An Average Joe in San Antonio

If you read the previous post, you might now be wondering, “So what in the heck do I use green chiles for anyway?”  Any New Mexican would tell you, “Put ‘em on anything!” This could be eggs, stew, burritos, hamburgers, pizza, Subway sandwiches, etc., etc., etc.

While this is all very true (especially the eggs part), you might be looking for something more concrete so I have decided to give you my Mom’s Queso recipe.  Nothing reminds me more of my childhood than this appetizer.  We had it for the big games (both tailgating at Texas Tech football games and for the Superbowl parties), celebrations (graduation, end of school, and birthdays), and family get togethers.  The smell of green chilis always makes me think of my Mom’s Queso and all the happy memories associated with it.

NOTE: This was an honorable mention recipe at the 2010 Central Market Hatch Green Chile Cookoff and is a featured recipe on Tanji Patton’s website!

To get started, you will need the following ingredients:

• 3 roasted hot Hatch green chiles (5-6 if you wanna spice it up) NOTE: Do not attempt this recipe without roasted Hatch green chiles – it just won’t taste right
• Box of Velveeta (32 oz)
• 28oz can of Hunt’s diced tomatoes (the big can)
• 14.5oz can of Hunt’s stewed tomatoes (the little can)

The ingredients - don't make this without the real deal Hatch green chiles!

First, defrost your Hatch green chiles.  I will put them in the microwave on the defrost setting of 0.5 pound of meat and check them periodically.  You definitely don’t want to heat them up so much that you fry them and don’t have any of the meat on the chile left.

While this is happening, you can begin cubing the Velveeta cheese.  Chop them in cubes that are the same size that you see cheddar cheese served parties on toothpicks.  (A side note, this revelation was recently made by one of my mom’s friends from her Clinical Lab Sciences class; we always cubed the cheese in large chunks and it took forever to heat up.  The smaller the cube, the easier to melt!)  Don’t neglect your chiles.

Take the green chiles out of the microwave and remove the black/charred skins from the chiles and throw into the trash (don’t flush down the sink as they might clog it up).  Now you have a choice to make.  From what I am told the hottest part of the chile is the vein and not the seeds (though they are admittedly hot as well).  If you are afraid of how hot the concoction will be, go ahead and “de-vein” and “de-seed” your chiles before you dice them up and throw them in with the cheese.

See the stringy looking thing that goes from the top to the bottom of the green chile? That is the vein; cut it out if you want to tone the queso down.

Next up is to open the large can of diced tomatoes and put them in a colander and strain some of the juice out.  My mom uses the whole can, but I always throw away a handful because I don’t want to risk my queso being soupy.

After that, put the stewed tomatoes in the colander and drain.  Take out all the tomatoes and other vegetables, dice them up (I use all of these tomatoes) and throw them into the queso pot.

At this time, make sure your hands are washed and just give all the ingredients a good mixing.  A note on the queso pot, I use a piece of pottery that was actually made in New Mexico.  My mom had one, so I asked my grandparents for one for a present one Christmas because making my Mom’s Queso in anything else seemed strange.

Heat in the microwave for increments of three minutes and stir after the time is up; repeat this until the queso is smooth and all the cheese is melted.  Trust me, don’t heat longer than three minutes at a time as you might scorch the queso!  I know, I know, I am impatient as well, but queso 10 minutes later is better than getting scorched queso 10 minutes sooner.

If you leave the queso over night or refrigerate the leftovers, the heat from the chiles will increase; I really like it on the second day.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my paternal grandfather.  He always tells my mom, “Thank goodness you married into this family otherwise I would have never had this queso!”

The finished product! Enjoy with some tortilla chips!

I am often asked where my favorite place in town to get a margarita, and I have to say that I really like the margarita’s at El Jarro de Arturo.  I like the Arturo margarita because it is not syrupy or all that sugary sweet.  I one time talked to a waiter about how they make it, and took his advice, added a little more tequila and a twist of orange and have my margarita recipe which is seen below:

*2 shotglasses of Patron Silver
*1 shotglass of Cointreau
*1 shotglass of freshly squeezed lime (using a lime squeezer this is about 2 limes)
*twist of a fresh orange

Combine all ingredients with ice in a shaker; shake and serve in a martini glass.

I like it because you can still taste the tequila (hence the importance of using good tequila) and it just tastes fresh.

That’s it. Simple. Easy. Fresh. Potent.

Be sure to vote for El Clásico inn the Patrón Cocktail Lab on Facebook so that it becomes the most popular margarita!

SanAntonioJoe.com has been around for a little over a year now, and I realized that I had not yet reviewed my favorite restaurant in all of San Antonio, El Jarro de Arturo.  I have told countless number of people how great their margaritas and food are, but I guess I completely forgot to make a post.  This is about to be remedied.

El Jarro is a family owned business since 1975 and is run by owners Arturo and Sandy Cerna.  You can really tell the emphasis is on family as you will see many of the same folks working in the restaurant year to year.  I really like it because in addition to the management, many of the waiters and staff have been there for a while.  You really feel like part of the family when you dine there.

Entering the restaurant takes you away from the hustle and bustle of Highway 281 and transports you into the interior of Mexico.  On the weekends, there is a band that will play a combination of Latin and 60s/70s pop music.  You can even shake it on the smallish dance floor.

The outside patio is nice, however, it is pretty difficult to get away from the fact that you are in a strip mall next to a major highway and Party City.  In spite of this, they do a pretty nice job of trying to set up an oasis to escape the work day with one of their patented margaritas.

Speaking of, I think that the margaritas at El Jarro are the best in the city.  Don’t waste your time with a frozen one or one with a swirl.  Opt instead for the real deal, The Arturo.  Made with Patron, Cointreau, and lime juice, this potent mixture is served in a martini glass instead of the more traditional rounded margarita glass.  The margarita is $8 but packs a punch that makes it completely worth the price.  A word to the wise – if you will be drinking a couple of these you better plan on having a designated driver for the trip back home.

Normally served in a taller martini glass, this margarita packs a punch. Have a DD if you plan on drinking two.

Their chips and salsa are pretty addicting.  The salsa is always made fresh and pretty chunky.  It is almost like a pico de gallo but not quite; depending on how hot the jalapeños are that day it can be medium to really spicy heat.  Arturo recently talked to the San Antonio Express News and gave them his salsa recipe which is pretty quick and easy to make.  Apparently they make 40 gallons of it a day!

If I have a friend visiting me in San Antonio for the first time, we will inevitably make a stop here for dinner.  For all first timers, I make sure that we order the Queso Flameado as an antojito (or appetizer).  As opposed to queso that most gringos are used to (the kind at Super Bowl parties), this is more of a thicker consistency that has some peppers and chorizo mixed in with it.  They will usually bring it out and light it on fire while mixing all the ingredients together.  It is best eaten on a corn tortilla.

In addition to having the traditional Tex-Mex fare, El Jarro offers a nice variety of Mexico-Mex including Norteño and coastal food.  This is why I typically rotate between three main options for my meal:

If I am feeling a little Tex-Mex, I usually order the El Jarro #3 which is two cheese enchiladas, a crispy taco (be sure to sub in the puffy taco!), rice, beans, and guacamole.  At just above $10, this plate will leave you completely full and satisfied.

For all you seafood lovers, you won’t be remiss to go with the Red Snapper a la Pepe.  More on the expensive side (about $22), the fish is served with a tequila tomato sauce that is really nice. You also get a Salad a la George with this meal, which is a Romaine lettuce salad with mango, jicama, red bell pepper, purple onions, avocado and a vinegar dressing.  The salad almost equals the fish; I love this meal because after I eat it I am full but I do not feel weighted down.

The third option I usually go with is a Norteño delicacy called Cabrito, or baby goat.  I know firsthand that this might sound strange to a lot of folks because when I moved to San Antonio 5 years ago and visited El Jarro for the first time I was kind of shocked to see it on the menu.  I kept going back to restaurant and wondered what it tasted like until one day I got the courage to ask my waiter about it.  He said that it was a specialty and one of his favorites so I ordered it.  I’ve been hooked ever since.

Apparently, I’m not the only one.  In 2009, a foodie for the New York Times wrote an article about how he learned to love goat meat.  The taste of cabrito is really nice because it is so tender and really isn’t a greasy meat.  I was a little afraid that it might have a gamey taste (I don’t like venison for this reason), but I don’t think it is gamey at all.  Cabrito is good either by itself or by making a taco on a corn tortilla with a little bit of guacamole.

The cabrito is a specialty at El Jarro; I ordered it this past visit.

After telling folks how much I liked El Jarro’s cabrito, some of my Mexican friends told me I should check out El Rey de Cabrito in Monterrey, Mexico.  Always up for an adventure, a buddy and I took a midnight bus down to Mexico back in 2006 with the express interest of getting the cabrito.  I will say that El Rey de Cabrito is better, but it is only by the slimmest margins.

El Jarro is one of my San Antonio staples.  I go there to celebrate birthdays, new jobs, or life in general along with going there to commiserate after a bad day or a failure.  It has been a place to take friends and family the first time that they visit me in San Antonio, and a place to return time and time again to catch up.  In short, the overall friendliness of the staff and exceptional food at El Jarro is San Antonio to me.  God willing, their doors will be open for years to come.

Value: 9/10 (you can get a Tex-Mex dinner for $10 that will fill you up or some higher cuisine for $20; the margaritas are $8 but pack more of a punch than two of the typical $4 ones elsewhere)

Atmosphere: 9/10 (Inside atmosphere is really nice and cozy; the patio is good, but you are in a strip mall)

Service: 9.5/10 (really nice servers who will guide you through the menu; I would give it a 10 but the thing is that the service can sometimes be slow; don’t worry, you are in the land of mañana, sit back, relax, and visit )

Salsa: 10/10 (different than most in San Antonio, chunky with a nice heat; don’t forget the recipe seen here)

Taste: 10/10 (my favorite spot in town; if you visit me for the first time we are probably going there)

Website: http://www.eljarro.com

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It’s officially summer with Fourth of July right around the corner which means time for picnics, block parties, and get togethers.  I know that a lot of times you might be asked to bring a dessert to one of these functions and you just might not have the time or desire to create something.

You end up going towards the prepackaged cookie section (heck, even if you get the chocolate cookies made in the store bakery, people know that they are still store bought), show up with the dessert that no one touches because it is not homemade, and end up going home with 22 of the 25 store bought cookies that even you don’t want.

There is a simple solution to this, Mama Heath’s famous Lemonade Ice Cream Pie!  Now, I don’t know if the recipe originated with her or not, but I really don’t care.  I always looked forward to summer because that meant it was time for Lemonade Ice Cream Pie.  I mean, it just tastes like summer and is perfect for all the shindigs you are going to.  The best thing yet, it is super easy to make (roughly 10-15 minutes of prep) and all your friends will think it is amazing.  Trust me.

Ingredients:

• ½ gallon of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla (don’t skimp out and get the off brand, you can tell)
• 1 can of Minute Maid Pink Lemonade from concentrate
• 1 large Keebler graham cracker crust
• 1 smaller Keebler graham cracker crust

Step 1: Drive home from the grocery store in the Texas summer heat.  Don’t fret if you hit a couple of stop lights on the way home as this will make Step 2 much easier on you.

Step 2: Get a big mixing bowl and dump the starting-to-melt ice cream in it along with the can of pink lemonade that is equally melted from the searing outside heat.

Step 3: Get a spoon and mix, mix, mix (I guess you could cheat and use beaters, but come on, it is soft ice cream and isn’t worth making more of a mess to clean up).  You will want to mix where two things happen: (i) there are no pockets of pure white or bright pink but instead a consistent pale pink color throughout and (ii) it is pretty creamy and smooth.

Step 4: Dump the mixture into the graham cracker crusts and smooth out the top with the spatula.

(Step 4b: Lick the bowl and spatula clean.)

You want the color to be this light pink; mmmm, I am getting hungry just looking at the picture.

Again, Steps 1-4 should take you all of 10 to 15 minutes and the payoff will be worth it.

Step 5: Put it in the freezer for like 2.5 to 3 hours to refreeze.  Serve and enjoy!

I will admit, just like the Cranberry Jalapeño Salsa recipe for Christmastime, the name does kind of sound gross.  However, you will find that the taste is light and crisp with a little bit of tartness.  The cold is refreshing on a hot summer day or evening – one bite and you will agree that it tastes like summer.

For like 15 minutes of time and roughly $10-$12 worth of products, you will make two Lemonade Ice Cream Pies that will not only be “made from scratch” but also be the hit of the party.

I love Christmastime; it is my favorite time of year because it just seems that people are in a happier mood, you get to spend time with your friends and family, college bowl games are on TV, and there is tons of food everywhere.  The best part about the food is that it all seems to be homemade and seasonal recipes that are familiar to friends and family seem to crop up.

There are several things that I look forward to around Christmas time that my mom will inevitably cook: her world renown green chili queso, chili and cornbread, the chocolate turtle brownies, a big pot of beans, enchilada casserole, cranberry jalapeño salsa and fudge.  These are the things that signal it is Christmas to me.

Seeing that I am out of the house and hundreds of miles away, I often try to make some of these dishes myself before travelling home for the holidays.  While the queso is my favorite of all, you can’t really make it unless you have authentic Hatch, New Mexico green chilis (I have a freezer full that I brought back while visiting New Mexico a year and a half ago).  The cranberry jalapeño salsa and fudge are some of my favorites to make and are typically a hit when I make them for a party, so I thought I would give you the recipes to try them out this holiday season.

Cranberry Jalapeño Salsa

This salsa is sweet with a kick! It really looks like Christmas with the red and green.  I think it is funny because when I set it out at a party, people initially shy away from it because they don’t know what it is.  After I tell them that it is cranberry jalapeño salsa, they usually become interested and try it on a Wheat Thin.  At this point in time, it is tough to keep it in stock!

1 package of cranberries
1 bunch of green onions minced
2 minced jalapeños (de-vein and de-seed if you don’t want it too spicy)
1 cup chopped cilantro
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon of olive oil
juice of 1 lime

Place the cranberries in a food processor and turn on low; you kind of want them to be a little chunky.  Mix all the ingredients together and mix up good.  Serve chilled with Wheat Thins; I have found if you let it sit overnight you get a nicer spice as all the ingredients got to mix together.

Fudge

This is always a hit; I don’t like mine with pecans, but feel free to add it in if you do!

4 ½ cups of sugar
2 sticks of Parkay
12 oz Carnation evaporated milk

Put the above on medium heat and bring to a full boil; once there, let it boil for 7 ½ minutes.

Remove from heat and add:

18 oz of Nestle Tollhouse Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
7 oz jar of marshmellow cream
1 tsp of vanilla

Stir all these things in really well.  THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART: After stirring for a while, take a spatula and scrape the top edge of the bowl where some of the fudge is caught but is not really being stirred into the mixture any more.  Be cautious as you remove it to make sure nothing drops in your mixture; wipe it on a paper towel and through away.  This is important because you are getting all the crystallized stuff out of your mixture which makes it smooth.

Do this about three times and make sure you have a consistent color.  Pour mixture into a pan that is rubbed with butter so that the fudge won’t stick.  Let set before you serve (but enjoy licking the bowl).

I hope you enjoy the recipes that are popular from my household.  If you have any that you enjoy and would like to share, send me a message with it and I will post on the site.  Include your name and/or Twitter username (if you want) and a story of why you like your particular recipe!

Hope this can make your Christmas that much more enjoyable!