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Alta's Slow Cooker Pinto Beans
N ew Orleans-based cookbook author Yvette Zuniga Jemison grew up in San Antonio, and the dishes of her childhood star in her new cookbook, "My South Texas Kitchen: Traditional Recipes and Modern Tips." She shared four recipes guaranteed to satisfy the cravings of any Texan.
Alta's Slow Cooker Pinto Beans is a tried-and-true family recipe.
These hearty beans have long been a staple in Jemison's family. She provides three methods for preparing them — in a slow cooker, in an Instant Pot and on the stove-top — in her new book "My South Texas Kitchen." We're sharing her slow-cooker technique.
Instructions: Add the beans, bacon, onion, olive oil, chili powder, garlic, salt, cumin, black pepper and half of the cilantro to a slow cooker. Pour 6 cups of boiling water into the slow cooker and stir to combine. Secure the lid and set on high until the water begins to simmer, about 2 hours. Add 2 more cups of boiling water to the slow cooker and continue to cook on high until the beans are tender and have a creamy interior, 3-4 hours. Taste the beans and broth and adjust the seasonings if needed. Add the remaining cilantro and serve.
From "My South Texas Kitchen: Traditional Recipes and Modern Tips" by Yvette Zuniga Jemison
Yvette Zuniga Jemison shares her recipe for Salsa Martajada.
This classic salsa is traditionally ground by hand in a mortar and pestle. Here, the process is sped up with the help of a blender. Try a scoop with fried eggs for a fiery plate of huevos rancheros.
Instructions: In a medium saucepan, arrange the tomatoes and serrano chile peppers in a single layer. Fill with water to cover the tomatoes and peppers. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the peppers are dull green and the tomato peels have split and begun to pull away from the tomatoes, about 15 minutes. Use a fork to gently turn over each tomato and pepper halfway during the cooking time. Reserve the cooking water.
Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until softened and fragrant, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the onions and garlic to a blender. Set the skillet with the oil aside.
Add the salt to the blender. Use the slotted spoon to transfer the serrano peppers to a cutting board. Remove the stem and seeds, if desired. Transfer the peppers to the blender, and pulse until the peppers and onions are well blended.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the whole tomatoes to the blender. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved water and pulse until the vegetables are mostly blended, with some chunks remaining.
Heat the reserved oil in the skillet over medium-low heat. Pour the blended vegetables into the skillet. If needed, add up to 1/4 cup of the reserved boiled water to achieve your desired salsa consistency. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Reheat before serving.
From "My South Texas Kitchen: Traditional Recipes and Modern Tips" by Yvette Zuniga Jemison
On ExpressNews.com: The cult of Instant Pot takes over Texas
The recipe for Braised Beef Cheeks Barbacoa uses ingredients easily found at local grocery stores.
Traditionally, this labor-intensive dish is made from a whole cow's head slow-roasted over coals. This modern interpretation uses beef cheeks, which are easy to find in area grocery stores, and roasts then in an oven.
Instructions: Adjust your oven racks to accommodate a large Dutch oven or oven-safe pot with a lid. Heat the oven to 300 degrees.
Trim large areas of fat from the beef. Cut any large pieces of beef into the size of your palm. Season the beef with salt.
On the stove-top, warm 2 tablespoons of oil in the pot on medium high heat. Working in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pot, place the pieces of beef in the pot and cook until seared, about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer the seared pieces to a plate. Repeat with the remaining beef and oil until all of the beef is seared and transferred to the plate.
Add the onions and jalapeños to the pot. Cook on medium heat until warm, about 2 minutes. Add the cilantro and garlic, and cook until warm, about 1 minute. Add the water, bouillon granules, oregano and pepper, and stir until the granules are dissolved and bits are no longer sticking to the bottom of the pot, about 3 minutes. Nestle the seared beef in the pot in a single layer. Bring to a boil, immediately cover and place the pot in the oven. Bake until tender and easy to shred, about 3 hours.
Transfer the beef to a cutting board. Shred it with two forks, and then place it in a rimmed serving dish. Drizzle with a little of the remaining braising liquid and cover the dish to keep it warm. On a heated comal or skillet, warm the tortillas and serve with a generous scoop of shredded barbacoa in each tortilla. Garnish with the onions, cilantro and a shake of salt.
From "My South Texas Kitchen: Traditional Recipes and Modern Tips" by Yvette Zuniga Jemison
On ExpressNews.com: Texas’ citrus stars in Christmas cookies, pies and cakes for the holidays
Grapefruit Pound Cake puts a Texas twist on dessert.
The famous Ruby Red Grapefruit from the Rio Grande Valley give this pound cake a distinctively Texas taste, with both zest and juice enlivening the showy dessert.
For the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, use a mixer on medium-high speed to beat the sugar, butter, shortening and honey until combined. Add the eggs and mix until well blended.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three batches alternating with the milk until well blended. Add the grapefruit juice and zest, and mix until well blended.
Coat the inside of the Bundt pan with the nonstick spray and lightly flour the pan. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until completely cooled, about 3 hours. Invert the cake onto a serving platter.
For the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, grapefruit juice and oil until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cake and let it set for 1 hour. Serve at room temperature.
From "My South Texas Kitchen: Traditional Recipes and Modern Tips" by Yvette Zuniga Jemison
pstephen@express-news.net | Twitter: @pjbites | Instagram: @pjstephen
Paul Stephen moved to San Antonio from North Carolina in 2017 to join the Express-News Taste team. In that time, he's cooked through about 1,000 recipes, noshed at more than 200 restaurants and seriously considered getting a map of the city's grocery stores tattooed on his arm for easy reference. He cannot be trusted around your cookbook collection.