Really Into Texas

Right now, Central Market is celebrating all things Texas. As they are a Texas company, born and bred, this is entirely meet and right. To help get into the mood, I’ve dug through my recipe box and pulled out a couple of Texas recipes that will make your family smile!

Lee’s Take on Texas Caviar

Texas caviar, aka cowboy caviar, is one of my very favorite dishes. It’s just so versatile. Drape it over grilled chicken or fish. Serve it with tortilla chips as a delicious appetizer. Use as the protein in a salad. Or simply eat with a spoon, standing in front of the open refrigerator at 2 am. (TMI?) Note: some people put corn into their Texas caviar; I don’t, but who am I to stop you?

Ingredients

1 pound bag dried black-eyed peas, cooked according to package directions (note: you can substitute fancy peas for this – I’ve used lady peas, field peas, crowder peas, cow peas… Central Market always has a selection in the produce department!)
1 large red onion, finely diced
1 poblano chile, finely diced
1 large jalapeño, sliced (this allows people to remove the rings if they so choose)
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
½ bunch cilantro or ½ bunch Italian parsley, chopped (some weirdos don’t like cilantro, bless their hearts)
Juice of 4 limes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano (if you can’t find Mexican oregano, substitute ½ teaspoon regular)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Diced avocado and tomatoes for garnish (optional)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Allow to chill for at least 6 hours to let the flavors get happy with each other. This will keep for up to a week in the fridge, which is good, because it makes a lot. But I promise, it won’t last long!

Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Sour cream chicken enchiladas are a North Texas Tex-Mex classic. Go to Houston or Austin or any other place in Texas, and they’re not on the menu. It’s really rather sad. My kiddos love these, so I came up with a quick casserole for busy nights that uses the gloriously silky, delightfully tangy sour cream sauce of the original.

Ingredients

For the chicken:
1 ½ to 2 pounds chicken breasts
3 cups chicken broth or stock
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups chicken broth or stock (use the broth/stock that you used for the chicken breasts)
2 4-ounce cans diced green chiles, drained
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon Mexican oregano (if you can’t find Mexican oregano, use ¼ teaspoon of the regular)
Hot sauce to taste
1 16-ounce container of sour cream (you can use light but DO NOT use fat free for this!)
Salt and pepper to taste

For the enchilada casserole:
12 corn tortillas, warmed in a nonstick skillet or on a griddle
½ large white onion
8 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
4 ounces Monterey Jack, shredded

Garnish with chopped cilantro, avocado slices or guacamole, and chopped or sliced jalapeños if you want an extra kick. I actually like the pickled jalapeños for this, as the vinegary brine cuts through the rich sauce.

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a large saucepan, bring the chicken breasts, chicken broth or stock, and smashed garlic cloves to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and poach for about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from stove, move the chicken to a plate, and reserve the broth/stock. Finely dice the chicken when it’s cool enough to handle.

To make the sauce, melt the butter with the oil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Congratulations! You’ve just made a roux, the base for so many sauces! Slowly add in about 2/3 of the broth/stock, stirring with a whisk to avoid lumps. Allow the sauce to bubble, stirring constantly. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with the remaining broth/stock. Stir in the diced green chiles, cumin, coriander, Mexican oregano, hot sauce, salt and pepper and remove from the stove. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes and then stir in the sour cream.

To assemble the casserole, spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Layer three corn tortillas (pro hint: cut in half to allow for more even coverage), half the chicken, and half the onion. Pour over 1/3 of the sour cream sauce and sprinkle over 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Repeat for the second layer. For the top layer, simply pour the remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for about 15 minutes more or until everything is bubbly and melty. (These are technical cooking terms.) Remove from the oven and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting so that you’re not serving lava. Seriously. This might be the most important direction here. Molten cheese and sour cream sauce HURTS. Garnish and devour. Serves 4 with leftovers. Maybe.