D'Lish Dish
History of Houston's Famous Ninfa's
by Ana Gomez Montalbano on 01/29/15Words cannot describe the rich taste of Tex-Mex flavors especially served from the original Ninfa's. Ninfa's on Navigation was started by Mamma Maria Ninfa Laurenzo. She started the tortilla business in 1949 before developing her small shop into a gourmet restaurant in 1973. Laurenzo is credited for popularizing fajitas into "tacos al carbon". Navigation is the street in the heart of the Houston warehouse district where it all came together. Laurenzo was prominent in Houston's political scene sitting on various boards including the Houston Hispanic Forum and the Houston Community College System Foundation. The Genuine Texas Handbook listed Laurenzo in the Texas Chef's Hall of Fame. A devoted Catholic, in 1984, she was appointed as goodwill ambassador by Vice President Bush, welcoming Pope John Paul in Puerto Rico. Laurenzo born in 1924 in Kingsville, Tx died in Houston, 2001. Her legacy continues through the natives of Houston, restauranteurs, and her children.
Ain't a Party Without a Good Ol' Texas Fish Fry
by Ana Gomez Montalbano on 02/16/14
Texas is home to various bodies of water including the beaches along the Gulf of Mexico. It's no wonder many natives are avid fisher men and women. During lent, parishioners of the Catholic dioceses can't get enough of the annual fish fries. One of the biggest fish fries held every year in October is the Cajun Catfish Festival in Conroe, Tx. A great fish fry is just as good as a great fishing tournament. Port Aransas is one of the best known places for good fishing. Give a Texan any reason to throw a fish fry and it becomes a party. Some of the best fried fish can be found in
Houston:
- Ragin Cajun's,
- Blue Water Seafood
Galveston:
- Gaido's
Kemah:
- Any place
How to batter fish to fry:
1. Fillet fish and let marinade in milk to kill the fishy smell. 1 hr or longer.
2. Prepare the batter while fish marinades. Mix corn meal, your favorite seasoning, pepper.
3. Prepare your favorite oil for frying. Best frying is in a fry-daddy but follow directions on heating. To measure heat level, sprinkle some corn meal mix into the oil. If it bubbles, the heated oil is ready for frying. Lower heat a tad when ready to dip the fish fillet. Do not over flow the pan or fry-daddy cooker with fillets to prevent over-cooking or even under-cooking.
4. Set aside 1 can of carnation milk in a bowl. This method helps the batter to stick better and adds fluffiness.
5. Once you are satisfied with the marinade fish fillet, dip a piece of fillet into the carnation milk then into the batter mix, then back into the carnation milk. Dip back into the batter for heavier batter if desired.
6. Place dipped fillet fish into the heated oil. Never walk away from heated oil. Monitor the frying since fish cooks fast. Fry to a golden crisp and enjoy!
Where's the Chicken in Chicken Fried Steak?
by Ana Gomez Montalbano on 01/23/14
Fried battered steak known as chicken fried steak smothered in gravy is a Texas favorite. Some historians date the dish as far back as the 1800s giving credit to German pan-fried breaded veal, weiner schnitzel.
If anyone knows more about chicken fried steak, its the locals in LaMesa, Texas. Since 2010, LaMesa has been home to the Chicken Fried Steak Festival. Thanks to short-order cook, Jimmy Don, in 1911, a steak was fried instead of chicken and the rest is history. In 2011, LaMesa became the official town of the chicken fried steak legend. Every café serving this menu staple claims theirs is the best. You be the judge of that but many speculate its the batter and the gravy that keeps them coming back.
Best recipe made simple:
Dip a tenderized cube steak in flour mixed with salt, pepper, garlic powder.
Then dip into buttermilk.
Then dip back into the flour mix.
Place into a pan (or fry-daddy) of heated oil.(not over-heated).
Fry, but take care that the breading doesn't burn and steak doesn't over-cook.
Serve with your favorite white or brown gravy.
The Darling Green Chile Pepper
by Ana Gomez Montalbano on 12/31/13
Anyone who has ever had Southwest Mexican cuisine knows the pleasure of such a distinct taste. The darling green chile pepper of New Mexico is unlike any other pepper in that it can be picked green for a mild flavor or left on the bush longer to a ripe red for a much heated version. The harvest season in the fall creates a hysteria among fans when roadside stands can't stock enough of this precious pepper.
Every year, since I can remember, my aunt, from New Mexico, sends my mother a box of these gem chile peppers. She, in turn, makes a prized sauce for any Mexican dish such as enchiladas and tamales and lays it on thick with the heated version. It never dawned on me how the sauce is what makes the dish. Years ago I had the pleasure of strolling down Water Street in Santa Fe, New Mexico to visit The Chile Shop where the magnificent chile pepper hangs radiantly in glory. For years, the little bejeweled hot pepper has made quite an hot impression on my taste buds, indeed, just enough to make my gums throb for a day.
Enchiladas, southwest style, are flat, not rolled up like Tex-Mex. As a child, I never understood why my mother would place a sunny-side up egg atop a stack of enchiladas. This method is simply to reduce the heat in the sauce. Now older in life, the hot chile pepper has seen my wild days of extreme-heat sauce enjoyment reduced to a more calming effect, not egg, but a sissy-mild version of my moms' darling chile sauce without gum detachment. Hats off to the chefs of the great southwest, including my mom and tia chita!
How Chile Con Carne Won the West
by Ana Gomez Montalbano on 12/23/13
Ever wondered how chiles con carne got it name?
The official chile of Texas named in 1997 is the Chiltepin, also known as the "mother of all peppers". Although it is hotter than the habanero pepper, the most popular pepper widely used in foods is the jalapeno. The jalapeno has many uses other than seasoning. It is the rave in nachos, can be easily grown in small pots and canned as special gifts. "Con carne", means with meat. So chiles con carne is chiles with meat. But in the early frontier, chile was the answer to poor mans game.
Although the dominate foods of early settlers consisted of pork and corn, beef and chicken didn't come until later. Cornbread, tortillas and hominy were served with pork. All meals consisted of pork. Vegetables were an unlikely source because of human waste mixing with the soil. The new frontier was treacherous and meal times were to fuel energy not as social gatherings. ("Engines of our Ingenuity", University of Houston).
As missions established strong settlements along the camino real, better meat was imported. However, priests and military officers received the bulk of the better meals. Christianized Indians and soldiers ate deer or goat meat which were tough and unpleasant in taste. The solution was to tenderize the meat and kill the bad taste. Stewing the meat with available spices such as the native chilies, oregano and garlic lasted for hours but it offered a delectable dish.
It is said that in the 1880s, the first commercial bowl of chili was served in downtown San Antonio by an attractive Hispanic female better known as a "Chili Queen". For a nickel, a bowl of chili was ladled out of a cast-iron pot from the back of a horse-drawn wagon. ("The National Dish of Texas", CF Eckhardt).
Today, only the best chili is homemade. But head out to any Texas chili cook-off and taste various creative versions. From subtle to fire cracker hot, the saucier the better.
Follow the chili road; contact these local chambers; time and event is subject to change:
- Dec 7, 2013-Pasadena TX Toys for Tots Held at 3919 Pansey Street Pasadena, TX. Benefits Moose Lodge 1721 Toys for Tots.
- Dec 14, 2013- Magnolia TX Contact Magnolia Chamber Of Commerce's Magnolia Chamber Of Commerce.
- Jan 4, 2014- Bastrop TX American Legion 533 CCO Chili Cook Off at American Legion Hall located at 3003 Loop 150 East, Bastrop, Texas, across from the Golf Course.
- Jan 4, 2014- - Katy TX 15th Annual Uncle Ronnie's CCO Held at Katy Elks Lodge, 1050 Katy-Fort Bend Rd. Katy, TX
- Jan 11, 2014-- Montgomery TX Wolfie's Lake Conroe Annual Winter Wolfie's Restaurant and Sports Bar on Lake Conroe 14954 State Highway 105 W. Montgomery Texas 77356.
- Jan 18, 2014 - Houston TX CY-Falls Project Prom 2014 CCO Held at Traders Village 7979 N. Eldridge Rd. Houston, TX 77041.
- Jan 18, 2014- College Station TX . Iron Horses Chili Cook-Off Held at the Independence Harley- Davidson, 4101 State Hwy 6 South, College Station, TX 77845. Exit Barron Road on Texas Hwy 6, IH-D is on the feeder.
- Jan 18, 2014 - Columbus TX Knights of Columbus Council 2971 Held at 3845 I-10 W, Columbus, TX 78934.
- Jan 24, 2014-001 - Terlingua TX High Sierra Bar & Grill 3rd Annual Chili cookoff & Ghostown BBQ Challenge. Held at 100 Ghostown Road Highway 170 Terlingua, TX.
