Mexican/Tex Mex Food.

[Zana]

Still have a long way to go to scratch off all the places on my diving bucket list. And I think I may know the dive shop that you're talking about....the one across from the all-inclusive....or at least what was one years ago. Not sure if it is still.

Even after 40 plus years of being certified, I keep finding more places to add to my diving bucket list. LOL Not sure that will ever end.....sighhhhh. But there are certainly many I'd love to go back to again too.

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

That is it basically. Pinto beans with garlic and onion powder, comino or cumin, salt, pepper, and chopped onions.

Thanks for this!

Since we've strayed a bit into other cuisines, I'll add that the southern Italians have a similar dish, but I don't know that it has an "official" name. It's Roma beans with garlic, good olive oil, a pinch of cayenne powder, and salt to taste. Some eat it as is, while others partially mash the beans with a fork before eating. I make it with canned Roma beans and along with some good bread, it's one of my favorite quick winter dinners.

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by Zana

Still have a long way to go to scratch off all the places on my diving bucket list. And I think I may know the dive shop that you're talking about....the one across from the all-inclusive....or at least what was one years ago. Not sure if it is still.

Even after 40 plus years of being certified, I keep finding more places to add to my diving bucket list. LOL Not sure that will ever end.....sighhhhh. But there are certainly many I'd love to go back to again too.

Unless I become super wealthy, I'll never hit all the spots on my bucket list.
Trying to convince hubby to take next weekend off so we can dive North Carolina for the first time.

[Tracydr]

Anybody use epazote or papalo? Thinking about growing a plant of each. Any idea when I would plant them?

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

Thanks for this!

Since we've strayed a bit into other cuisines, I'll add that the southern Italians have a similar dish, but I don't know that it has an "official" name. It's Roma beans with garlic, good olive oil, a pinch of cayenne powder, and salt to taste. Some eat it as is, while others partially mash the beans with a fork before eating. I make it with canned Roma beans and along with some good bread, it's one of my favorite quick winter dinners.

Everything I've looked up online so far brings up Romano green beans. Some of the recipes look a lot like yours. What I've read really sounds good.

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Everything I've looked up online so far brings up Romano green beans. Some of the recipes look a lot like yours. What I've read really sounds good.

Oops, yes they are "Romano" beans. The recipe is for the shelled canned beans. And, just to get us back on topic a bit, the brand available around here is Goya and they sells them as "Frijoles Romanos." If you can't find Romano beans, look for Berlotti (or cranberry) beans.

Or, if you grow a lot of Roma pole beans, shell the later season beans that are too tough to eat as green beans and get left on the vine. I pick them just when the pods start to dry out for a treat that's completely different than if you let them dry completely. Either way, boil them in water until tender and dress them with the remaining ingredients.

[Zana]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

Oops, yes they are "Romano" beans. The recipe is for the shelled canned beans. And, just to get us back on topic a bit, the brand available around here is Goya and they sells them as "Frijoles Romanos." If you can't find Romano beans, look for Berlotti (or cranberry) beans.

Or, if you grow a lot of Roma pole beans, shell the later season beans that are too tough to eat as green beans and get left on the vine. I pick them just when the pods start to dry out for a treat that's completely different than if you let them dry completely. Either way, boil them in water until tender and dress them with the remaining ingredients.

Sounds good, will have to try them next year like that. My beans are toast now for the season.

[AlittleSalt]

So what is TexMex?

There are so many thoughts on this question. I think the true answer is in the eye of the beholder. I have many friends that think it means nothing to do with food and they might be right.

TexMex is honestly a cuisine in itself. The use of Comino or Cumin comes from Indian cuisine. For a majority of Texans - it ain't right without Cumin or Comino in it.

Fajitas are TexMex. Around where I live, you can get skirt steak fajitas in every other place to eat there is. Nowadays, you can get chicken, turkey, shrimp, lobster, and even deer fajitas. I'd try moose and polar bear fajitas if you spice it up right.

Chili Con Carne is what the rest of the world knows as, "Chili". It is 100% TexMex, but other dishes with next to nothing in similarity try to compare. Chili competitions happen here in the summer much less in the colder weeks.

But that is an outside view of what TexMex really is. I wrote the above using google/wiki for examples. I left out how the use of cheese beans are TexMex too.

I personally cook a majority of my dishes reflecting TexMex and Cajun styles. After all, I live much closer to Louisiana than I do Mexico. But as we all do, we choose our favorites from around the world. My favorite recipe has nothing to do with any certain region in the form of calling it that areas' specialty.

Mexican/TexMex, how do you cook Dorado?

[mensplace]

Here, the one Tex-Mex restaurant that proclaims itself as such is staffed totally by South Americans. In fact, the Mexicans seem to have largely moved elsewhere and the Central and South Americans have moved in. Caribbean restaurants have also grown in number. I had always thought of Tex-Mex as just hotter and spicier Mexican staples. Finding true Mexican dishes like anything with goat is hard, never mind pozole or more challenging things like menudo, or even a real taco al pastor. Even finding a real bowl of red is hard...and I despise beans in mine, though sometimes I do love a plate of Cincinnati style over spaghetti ...which is just weird.

[Worth1]

Sometimes a person has to step up to the plate and take charge.
I now proclaim myself as the official Tex/Mex food authenticator.

So Tex/Mex from now on all across the land is what I say it is.

Somebody had to do it.
Will people listen?
Not likely.

Worth

[Zana]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Sometimes a person has to step up to the plate and take charge.
I now proclaim myself as the official Tex/Mex food authenticator.

So Tex/Mex from now on all across the land is what I say it is.

Somebody had to do it.
Will people listen?
Not likely.

Worth

I'd be inclined to believe what you believe is "Tex-Mex" is indeed the real thing. But then I'm from waaaaaaay up north...so what do I know about Tex-Mex, except that I've liked almost everything I've tried while in Texas under that banner. But not always when trying it elsewhere.

I am no authority on Tex-Mex. I've had some great stuff...and some stuff I wouldn't serve a starving dog. However, I do love to cook and learn new ways to cook. After all, being Armenian, I grew up hearing that "We live to eat, rather than eat to live!". And unfortunately my waistline/butt can validate that statement....lol

So go for it Worth - self-proclaimed Tex-Mex Guru.

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by Zana

I'd be inclined to believe what you believe is "Tex-Mex" is indeed the real thing. But then I'm from waaaaaaay up north...so what do I know about Tex-Mex, except that I've liked almost everything I've tried while in Texas under that banner. But not always when trying it elsewhere.

I am no authority on Tex-Mex. I've had some great stuff...and some stuff I wouldn't serve a starving dog. However, I do love to cook and learn new ways to cook. After all, being Armenian, I grew up hearing that "We live to eat, rather than eat to live!". And unfortunately my waistline/butt can validate that statement....lol

So go for it Worth - self-proclaimed Tex-Mex Guru.

Zana, At first I was laughing and then I thought about wanting to lose that extra 50 pounds for 22 years now...

[Zana]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Zana, At first I was laughing and then I thought about wanting to lose that extra 50 pounds for 22 years now...

Thanks ALS!

I feel your pain. Took me 3 years to drop almost 60lbs. Then the docs put me on meds in the spring of 2013 and gained back 30 of that in 6 weeks as one of the side effects. Needless to say I wasn't happy. Still have about 15 of that to lose. Funny how go off those meds and only 15lbs drop off fairly easily but the other 15lbs have been a lot harder. And still have more to lose after that....paying for all the years of screwing up my knees playing sports that have limited my mobility in recent years, which makes it harder to work it off.

So in the mean time I've been tweaking family recipes to low-cal/low-carb/no wheat. At least some cuisines fall into that naturally. Unfortunately some of the Armenian or Scottish ones don't.

But I love the flavours of tex-mex and wish there was more authentic stuff available here. Guess I need another trip down to Texas to restock. LOL

[Tracydr]

Shrimp tacos with mango salsa the other night. Nothing fancy, just replaced tomatoes with mangoes in a pico de gallo. Shrimp baked with cumin, chile and garlic for 6-8 minutes.
Served on corn tortillas with shredded cabbage. Next time, will make a creamy yogurt sauce to top it off.

[Zana]

Originally Posted by Tracydr

Shrimp tacos with mango salsa the other night. Nothing fancy, just replaced tomatoes with mangoes in a pico de gallo. Shrimp baked with cumin, chile and garlic for 6-8 minutes.
Served on corn tortillas with shredded cabbage. Next time, will make a creamy yogurt sauce to top it off.

Yum...sounds like it was good...with or without the yoghurt sauce.