Tex-Mex Cooking with Robb Walsh

[fifi]

Elie (FoodMan) and I have been discussing cooking our way through Robb Walsh's book since it came out. The eGullet Tex-Mex Q&A with Robb Walsh was held last summer. Having played with the book for a while, and with the change of seasons, we think the time is now.

Believe it or not, a lot of Tex-Mex dishes are great for taking on a picnic, adding back-up dishes for that BBQ, and just general good stuff for anytime. Many of the recipes are quick and easy to make, perfect for summer days when you have other fun things to do. And, of course, the results are delicious. So, partly to cook our way through another book, and partly to honor Robb's accomplishment, I propose that we start. Honor you say? Oh, yeah. In case you missed it, this announcement from International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP):

Cookbook Awards Finalist

“The Tex-Mex Cookbook: A History in Recipes and Photos”

Author: Robb Walsh

Publisher: Broadway Books

Editor: Jennifer Josephy

Price: $17.95 U.S.

I am not going to get to actually cook until Saturday or Sunday but I wanted to kick this off now so we can wait around together for the results of the Saturday night, April 16 awards ceremony. Becoming a finalist in this crowd is already a huge honor. But it will be fun anticipate the outcome. And we do have to have something to eat while we wait, don't we?

Actually, I am going to start off with a recipe that is not true Tex-Mex but I am anxious to try, "Montparnasse Gruyere Enchiladas."

Cafe Pacifico's Cheese Enchiladas came cloaked in a rich red chile colorado sauce. But it was the cheese itself that captured my attention -- sharp, tangy, and perfectly melted, with the aroma of a Swiss fondue. This cheese enchilada was the best I'd ever had. Which was quite a surprise, in the Montparnasse section of Paris.

If that doesn't get the more curious of your taste buds to jumping, well . . . I don't know what to do for you. For me, I have a secondary reason for wanting to do this. There were all kinds of "Mexican" restaurants when I was hanging around in The Hague. The menus were actually Tex-Mex, but I quibble. I had enchiladas that I am sure were made with gouda cheese. While the sauce was a little tame for my taste, they were really good.

Doing my shopping I got a bit of a shock. I am not a cheese whiz (pun intended?) so I go to my local Spec's that has a decent cheese section. The knowledgeable deli manager points me to a block of imported gruyere. It is aged over 120 days and is $11.57 USD per pound. The block is a little over a half pound. After looking at the recipe again, I think I may need more. I make my trip to the HEB to get the dried anchos and poblanos since they have good turn over. Better get a bit more cheese. I picked up a block of Boar's Head brand. It doesn't say how long it is aged. It is $15.98 USD per pound. What's up with that? Before I grate it, I will do a taste test and report later.

I feel that I am on an adventure already. Remember, typical Tex-Mex enchiladas use "that yeller rat cheese" or Velveeta. (Yes, really.)

BTW . . . This recipe uses the red chile sauce from "Old Borunda Stacked Red Chile Enchiladas" on page 106. I can see why Robb chose it. It looks particularly tasty and anything that starts with the dried peppers has to be good. If you have a blender, it is much less trouble to make than you might think.

I will be back with the enchiladas later. In the meantime, I can highly recommend the mango salsa, page 254. The mangos looked particularly nice in the HEB today. I now consider the "Salsa Verde," page 94, a "pantry staple." It is terrific on broiled fish. I have even mixed it with a little mayo and crema for a salad dressing. Chapter 2, "Old Fashioned Breakfasts" is likely my favorite chapter so look around in there for some good wake-up ideas.

So get out your boots and Stetson, crank up the Mariachi or Salsa music and let's cook some of Robb's Tex-Mex.

[rabidscottsman]

count me in:

I got this book for free when work gave me a $75 gift card to Barnes and Noble for my 10th year anniversary at work.

I havent made anything out of this book yet and im getting anxious to try a few recipes

[Dana]

I got this book at Christmas time, and haven't made anything from it either. I'm taking a short trip to see my grandson, but will be checking out what everybody makes this weekend, and I'll find something to try when I return next Thursday. Good Cooking, all!!!

[FoodMan]

This should be great! Recipes I'd like to start with include at least one breakfast item, a chili recipe from the several available ones, maybe fajitas, and a couple desserts (flan is one for sure).

Huevos Rancheros sure sound good for breakfast tomorrow...

Elie

[franktex]

I just re-read it the other day, as I heard Robb and The Fajita King speaking at a 'Talkin' Tex-Mex' discussion at the local Food Festival last weekend (It was funny because it got heated, and even a heckler in the audience disputing where fajitas were invented)

and, of course, had to hit one of my favorite places in San Antonio, The Blanco Cafe for some enchiladas made with red corn tortillas-just great!!

Also recommended is the Eggs in Hell(eggs poached in chile sauce).

[fifi]

In case you missed the link in the Q&A announcement, don't miss FoodMan's book review. We also printed an excerpt from the book here.

[FoodMan]

Made the migas for breakfast yesterday. They were very good and surprisingly creamy with a nice kick. I served them sprinkled with cilantro and with extra corn tortillas.

Elie

[fifi]

Back home and making enchiladas. BTW . . . Robb didn't win but it was a big enough deal to be a finalist. Arthur Schwartz won for New York City Food: An Opinionated History and More Than 100 Recipes.

As I said above, I was really curious as to what the gruyere cheese would do for an enchilada so I am making "Montparnasse Gruyere Enchiladas" on page 253. The chile gravy is on page 106. I went right by the recipe. On the cheese, I had some imported and a block of Boar's Head. I have to say that the imported is better. It is a bit more tangy and nutty. The Boar's Head isn't bad, though and is a worthy substitute. But . . . why? The imported was cheaper. It works out that you need just shy of a pound for the three cups of grated called for in the recipe.

So . . . we get started with the chile gravy. Now for my first casualty. My piece of crap blender won't go. Oh well. I never liked the thing anyway. Now I have an excuse to go buy a real blender. I turned to my handy dandy Kitchen Aid food processor. It did an admirable job of pureeing the cooked anchos, onion and garlic. I did use only two cups of water at this point instead of the three called for in the recipe. Three seemed a bit much and I was already having to do this in two batches. I put the puree through a strainer but there was precious little "gunk" left behind.

The cheese is grated, the poblanos roasted and cut into strips, it is time to make the gravy. This is what I call a light roux.

Adding in the chile puree there is a lot of sputtering going on and it is bubbling like the mud pots at Yellowstone. I did end up adding in that other cup of water at this point.

One note on ancho chile paste. It stains everything orange. I am orange. My T-shirt is orange spotted. (I should have worn black.) My floor, counters, range top, various utensils and parts of the ss sink are all orange. I used to wonder why The University of Texas has that weird orange as its signature color. Now I think I know.

The tortillas are fried and two cups of the chile gravy has been fried again in the pan used for the tortillas. More orange eruptions. It is time to assemble. Just for the fun of it, I am putting two enchiladas each in my single serving Le Creuset gratins.

And we are ready for the oven.

After about 15 minutes at 350 degrees F they are all bubbly and ready. One big pan may take a bit longer.

Finally I get a taste. The stringy cheese has added orange to my chin.

The verdict? Oh my. Oh my. Oh my. These are some really good enchiladas. I was afraid that the chile gravy would wipe out the distinctive cheese but that isn't the case. The nutty tang comes through. This is definitely a new twist on Tex-Mex and worth doing again.

The chile gravy has a very slight bitter note to it that is a good foil for the richness of the dish. I was a little confused as to the three cups of water for the gravy. I was about to use the water that the chiles were cooked in but I am glad I did not. I think the bitter note would have been too strong. The other part of the good gravy news is that I have almost two cups left over. I will have to decide what to do with it. Maybe make some of the old style like "Larry's Enchiladas" next time around.

[ludja]

Made the migas for breakfast yesterday. They were very good and surprisingly creamy with a nice kick. I served them sprinkled with cilantro and with extra corn tortillas.

...

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The migas you made look great Foodman... I made these from Robb's book also and they were great. (My first time eating migas).

edited to add: Thanks for the blow by blow on the gruyere enchiladas Fifi... they look great. I was intrigued by that recipe as well and must try it sometime!

Edited April 18, 2005 by ludja (log)

[Bella S.F.]

I'll bite... what are (is?) migas?

[fifi]

From Robb's first chapter "Talking Tex-Mex":

. . . In Tex-Mex cooking, migas is a popular breakfast dish made with scrambled eggs and crushed tortilla chips or fried tortilla scraps. Optional ingredients include onions, serrano chiles, and cheese.

[Mabelline]

Miz fifi and Elie--both those look absolutely gorgeous. Those red enchiladas look too beautiful to eat - who am I kidding?

fifi, I know you commited blendercide! Planned obsolescence, indeed! I am not foooooled, girlfriend!!

[Jay Francis]

Hello everyone. Robb asked me if I could drop in to say 'Hi' on his behalf. I helped out with the recipe testing for his book, so if there are any questions that I can help with, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jay

[johnjohn]

Hello everyone.  Robb asked me if I could drop in to say 'Hi' on his behalf.  I helped out with the recipe testing for his book, so if there are any questions that I can help with, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jay

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Hi Jay - I picked this book up last night. I am looking forward to working my way through the enchilada recipes.

What are some of your favorite recipes in this book?

[FoodMan]

Fifi-

These look absolutly amazing! I admit I never thought of trying them fearing that Gruyere and anchos are not made for each other. I love your presentation as well (I need to buy some of those gratin dishes). I love Larry's Enchiladas, made with prime shelf aged freakishly yellow "rat-cheese" , aka Velveeta.

Elie

[fifi]

Thanks for dropping in Jay. I do have a question about the gruyere enchiladas. I was curious about the selection of the style of chile gravy for the recipe. It is certainly a very "ancho dense" version and that is why I was somewhat concerned about it "running over" the cheese. (As I said above, it doesn't.) So do you know if it was selected to approximate what Robb had in Montparnasse?

Just as a note, the gouda enchiladas I had in The Hague almost universally had a chile gravy that seemed more like the "Chili Gravy" on page 74.

I am now thinking that some of the leftover sauce from the enchiladas is going to wind up in a tamale pie. That is a nostalgic dish for me. It used to show up in the elementary school cafeteria at least once a month. It was always a big hit with us kids.

[Jay Francis]

I remember that there were two Mexican restaurants in Den Haag when I was living there. There was one in the walking around area downtown. But the popular one and the really good one was in that circle in Scheveningen on the left hand side as you looked toward the hotel. I really liked that place.

[fifi]

I remember that there were two Mexican restaurants in Den Haag when I was living there.  There was one in the walking around area downtown.  But the popular one and the really good one was in that circle in Scheveningen on the left hand side as you looked toward the hotel.  I really liked that place.

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I ate at the one you describe in Scheveningen a couple of times in the past two years. I came to prefer staying in that hotel. Their breakfast was outstanding. There was another one on the "back street" but the one on the beach front promenade is where I had the enchiladas I described. A friend told me that there were at least two in the downtown area of Den Haag and several in Amsterdam.

[lovebenton0]

From Robb's first chapter "Talking Tex-Mex":

. . . In Tex-Mex cooking, migas is a popular breakfast dish made with scrambled eggs and crushed tortilla chips or fried tortilla scraps. Optional ingredients include onions, serrano chiles, and cheese.

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i'm going to have to jump on this cart! those enchiladas look fantastic, fifi. you've convinced me to try those.

i just made migas two mornings ago and didn't realize i was having fun here already.

i have to agree... the salsa verde is a staple. hopefully with my own tomatillas this year too. i love the red salsa from our garden goodies but sometimes nothing is better than the verde. with salad, and for me enchiladas are not complete without salad, i drop some good rich sour cream on the side with a big spoonful of salsa of choice.

i recently bought some little gratin dishes, not LC, but heavy ceramic (and cheap ) and they work great. i like the idea of doing the enchiladas in individual servings too.

so what's up next? i need to drag out the copy and start perusing.

[Bella S.F.]

fifi, thanks for the information on mingas.

Well, you folks got me to buy All About Braising. Could another cookbook be in my future? Do you find this one a winner?

[fifi]

This one is definitely a winner even if you never cook a recipe. The research and the history are amazing. Robb has truly done the hard digging on this original and unique US regional cuisine.

But . . . Don't let the history stop you. The recipes really do result in the original and true taste of Tex-Mex. A lot of them are easy. If you follow them you will get a real feel for the cuisine and can branch off on your own from there.

[hazardnc]

I bought this cookbook following the Robb Walsh Q&A session here. Reading it is almost better than making the recipes, as I fondly remember many of the dishes in the book from childhood - right down to the puffy tacos.

To dates, I can attest the Ninfa's fajita recipe is a winner. I already had a copy of Ninfa's green sauce from an old cookbook, Texas on the Halfshell. Additionally, the frozen margarita recipe is a real winner with all of my North Carolina friends!

Tonight, we are making the steak fajitas since I don't want to run to the carniceria to get skirt steak (Charlotte grocers only carry flank steak at an outrageous price), along with the molcajete sauce and the chocolate caramel cake for dessert.

I have been dying to make the migas and will have to plan on that for Saturday morning, since I only eat breakfast on weekends.

[Bella S.F.]

Where would I find the Q & A session with Robb Walsh? I guess there is a whole other life here in eGullet than I am aware of. Educate me please. Thanks!

[ludja]

Where would I find the Q & A session with Robb Walsh?  I guess there is a whole other life here in eGullet than I am aware of. Educate me please. Thanks!

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Check out the link in the first post on this thread.

[Dana]

Made the Migas this morning - oh my gosh. They are the best. I've eaten them at restaurants several times, but I'll never order them again because they'll never measure up. Such a simple recipe, but so good. The restaurant ones I have had never had a crunch left in the tortillas. Robb instructs them to be fried in a small about of oil before adding tomatoes, jalapenos, onions and eggs. I'll be eating them again tomorrow morning as well. Tonight, it's tortilla soup!!!

Edited April 24, 2005 by Dana (log)