The Only Texas Cookbook

More than 300 recipes from Texas.

More than 300 recipes from Texas.

An informal view of dining and entertaining the Texas way.

Who says cooking is for homebodies? Veteran Texas food writer Robb Walsh served as a judge at a chuck wagon cook-off, worked as a deckhand on a shrimp boat, and went mayhaw-picking in the Big Thicket. As he drove the length and breadth of the state, Walsh sought out the best in barbecue, burgers, kolaches, and tacos; scoured museums, libraries, and public archives; and unearthed vintage photos, culinary stories, and nearly-forgotten dishes. Then he headed home to Houston to test the recipes he’d collected back in his own kitchen. The result is Texas Eats: The New Lone Star Heritage Cookbook, a colorful and deeply personal blend of history, anecdotes, and recipes from all over the Lone Star State. In Texas Eats, Walsh covers the standards, from chicken-fried steak to cheese enchiladas to barbecued brisket. He also makes stops in East Texas, for some good old-fashioned soul food; the Hill Country, for German- and Czech-influenced favorites; the Panhandle, for traditional cowboy cooking; and the Gulf Coast, for timeless seafood dishes and lost classics like pickled shrimp. Texas Eats even covers recent trends, like Viet-Texan fusion and Pakistani fajitas. And yes, there are recipes for those beloved-but-obscure gems: King Ranch casserole, parisa, and barbecued crabs. With more than 200 recipes and stunning food photography, Texas Eats brings the richness of Texas food history vibrantly to life and serves up a hearty helping of real Texas flavor.

Recipes from eighty of the most popular cookbooks in Texas are included in this comprehensive volume of superb Texas cooking. Catalog section provides descriptions for each of the eighty contributing cookbooks.

When Lisa Fain, a seventh-generation Texan, moved to New York City, she missed the big sky, the bluebonnets in spring, Friday night football, and her family's farm. But most of all, she missed the foods she'd grown up with. After a fruitless search for tastes of Texas in New York City, Fain took matters into her own hands. She headed into the kitchen to cook for her friends the Tex-Mex, the chili, and the country comfort dishes that reminded her of home. From cheese enchiladas drowning in chili gravy to chicken-fried steak served with cream gravy on the side, from warm bowls of chile con queso to big pots of fiery chili made without beans, Fain re-created the wonderful tastes of Texas she'd always enjoyed at potlucks, church suppers, and backyard barbecues back home. In 2006, Fain started the blog Homesick Texan to share Texan food with fellow expatriates, and the site immediately connected with readers worldwide, Texan and non-Texan alike. Now, in her long-awaited first cookbook, Fain brings the comfort of Texan home cooking to you. Like Texas itself, the recipes in this book are varied and diverse, all filled with Fain's signature twists. There's Salpicón, a cool shredded beef salad found along the sunny border in El Paso; Soft Cheese Tacos, a creamy plate unique to Dallas; and Houston-Style Green Salsa, an avocado and tomatillo salsa that is smooth, refreshing, and bright. There are also nibbles, such as Chipotle Pimento Cheese and Tomatillo Jalapeno Jam; sweet endings, such as Coconut Tres Leches Cake and Mexican Chocolate Chewies; and fresh takes on Texan classics, such as Coffee-Chipotle Oven Brisket, Ancho Cream Corn, and Guajillo-Chile Fish Tacos. With more than 125 recipes, The Homesick Texan offers a true taste of the Lone Star State. So pull up a chair-everyone's welcome at the Texas table!

“[A] collection of barbecue memoirs, trivia and history . . . Walsh interviews the top pit bosses across the state and shares their secrets.” —Publishers Weekly If barbecue in Texas is a religion, this book is its bible. Originally published only in print in 2002, this revised and updated edition explores all the new and exciting developments from the Lone Star State’s evolving barbecue scene. The one hundred recipes include thirty-two brand-new ones such as Smoke-Braised Beef Ribs and an extremely tender version of Pulled Pork. Profiles on legendary pitmasters like Aaron Franklin are featured alongside archival photography covering more than one hundred years of barbecue history. Including the basic tools required to get started, secrets and methods from the state’s masters, and step-by-step directions for barbecuing every cut of meat imaginable, this comprehensive book presents all the info needed to fire up the grill and barbecue Texas-style. “In 2002, Robb Walsh’s Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook hit the sweet spot for lovers of smoked meat. The book was part travelogue, part instruction manual, with a side of history thrown in . . . If your old copy is worn, tattered and splashed, it’s time to trade up. If you are late to the barbecue and don’t know the likes of Bryan Bracewell, Vencil Mares and Lorenzo Vences, consider it an investment in your education.” —The Dallas Morning News “Robb Walsh has been there to help shape and document the evolution of Texas barbecue. This new edition is a must-have.” —Aaron Franklin, James Beard Award–winning pitmaster