The Big Texas Cookbook: The Food That Defines the Lone Star State by the ed. of Texas Monthly | 2022 | HarperCollins | Hardcover $ 37.50
When it comes to food, Texas may be best known for its beloved barbecue and tacos. But at more than 29 million people, the state is one of the most culturally diverse in America — and so is its culinary scene. From the kolaches introduced by Czechs settlers to the Hill Country in the 1800s to the Viet-Cajun crawfish that Vietnamese immigrants blessed Houston with in the early 2000s, the tastes on offer here are as vast and varied as the 268,600 square miles of earth they spring from. In The Big Texas Cookbook, the editors of the award-winning magazine Texas Monthly have gathered an expansive collection of recipes that reflects the state’s food traditions, eclectically grouped by how Texans like to start and end the day, how they revere their native-born ingredients, and how they love the people, places, and rituals that surround their favorite meals.
When this book was announced last year, I felt compelled to get a copy and do a cookbook cook-thru project with it.
This cookbook contains a pretty good mix of classic dishes from my home state, like chicken fried steak and pecan pie and breakfast burritos, alongside more contemporary takes and immigrant-inspired fusion recipes, like brisket empanadas and smoked beef rib nigiri and boudin kolaches (a.k.a. klobasniky).
I ended up trying about 20 recipes from this book. None of them were total duds, and a few were quite challenging in a fun way. (I’m ashamed to recall the chaotic state of both my kitchen and my emotional stability after making homemade tortillas for the first time!) That said, I only really felt super enthusiastic about four of them in the end — the Caribbean shrimp and slow cooker grits, fideo loco, peach cobbler, and salsa macha.
The book has a pretty good mix of watercolor illustrations and actual food photos. I think almost every recipe has an illustration or photo to go with it, which is actually pretty important to me in a cookbook; I like to be able to visualize what the end product of a recipe is supposed to look like. There are also several lovely essays about the history of particular foods; if you’ve ever wondered who invented the frozen margarita machine or had a debate about the difference between Mexican and Tex-Mex, The Big Texas Cookbook includes content for you.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in the regional cuisines of Texas, whether you’re up for trying some new recipes in your own kitchen or whether you’re the type who just likes to read foodie books for fun.
If you would like to see a few photos from my adventure through this book and several others, check out my Cookbook Cook-Thru Project Page:
If you want to follow along in my continued culinary experiments, please feel free to visit my foodie Instagram:
Links:
- “Announcing The Big Texas Cookbook” article from Texas Monthly
- “Texas Monthly serves up a cookbook as varied as the state’s cuisine” article from the Texas Standard
Publication information: Texas Monthly. The big Texas cookbook: The food that defines the lone star state. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2022. Print.
Source: Personal library.
Disclaimer: I am not compensated, monetarily or otherwise, for reviews of books or other products.