Monthly Archives: August 2013

GREEN CHILE AND CHEESE GRITS

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002 004I found this cobalt blue depression glass alphabet plate at an estate sale.  It’s only about 6″ in diameter, and perfect for little folks.  It makes me want to go cut some grapes in half and cube some cheese.

When my kids were younger, most of their plates and dishes were glass ones in a rainbow of colors that I picked up for a few dollars at estate sales.  They preferred these over the popular melamine ones.  They drank their milk from amethyst-colored glass goblets and ate cereal from carnival glass bowls.  Their favorites were the green glass divided grill plates, much like these:

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I remember learning in nursing school that toddlers do not like the items on their plates to touch, that they like to keep everything separate.  For this same reason, toddlers tend to not like casseroles (silly kids).  I’ve seen it as a diet tip, too — TNT, or “things not touching,” although I don’t really see how putting space between your mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese leads to weight loss. In any event, my kids loved these plates and how one whole section could be used just for ketchup.

Two weeks ago I had oral surgery that requires me to be on a liquid/pureed diet for 3 to 4 weeks.  (My husband has informed me that I have milked this for all it’s worth, but he didn’t have surgery, and I must respectfully disagree.)  It’s not hard to manage that at home, but eating out can be challenging.  Last week, for example, my husband and I went to one of our favorite restaurants, after a long week at work for both of us.  It was one of those nights when the restaurant was packed with happy diners, and the tables were not turning over as quickly as they usually do, so we wound up waiting quite a while, despite having reservations.  It turned out to be our lucky night, though, because we were offered the opportunity to “Dine on the Line,” usually reserved for 6-course tasting menus.  We happily sat there watching the frenzied action in the kitchen and listening to the chef shout out orders.

There wasn’t a whole lot on the menu I could eat, but I can’t really complain about what I ended up with — sweet potato soup, cheese grits, and chocolate pie (filling only).  To say this is not a meal I would normally put together, would be an understatement.  But I felt like the biggest, happiest toddler.  It was great fun to “dine on the line,” and we plan to go back for the full 6-course experience in the future.

Back at home, inspired by the cute little child’s plate and my toddler meal, I made cheese grits for the first time.  Cheese grits made with Velveeta are a popular Southern dish, but since I was feeling particularly self-indulgent, I wanted something a little more “gourmet.”  Instead of Velveeta, I used Irish cheddar, and added some roasted Hatch chiles.  The grits were really delicious.  And once again, I dined like the biggest, happiest toddler.

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GREEN CHILE AND CHEESE GRITS
Author: 
Recipe type: Side Dish
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup corn grits (I used Bob's Red Mill Corn Grits a/k/a Polenta)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 ounces Irish cheddar or sharp white cheddar, cut into ½" cubes
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ¼ cup chopped roasted green chiles (use Hatch chiles, if available)
Instructions
  1. Place broth and water in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Whisk in grits, reduce heat, and simmer until grits are tender, approximately 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove pan from heat and add in cheese and butter, stirring until melted and thoroughly combined. Stir in green chiles. Serve hot.

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 Bob’s Red Mill Corn Grits (also known as Polenta)

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 Simmer until grits are tender, stirring frequently

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Soft diet bliss!

THE MEXICAN FARMERS MARKET AND “NOT SO” SPICY SWEET POTATO SOUP

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This week my friend and I headed over to Canino Produce (UPDATE:  changed to Junior’s Produce in 2019) often referred to as “the Mexican farmers market,” located at 2520 Airline Drive.

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Canino’s has been around since 1958.  Unlike the local farmers markets around town offering local — often organic — produce and locally-produced products, Canino’s carries a wide variety of produce and other items not only from Texas, but “all over the United States and the world.”  In the fall, shoppers are greeted by mountains of fresh “new crop” pecans — huge meaty pecans — most of which come from the Austin area, which their 15 nut-cracking machines will crack for you for 35 cents per pound.

Walking around the market, it is quite possible to briefly forget you’re in Houston.  And in August, that’s a good thing.  Because if you’re going to be walking around with rivers of sweat running down your face, you may as well pretend you’re somewhere more exotic.

Inside, Canino’s has neatly arranged tables displaying the fresh produce, as well as beans, rice, stone-ground flour and cornmeal, and dried fruit.

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You’ll probably want to grab a bottle of Mexican vanilla while you’re there:

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If you’re one of those folks who believes that size matters, these baseball bat-sized cucuzza squashes might interest you:

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But the real fun of the Mexican farmers market is the open-air market located behind Canino’s.  There are several rows of stalls, where the rainbow of produce is buffed to a shine and decoratively arranged.  There’s always a thing or two I’ve never seen before.  To make shopping in this section easier, bring a wallet full of small bills, because most of the baskets of produce are $2.

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 Prettiest produce around

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 Can you say “salsa”?

In addition to produce, you can also find cooking utensils, spices, strings of dried chiles, and bins of herb blends.

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Look close — there’s an herb blend for pretty much anything that ails you.  Got cramps? Got asthma?  There’s a blend for that!

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A popular snack sold at the open air market is fruit — slices of papaya, mango, coconut, melon — sprinkled with a chile/lime mixture.  At the market, the spice mix is sometimes referred to as “chile for fruit,” but you can find a similar mix by Fiesta called “Pico de Gallo con Limon” at the grocery store:

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Fiesta brand Pico de Gallo con Limon

Several of the vendors had these clever peeled mangos, cut to look like flowers, and sprinkled with the chile mixture:

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We left hot and happy, loaded down with several sacks of goodies each.

But wait — there’s more!

Just a few blocks down the street, at 2201 Airline, is the Houston Dairymaids’ warehouse, which is open to the public every day except Monday for cheese sampling and retail purchases.  Seeing as it wasn’t Monday, we popped in.

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The Houston Dairymaids was started by owner Lindsey Schechter, a “seasoned cheese professional,” in 2006.  If you have ever had a cheese plate at a Houston restaurant, chances are good the cheese came from the Houston Dairymaids.  They carry approximately 150 handmade cheeses — unpasteurized when possible — from around the United States (with an occasional imported cheese), with a handful coming from Texas.  Every day they offer a sampling of 5 or 6 selected cheeses, progressing from mild to more pungent.

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Owner Lindsey Schechter and a cheese sampling tray

In addition to cheese, the retail storefront also has a small but interesting selection of wines, breads from Slow Dough Bread Company, outrageously good cookies from Wackym’s Kitchen, olives, crackers, and other cheese accompaniments.   It was really hard (almost impossible, actually) to narrow down our cheese choices, but we finally settled on two each to bring home, along with some bread and cookies.

There’s also a Mexican bakery, El Bolillo, at 2517 Airline, and a spice market, Lone Star Culinary, at 2520 Airline, but we were too pooped from the heat to party any longer, so those will have to wait for a future visit.

I found a recipe on Canino’s [now defunct] website for “Not So” Spicy Sweet Potato Soup, which intrigued me with its peanut butter and lime juice.  Coincidentally, I had just purchased two large sweet potatoes at Canino’s.  I adapted the recipe slightly, using almond butter instead of peanut butter, and half the amount of ginger called for.   It only takes about 30 minutes to make, and is very good and quite satisfying.

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"NOT SO" SPICY SWEET POTATO SOUP
Author: 
Recipe type: Soup
 
Ingredients
  • 1 large sweet onion (such as Vidalia, 1015), peeled and chopped
  • 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • ¼ cup almond butter or peanut butter
  • Juice of 1 small lime
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Sour cream for optional garnish
  • Cilantro for optional garnish
Instructions
  1. Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic, and saute until soft and onions are translucent. Add sweet potatoes, chicken stock, cumin, red pepper, and ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered until sweet potatoes are tender, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. Remove soup from heat, and puree in 3 batches using a blender or food processor (being careful not to overfill blender with hot liquid so as to prevent top from blowing off). Return soup to stockpot over medium heat and whisk in almond butter and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (If soup is too thick, thin with additional chicken stock to desired consistency). Serve hot, garnished with sour cream and cilantro, if using.

015 Simmer until sweet potatoes are soft

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Spicy enough for me!