Got to get back to Bandera

 

Bandera.

It is small.

It is charming.

It is famous.

I spent one morning in scenic little Texas town and now I’m a big fan.

Bandera means “flag” in Spanish and it’s the Cowboy Capital of the World, set in the Texas Hill Country. You probably knew that. I feel like I’m about the last person to get there. And I love Texas.

You’re not likely to miss the cowboy connection, because downtown shops all have that general store kind of look. Even the general store has that going on. These stores are stocked with souvenirs like fun T-shirts and antiques tourist will bring home to ponder while they think about ways to get back  to Bandera,  like I plan to do. 

I was tipped off that if I wanted to see St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, established by Polish colonist who came to Bandera in 1855, I better get going because there was a big funeral that morning. At the church, they welcomed me in right along with the family. It was beautiful as promised. Later I was stopped when the main street got closed out for funeral traffic. 

     I heard how spicy bites at Fickle Pickle got their name because It might be kind of difficult to single out just one of the flavors pickled right in, so it gets “fickle.”  I love that they sold the sweet-and-sour marinade in  a bottle to use for other seasonings, because that’s what my mom does when she makes fire and ice pickles. Mom suggests marinating meat and boiled eggs in that green juice, which also makes a great slaw dressing.

  Someone had told me to have a beer at The Silver Dollar. Built in 1901, it is the oldest continuously operating honky-tonk in Texas. It was way too early for that kind of festivity. But I sure like the photograph I got. The door is at street-level then you go down the stairs to get a glimpse of the pool hall and dance floor.

     Birding at Medina River was another high point. There’s a whole lot more to do in this town. I was there with my husband at Sanctus Ranch in nearby Pipe Creek.  Deer roamed freely around all of these places. I simply could not believe how they pretty nearly come right up to my car. But I’m not playing around with those big guys. And I can’t say enough about the big, generous, good cooking family that runs the range. Hill country is just another area of Texas to Love. Texans brag because it’s true.

            Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who loves a good Texas roadtrip. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Take your diabetes to the Mediterranean

Kale, okay. I'm getting used to it.

Okra, sure, but you're telling me that's a thing in "The Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook?"

It is. Amy Riolo's second edition, shows beautiful, café-worthy spreads in this book with the American Diabetes Association seal.

If  you've heard for years these foods are good for you, and if you're newly diagnosed and were about to complain about "limited' food choices, get a copy and get cooking. I want Corsican Prawns with Chickpea Cream and Calamari Stuffed with Spinach. Serve some rose tea with that and tomorrow I'll have Greek-Style Rice with Spinach and Lemon. Ancient Roman Pizza is this crazy-cool deal with figs and honey.

I've picked a recipe to share with you, and I haven't even gotten to the eggs part. 

The following is from the book and it can go as chunky salsa or finely chopped salad.

Peach, Black Bean and Citrus Salsa

Serves 10, about 2/3 cup

2 cups cooked black beans

2 peaches, chopped

2 red bell peppers, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, then let chill in the refrigerator for several hours to allow the flavors to blend. Serve. 

 Cheese notes:

Chee

                  Are you interested in a young Dutch gouda from New Jersey? It kind of sounds like a pick-up line. It worked on me because I’m savoring Parrano® from Paramus, N.J. Pair with Parrano is a summer campaign and you can try their wares with “regular” people foods not necessarily associated with the word “pairing.” Burgers and jalapenos? We’re into that in Texas. So this not-too-hard and not-too-creamy white cheese has simply been a nice highlight of recent lunches and patio visits. The company’s description can’t be beat, so I won’t try to top it. Though I’d top a burger with the actual cheese. They say it’s a “

delicious cheese that is best described as capturing the nutty flavor and buttery aroma of fine, aged Italian Parmesan and the smooth, creamy texture of a young Dutch Gouda, bringing you the best of both worlds: a cheese that is full of flavor and versatile enough to cut, shred and melt.”

 That’s kinda funny, right? But this cheese is seriously good.

                             Steeped

                             Steeped Coffee is a start-to-finish escape from some good-thinking people of Santa Cruz, California. Using Business as a Force For Good makes is more than a motto as really fine flavors including Sunrise Blend, Eventide Decaf and Driftwood Blend come in guilt-free packaging with even eco-friendly water-based ink. Direct-trade coffee that tastes rich and full is memorable, as it comes in bags that work like tea bags. Just dunk California or Odyssey blends in hot water and the flavor of that coffee bean a farmer grew a world away is helping you begin a great day here in Southeast Texas. These bags ready in your pantry promise a slow-to-savor treat for yourself. You deserve it.

                  Darragh Castillo is a Port Arthur area foodie who would love to try the Mediterranean diet in the actual Mediterranean. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

French Toast & other Father's Day delights

                             I’m some kind of food magnet, in the sense that high-quality, delicious food is always coming into my life, for free. “Hey, do you want this?” is a welcome phrase I hear all the time and I’m trying to hold my mouth just right so that never changes.

                             My husband helped a friend move and that’s how contents from his healthy fridge came to my house. I soaked some of his tofu in the Newman’s Own sesame-ginger dressing  in inherited for a weekend lunch. He left something I’ve always wanted to try: Ezekiel 4:9, Food For Life sprouted 100 percent whole grain bread. This loaf weighs one and a half pounds. The bread in this bag went toward my husband’s new “thing” for French toast.

                             I had so many toppings to try on my toast that I cut my piece into quadrants. The first bite overflowed with raw honey from Caledonia Spirits, a craft distillery in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Local beekeepers source the raw honey for Landcrafted spirits. It has not been heated or filtered and keeps beneficial traces of pollen, propolis and beeswax. I’m not sure if anyone from my house will read this, but I’ll tell y’all. I’m hiding this little jar and keeping it for my own self. It’s thick and rich and spreadable. And it’s mine, now.

                             Other squares of my Ezekiel bread went to Runamok Maple’s Vermont Organic collection: Jasmine Tea infused, Makrut Lime-Leaf Maple and Rum Barrel-Aged. You get it, it’s gourmet. If your “roomies” are used to over-the-counter syrup on their French toast, they might not “get it.” So I suggest you let them experiment with these fancy flavors on other foods, from crackers and cheese to fruit. Let it shine on it’s own. Or, just hide it in the pantry for yourself. Look below for a recipe:

                  So fathers who enjoy French toast breakfast in bed may  also enjoy the following indulgences:

            * Runamok Maple’s Hugs All Around

• 1 12 oz. bottle lager or stout beer (preferably Vermont made)
• 1 or 2 tsp. Runamok Maple’s Hibiscus Flower Infused Maple Syrup ($16.95, RunamokMaple.com or Amazon.com)
• A few drops of bitters

Gently pour the lager into a tall, chilled glass.  Add one or two teaspoons of Runamok Maple’s Hibiscus Maple Syrup to taste.  Top with a few drops of bitters, stir and enjoy.

            * Tom Cat Gin is from Caledonia Spirits and illustrates, to the taste buds, why we need to keep our nation’s bees healthy. A Northeast Kingdom area bee keeper and farmer in Vermont blends raw honey with juniper for this one and is keeping the spirit alive in a way as equally as exciting as the black cat story on the back of the label. Botanicals, baby. Look for the bee on the front label and again, take it slow. The provided Kettlebell recipe below is designed around elements already in the “spirit.”  

Kettlebell

One and a half ounces Bar Hill Gin

.75 ounces Amaro Meletti

.25 ounces Luxardo Maraschino

 .75 oz fresh lemon juice

.5 oz. honey syrup (2:1 by weight)

2 dashes grapefruit bitters

Combine ingredients in mixing tin, add ice, shake, and double strain into coupe. Garnish with an orange twist (also a thyme prig if available).

                  * Deep Summer – Deep Ellum Brewing Company’s spiced summer seasonal, Deep Summer Ale, is a way to support a Texas business. It’s a not-your-father’s-Father’s Day treat, because granddads could probably not imagine lemon peel, hibiscus and chamomile flowers in their brewski. These flavors make one slow down to appreciate the flavors. It’s a slow cocktail thing for me, though makers suggest it for jamming at music fests, too. Just a summer or two ago I’d have thought this odd. Now it’s a lovely flavor, much more than a trend. 

                  Mount Gay Rum Black Barrel – I’d seen this brand on a shelf and can now say this smooth and complex blend from “the oldest rum house in the world” stands out in a glass. Established in 1703, this Barbados Rum stands out in a glass by itself, though makers are happy to promote various cocktails, including one with rhubarb in the title. We are not experienced with this in the south, so on to something our oil-business fathers may be more familiar with in this area of Texas, a drink called Black Gold, in a “nick and nora glass.” You may have to look that up.  Orgeat is a cool drink. The ingredient below is a French almond syrup. Pronounced or-zhat, it was originally made from barley and used as a shelf-stable substitute for milk. Sounds like a dairy-free trend from long ago. Now, for some Black Gold.

                            

            Black Gold

            2 ounces Mount Gary Rum Black Barrel

            .5oz. Orgeat (Use Small Hands)            

            .5oz. Lime Juice           

            2 dashes of Angostura           

            Add all ingredients to a tin, shake and strain into chilled nick and nora. Garnish with a lime peel.

           

            Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who knows her father would have been fine with a plate of lima beans and rice this Father’s Day. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com