the morning? Well a good bunch of belly aromatics would help freshen that breath. If you use liberal amounts of belly aromatics in your meals, your whole body will smell better! That fact and it is very flavorful and good for you. Belly aromatics can be herbs, spices, seeds, roots and barks that help flavor your meals. Some of my favorite belly aromatics are: Cilantro Basil Oregano Thyme Cinnamon Bay Sage Coriander Parsley Rosemary Cumin Terragon Dill......... All you have to do is use these great gifts from God and you will have fresh breath even in the morning. Belly aromatics - I LIKE IT !!!

Soft-shelled crabs are delicious any way you do them. Sauteed, baked, broiled or fried, they are real hard to beat. Just about anything tastes better fried. Rock hard abs need not apply. I had the hankerin ' for some sea food so I went to my favorite family owned seafood place and put in my order. I had never heard of Black Sable cod! But, I have now. Absolutely the best fish I have ever had and that is saying a lot. I will be a very frequent customer in the future. I bought fresh soft-shelled crabs, black sable cod, shrimp, scallops and calamari (squid). All along the devil on my right shoulder wanted fried fish and that is what he got. Here is how I cooked them. I used a simple Japanese tempura batter recipe I pulled out of the air. 3/4 cup of all purpose flour and 1/4 cup of corn starch, 1 egg and ice cold water to thin it down. Very simple and very effective. I seasoned the fish with garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and Lawry's Seasoned salt. I did n...

I know you do not eat carbs, you being so health conscious and all.........I digress.......I baked some quartered fresh corn tortillas in the oven. I tore them into quarters. After I baked the chips till they were crisp, I dredged the baked chips in a mixture of soy sauce, water, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper. I then put them back in the oven until golden brown. ............low fat, delicious, filling, cheap! The flavor is very subtle and complex. This should be the come on appetizer at a high end Tex-Mex joint but it ain't.......go figure? The world may never know?