Texas Recipes

Sweet Potato Cornbread Stuffing
King Ranch Chicken
Old-Fashioned Peach Cobbler
Frito Pie
German Sweet Chocolate Cake & Frosting
Texas Rio Star No-Bake Grapefruit Cheesecake
Tamale Pie
Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip
Fresh Tomato Salsa
Lone Star Barbecue Spareribs
 

Sweet Potato Cornbread Stuffing

In a large skillet, cook sweet potatoes, onions, and celery in butter until just tender- about 5 to 7 minutes. Spoon mixture into large mixing bowl. Add parsley and ginger and mix well. Gently toss in cornbread and nuts until coated. Add chicken broth as needed to moisten. Bake in a casserole dish at 375 degrees until heated through.

King Ranch Chicken

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or 3-quart casserole.

Make the Sauce:
Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and chili powder, and sauté for a minute or two. Raise the heat to medium. Quickly sprinkle in the flour and stir to mix. Pour in a small amount of the chicken broth, stirring constantly to remove lumps and allowing the flour to "cook" briefly.

Gradually add the remaining chicken broth and the buttermilk and continue stirring until sauce has thickened, 3 or 4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sauce may be prepared in advance and refrigerated.

Make the Filling:
Warm a heavy skillet over medium heat, add the butter or olive oil, and sauté the chopped onion, green pepper, poblano, mushrooms, tomatoes and pimientos until onion is transparent, about 4 or 5 minutes. Fold into the mixture the diced chicken, olives and green onions, combining well. Remove from heat.

Assembling the Dish:
In a small skillet, heat about about half an inch of canola oil. Using tongs, dip the tortillas in the hot oil one at a time, for just a few seconds, so that they are softened. Cover the bottom of your baking dish with 4 of the softened tortillas. Layer the remaining ingredients in the following order:

Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F until casserole is heated through and bubbly. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

www.texascooking.com

Old-Fashioned Peach Cobbler

Preheat oven to 475°F.

Combine the peaches, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg in a Dutch oven. Allow to set until sugar is dissolved and a syrup forms. Over medium heat, bring the peach mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in melted butter. Set aside and keep warm.

Roll out half the pastry as for a pie, but cut it into an 8-inch square. Spoon half the peach mixture into a lightly buttered 8-inch square Pyrex dish. Cover with the pastry square. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and spoon remaining peach mixture over the baked pastry.

Roll out the remaining pastry, and cut into strips about an inch wide. Arrange strips in a loose lattice weave over the peach mixture. Sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar, if desired. Bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until browned.


www.texascooking.com

Frito Pie

 ·         3 cups Fritos corn chips
 ·
         3/4 cup chopped onion
 ·
         1 cup grated cheddar cheese
 ·
         2-1/2 cups chili (your favorite -- homemade, canned, whatever)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spread 2 cups of Fritos in a baking dish. Sprinkle half the onion and half the cheese over the Fritos. Pour the chili over the onion and cheese. Sprinkle the remaining Fritos, onion and cheese over the chili.

Bake for 15 or 20 minutes and cheese is bubbly. Serve hot.

www.texascooking.com

 

German Sweet Chocolate Cake & Frosting

·         4 ounces Baker's German Sweet Chocolate
·
         1/2 cup boiling water
·
         1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
·
         1 teaspoon baking soda
·
         1/2 teaspoon salt
·
         4 eggs, separated
·
         1 cup butter
·
         2 cups sugar
·
         1 cup buttermilk
·
         1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans, then line them with waxed paper, cut to fit. Grease and flour the waxed paper or spray with Bakers Joy. Redundant, but necessary.

Melt the chocolate in boiling water. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form; refrigerate.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar, allowing mixer to run for 5 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Let mixer run an additional 2 minutes. With mixer running, add vanilla and chocolate/water mixture.

Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk, combining well. Gently fold stiffly beaten egg whites into cake batter.

Pour batter into three prepared cake pans. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on racks. Frost tops only and fill between layers with Coconut-Pecan Frosting.

Coconut-Pecan Frosting

·         1-1/2 cups evaporated milk
·
         1-1/3 cups sugar
·
         4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
·
         3/4 cup butter
·
         2 teaspoons vanilla extract
·
         2 cups shredded coconut
·
         1-1/2 cups chopped pecans

Combine the evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, butter and vanilla. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened, about 12 to 15 minutes. Add coconut and chopped pecans. Cool until thick enough to spread, beating occasionally. Makes about 3 cups of frosting.

www.texascooking.com

 

Texas Rio Star No-Bake Grapefruit Cheesecake

·         1 grapefruit (Texas Rio Star preferred)
·
         1/2 cup water
·
         1 envelope unflavored gelatin
·
         1/2 cup sugar
·
         1/4 cup brown sugar
·
         8-ounce package whipped cream cheese
·
         1/2 cup sour cream
·
         1/4 cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice (Texas Rio Star recommended)
·
         1-2/3 cups whipping cream, whipped
·
         9-inch graham cracker crust
·
         fresh mint sprigs, optional garnish
 
Peel and section grapefruit. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over water; let stand 1 minute. Cook over low heat 3 minutes or until gelatin is completely dissolved; cool.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, brown sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Add sour cream, dissolved gelatin and grapefruit juice; beat well. Stir in whipped cream. Pour into prepared piecrust. Chill until firm, about 4 hours. Top with grapefruit sections and fresh mint.

Graham Cracker Crust

·         6 tablespoons butter, melted
·
         1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 24 graham crackers)
·
         1/4 cup sugar

In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Stir in butter and mix well. Mixture will resemble coarse sand.

Press the mixture in the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in a preheated 350F degree oven. Cool completely before adding filling. Note: Substitute a purchased graham cracker piecrust if desired.

www.texascooking.com

 

Tamale Pie

·         1 large onion, chopped
·
         1 green pepper, chopped
·
         1 or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
·
         1 T olive or canola oil
·
         1 lb. lean ground beef
·
         14.5-ounce can of whole, peeled tomatoes (drained) OR 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
·
         1/2 teaspoon salt
·
         1/4 teaspoon pepper
·
         1 teaspoon chili powder
·
         1 cup cornmeal
·
         4 cups water
·
         1 teaspoon salt
·
         1 teaspoon chili powder
·
         Sliced ripe olives

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Sauté the onion, green pepper and garlic in the oil until just tender. Crumble the ground beef into the skillet and brown. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and chili powder. Cook over low-to-medium heat for about 20 minutes.

While the meat mixture is simmering, bring 3 cups of the water to a boil. Slowly pour the corn meal into the remaining 1 cup of cold water, stirring until smooth. Add the salt and chili powder to the boiling water, and then, stirring constantly, add the cold corn meal mixture to the boiling water. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cover.

Spray a casserole or baking dish with vegetable cooking spray. Using half of the cornmeal mixture, line the dish. Fill with the meat mixture. Sprinkle sliced ripe olives over the top. Using the remaining half of the cornmeal mixture, cover the top of the pie.

Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until nicely browned. Makes about 6 servings.

www.texascooking.com

 

Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip

·         10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
·
         9-ounce can artichoke bottoms, well drained and diced
·
         8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
·
         2 cups sour cream
·
         1/2 cup mayonnaise
·
         1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
·         1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
·
         1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon dried dill weed)
·
         1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
·
         1 teaspoon salt
·
         1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
·
         few drops of Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce
 
Be sure that the spinach is well drained. In fact, you can put it between several sheets of paper towels and give it a squeeze to remove any excess moisture.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well until blended. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 24. Makes about 5 cups.

www.texascooking.com

 

Fresh Tomato Salsa

·         1-1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, seeded, chopped
·
         1 medium purple onion, chopped
·
         1 large clove garlic, chopped
·
         3 scallions or green onions, chopped
·
         1 to 2 large fresh jalapeño pepper, seeded, chopped
·
         1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
·
         1 to 3 small cans of green chilies, depending upon taste
·
         1 tablespoon olive oil
·
         2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
·
         1/2 teaspoon salt
·
         1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
·
         1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
·
         2 tablespoons tomato juice

Combine onion, garlic, jalapeño and cilantro in blender or food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, but not puréed.

Add tomatoes, canned chilies, oil, lime juice, salt, cumin, vinegar and tomato juice. Pulse until just chopped -- not too smooth.

Correct seasonings, if necessary. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour before serving. Makes about 4 cups.

www.texascooking.com

 

Lone Star Barbecue Spareribs

·         4 pounds beef or pork spareribs
·
         olive oil
·
         salt and freshly ground black pepper
·
         4 tablespoons butter
·
         1 medium onion, chopped
·
         5 garlic cloves, minced or put through a garlic press
·
         2 large, ripe tomatoes, chopped
·
         1 6-ounce can tomato paste
·
         1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
·
         2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
·
         1/2 cup brown sugar
·
         1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
·
         salt to taste
·
         cayenne pepper to taste
·
         1/2 cup red wine (not the cooking variety)
·
         juice of 1 lemon
 
You'll be grilling the ribs for about an hour and a half, saucing them during the last 15 minutes. This sauce contains brown sugar and other ingredients that will flame up, so indirect grilling is called for. Start your charcoal or wood or fire up your gas grill. Rub the slab of ribs all over with the olive oil, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, and rub it in. Cover and set aside.

Start your sauce: In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. When it begins to bubble, add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients, stir and turn heat to medium-low. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes until mixture is somewhat reduced and thickened. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings, if you think it necessary.

When your grill is ready, put the ribs, bone side down, in the center of the grill. Make sure that the drippings won't drip directly onto the heat source. Cover the grill and open the vents enough to make sure there's air flow. Grill the ribs for 1 hour, turning at 30 minutes and one hour.

If you need to build up your fire again, add more coals at this point. Be sure to keep the lid closed at all times unless you are tending the ribs or the coals.

About 15 minutes before they are due to be ready, give the ribs a good basting on both sides with the sauce. Bring the sauce back to a gentle boil for a few minutes. When the ribs are done to your liking, take them off the grill and serve immediately with the sauce on the side.

Note: This sauce is fine for chicken, pork and beef.