Edible Rio Grande Valley - Winter 2022

EAT. DRINK. THINK. LOCAL.

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

The holiday season has begun: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s, oh my!

There’s excitement about — can you feel it? The temperature begins to drop, the air becomes crisp, and a festive mood permeates. We’re cooking and baking special dishes, decorating, hosting and attending holiday parties, traveling and, of course, shopping.

For some of us, certain traditions become synonymous with the holiday season. For me, this includes baking cookies for family and friends. An annual adventure of experimentation - exploring different flavors and textures. In the Kitchen section of this issue of Edible Rio Grande Valley, Dr. Lisa Pena speaks with two Valley bakers who share a similar tradition. Look for all of their recipes on our website to help you make a more diverse cookie box!

How do you like to decorate your home for the holidays? Do you like adding potted poinsettias for added color and beauty? Lori Murray offers tips on how to select and care for these quintessential holiday plants. The best part is, it’s a sustainable design: you can plant them in the ground after the holidays and have them year-round — they grow well in the Valley.

I grew up in the Valley with a French father so we enjoyed a unique blend of food traditions over the Christmas season. Tamales (of course). Bacalao Navideño (dried, salted cod). Bouche de Noel (yule log). Here at Edible RGV, we wanted to know more about how the diversity of cultures in the Valley shape holiday traditions. In our Community section, The Melting Pot of Holiday Traditions story, we speak to a variety of families from around the region to learn what dishes and traditions they celebrate during this time. This story comes with yummy recipes, fresh pasta, Suzy Lee dumplings and more. You will find these recipes and a expanded version of the story on our website.

For our feature story, we talk about one of the most significant industries in the Valley — ranching. Who better than Melissa Guerra to provide a bit of a history lesson, to help us understand where the industry started and the challenges it faces today? It is reassuring to know that we can source local Texas beef, raised right here in our area, at our local farmers’ markets, and even at our local H-E-B grocery stores.

In our nature story, we explore the Valley as a mecca for birds and birders in their peak season: winter. The nature here takes my breath away. I found renewed awe and appreciation for the birds flying around Brownsville after moving back here from New York City in 2020. I never would have thought myself a birder, but the beauty and majesty of these creatures flying overheard... well, they just take my breath away. Father Tom outlines why the Valley is one of the best places in the country to birdwatch and illustrator Don Breeden brings these winged beauties to life for us.

As we approach the most wonderful time of the year, reflection is inevitable. What a year it has been! As the final issue of our inaugural year goes to press, I am so proud of the small but mighty Edible Rio Grande Valley team that has brought this amazing content to our worthy community. I hope our readers feel pride and awe in what our local food economy produces and in what it is teaching us. And to our advertisers, we thank you for believing in something new and helping us bring the magazine to the RGV.

From our Edible team to you and yours, we wish you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

Jacqueline Folacci Publisher

PUBLISHER

Jacqueline Folacci

EDITOR

Letty Fernandez

PHOTO EDITOR

Daniela Loera

CONTRIBUTORS

Don Breeden

Graham Campbell Denise Cathey

Larry Delgado

Melissa Guerra Lori Murray Lisa Pena

Father Tom Pincelli Vanesa Salinas-Diaz

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Denise Cathey Ashley Garcia Melissa Guerra Daniela Loera Lisa Pena

LAYOUT DESIGN Matt and Tina Freeman

COPY EDITORS

Doresa Banning

AD DESIGN

Michel Flores Tavizon

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Noelle Bresson

ADVERTISING advertise@ediblergv.com

CONTACT US hola@ediblergv.com

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No part of this publication may be used without written permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our sincere apologies and notify us at hola@ediblergv.com. Thank you.

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edibleriograndevalley.com

by Crepe Town

The Legacy of Cattle Ranching in the Rio Grande Valley

STORY & PHOTOS BY MELISSA GUERRA

Cattle ranching has long been a major component of the financial infrastructure of South Texas. With our warm climate, open ranges and ample supply of grass for grazing, the Rio Grande Valley has a deep connection to the ranching heritage of the Amer icas. Almost 500 years after Cabeza de Vaca identified Texas terrain as ideal for ranching, our local cattle in dustry continues to thrive.

A LITTLE HISTORY

It’s hard to imagine Texas without cattle. But before the Spanish arrived in the Americas, there were virtually no domestic farm animals in the Americas. Of course, there are the American bison, but those are wild creatures of the plains. Peru had the domesticated llama and alpaca, but these heavily furred camelids were not suited for life in hot, sunny Texas. Horses, cattle, chickens, goats, sheep, do mesticated pigs, camels, honeybees, donkeys and pigeons

— none of these farmed animals existed on the American continent before the arrival of the Spanish colonists.

Early in American ranching history, beef for consumption was the byproduct of a more profitable global trade: leather. Upon arrival, the Spanish colonists established enormous herds of cattle and horses on the American continent. Finding silver or gold could take decades but raising cattle could provide income within a few years. Many histori ans consider cattle to be the first wealth of the New World.

In present day cattle ranching, the production of quality beef is the main concern for local South Texas ranchers. Unique to the valley, many of the original ranching families that received colonial land grants from the Spanish crown are still in the cattle ranching business. Others that ranch locally bought portions of ranches from family or neighbors and continued the ranching tradition.

MCALLEN RANCH

Since 1791, McAllen Ranch in San Manuel, Texas has dedicated itself to cattle production. Today, James McAllen Jr. manages the commer cial cattle herd that supplies local beef markets.

“My grandfather invested his life in the quality of our cattle herd,” said McAllen. “He had a very specific selection process for the cattle we used for breeding. I can still see this profile in the cattle that are on the ranch today.”

Beefmaster is the preferred breed raised on McAllen Ranch, but re cent years have seen the inclusion of more Angus, Brangus and Akaushi crosses. “We deliver what the market demands,” said McAllen.

But as the world has changed, so have the land and cattle manage ment business. With the growth rate in Hidalgo County hovering just above 1 percent annually, local green space and habitat are falling prey to urban expansion. Keeping the balance between commercial cattle pro duction and conservation of native habitat is a focus for McAllen Ranch.

Left Page: Working cattle on McAllen Ranch.

Right Page: Vicente Vega on a morning cattle drive in Hidalgo County.

“Balance is the key to success in any agricultural operation. Not only do ranchers have a responsibil ity to the bottom line of their cattle business but also to the ecological health of the land. For generations, we have observed the positive effect

of cattle grazing on native habitat,” McAllen said.

White tail deer, mourning doves, bobwhite quail, javalinas, bob cats, coyotes and wild turkeys can be found flourishing among the herds of commercial cattle. Hunting and ecotourism complement the commercial cattle operation in a natural balance that the McAllen Ranch family has worked hard to preserve.

RANCHO SANTA FE

In 1927, Felix Martinez purchased Rancho Santa Fe in Santa Elena, located south of San Isidro. For almost 100 years, the Martinez fam ily has built their cattle breeding program. After importing the first Brahman bulls to South Texas in 1946, maintaining a thriving breed in Starr County’s challenging environment has always been the Mar tinez family’s goal.

“We have raised every breed out there!” quips Stephanie Martin ez.” But as we looked towards our future in the cattle business, we needed to maximize our return in the beef market in order to keep ranching.”

In 2012, the family invested in a recently imported breed of Jap anese cattle that dramatically transformed the way the Martinezes ranched and marketed their cattle. Changing with the demand of modern consumers, Stephanie and Felo now raise Akaushi (pro nounced ah-kah-OO-shee) cross-bred cattle. Beef from Akaushi cattle has a higher ratio of monounsaturated fats to saturated fats, which has the potential to lower undesirable LDL cholesterol levels in humans. Risks of breast cancer, coronary heart disease, blood pressure and dia betes are lowered with diets rich in monounsaturated fats.

2F Akaushi beef prime steaks can be found in H-E-B supermar kets throughout Texas. A refrigerated 18-wheeler arrives once a week at Rancho Santa Fe, winners of the 2021 H-E-B Quest for Texas Best competition, to pick up ground beef to deliver to supermarkets throughout the state.

Earlier in 2022, the Texas Department of Agriculture even in vited the Martinez family to provide samples of their prime steaks to beef buyers in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates and Quintana Roo, Mexico. “We’ve come a long way from when we started,” Stephanie says with a chuckle.

LA MUNECA CATTLE CO.

Brothers Carlos and Victor Guerra are the next generation of cattlemen working at La Muñeca Ranch in Linn. In 1873 the ranch’s brand was registered in Starr County by the brothers’ great-great grandmother, Antonia Guerra.

Today, along with the support of their sisters Cristina and Laura and the founda tional wisdom of their parents Carlos and Sister Guerra, the duo daily analyzes the global fluctuations in beef commodities, cur rent weather patterns and the international financial horizon to keep tailoring their cat tle operation to an ever-changing market.

Through the years, Guerra Bros. and La Muñeca Cattle Co. have raised an impressive variety of registered cattle breeds. Starting with Red Angus cattle purchased in 1963, the family experimented with other breeds such as Red Brangus, Red Brahman, Indu Brazil, Gyr, Black Zebu, White Zebu, Gel bray, Simbrah, Braunvieh, Polled Brahman and Simbraunvieh. These days, they are ded icated to raising Polled Red and Grey Brah man and Simbrah cattle.

The Guerra family has experimented with so many breeds because the hot temperature

in the Valley makes raising cattle especially challenging. Not all cattle breeds can thrive in our hot, dry conditions. In response to this challenge, the Guerras spend their time and energy enhancing their cattle breeds for sustainability in our valley climate.

Competing with their dedication to their cattle herd is the passion the entire Guerra family has for youth education.

“One of our largest markets is youth pro jects,” said Victor. “Educational opportuni ties through the 4-H and FFA are not only vital for our community but for the future of the beef industry.”

Me lis sa Guerra is an eighth genera tion, born and raised South Texan. She is a self taught culinary expert and food historian. Follow her on Instagram at @thekitchenwrangler.

Left: Vicente Cappadona, next generation rancher, building a fire. Top Right: Feeding bulls in northern Hidalgo County in the 1940s. Bottom: Ruben de Leon Jr. working cattle on McAllen Ranch.

HOW TO SUPPORT AND BUY LOCAL BEEF

CD&J Mini Ranch

San Benito

Raises grass-fed beef, pasture pigs, farm fresh eggs and sells jellies and freeze-dried fruit/ vegetables. Purchase products on cdjminiranch. com or call 956-456-9600.

Circle S Beef

Bayview

Sells organic pasture-raised beef. Check out its items on circlesbeef.com. Pick up products at the Brownsville Farmers’ Market.

England Cattle Company,LLC

Mercedes

Sells hand-cut, dry-aged beef. Pick up products at the Brownsville and South Padre Island farmers markets or England Cattle Co., 13228 Mile 2 E. Road, or call 956-373-1886. englandcattleco.com.

J

Galvan Mini Farm

Donna

Family-owned mini farm that specializes in certified organic fed poultry, whole young quail and eggs, grass-fed beef and whole young cabrito. Products available at the Grow’n Growers Farmers Market in McAllen or call 956-377-9402.

Rancho Santa Fe

San Isidro

Family-owned ranch that breeds and raises commercial cattle and sells premium 2F Akaushi Wagyu beef to restaurants and households. Products available in H-E-B stores and online at 2fakaushibeef.com.

A Melting Pot of

The variety here in the RGV just may surprise you.

STORY & PHOTOS BY DENISE CATHEY

When the sun begins to set earlier and earlier, and cold fronts provide a fresh and nippy chill to the air, the holiday season arrives in the Rio Grande Valley. Now we prepare our favorite foods, gather together to tell the stories of our history and share as family and friends in the feeling of community.

In my own family, I have fond memories of visiting my older sister Dianna and her dad Don Wray at his Houston home. As a special tradi tion, the three of us had a pre-Christmas Eve celebration, always steeped with the ever-present smell of wassail.

Over the years, the recipe has been tested, tinkered with and oc casionally made over entirely to produce what, each year, our family considers a wassail without equal.

Don passed away right before the holidays in 2021, but whenever I set out my wassail pot on the stove, it brings me right back to those happier times in his kitchen and my own fond memories of holidays long past.

While it might not always seem like it at first glance, the Valley is a place of people, each with their own holiday touchstones and traditions no less dear than my own, gathered from many corners of the world outside our own little spot in South Texas.

From homemade pasta for Christmas dinner to New Year’s Day dumplings, here are a few ways families in the Valley come together and celebrate this holiday season.

A DELICIOUS NEW YEAR

Each New Year’s Day, Suzy Lee has a tradition, with her husband Steve and their two young sons, to make dumplings and celebrate the new year together alongside a rice cake soup called tteokguk.

“Traditionally, you are supposed to eat tteokguk, a rice cake soup. I believe it symbolizes a prosperous new year. There are also certain things like dumplings — shaped like money pockets, which bring good luck also. So we traditionally will combine these in a dumpling and rice cake soup,” she said.

These dishes, and others, Lee makes for the Korean New Year (known as Seollal), which is on January 22 due to the lunar calendar, but Lee also likes to make them for the American New Year.

From an early age, she remembers being a sous chef for her mom in the kitchen as her father prized tradition and homemade food.

“My dad is very firm on tradition, and so I have made dumplings

with my mom for as long as I can remember,” she said.

Lee shares that experience with her family to ensure her children connect with their Korean heritage. The boys help her put the filling — a mixture of beef, tofu, chives, egg, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil — into dumpling wrappers. Her husband Steve also helps seal and fold the dumplings.

For tteokguk, the dumplings go into the pot of soup, which can be either anchovy or beef broth, to cook with the sliced rice cakes until they bob to the surface twice. The family only makes dumplings twice a year, so for any uncooked extras, Lee will freeze them to eat the rest of the year.

“I told my husband that as long as our children are in our house — and even when they do leave — I kind of want that we always make dumplings on New Year’s Day. They can go party on New Year’s Eve, but on New Year’s Day, they better be back at our house making dumplings with us.”

TO BE ITALIAN

When Virginia Wood—then Virginia Voltaggio—moved to Browns ville with mother Lorene and father Frank for his seafood business in 1950, there was very little in the way of Italian food.

“My father would write to his brothers and ask them to send him cheeses and different things,” Wood said.

Lorene took charge of the cooking after learning how to make proper Italian food from Wood’s grandmother Vincenza Vivona Voltaggio who had immigrated from Italy. Wood remembers helping her mother in the kitchen as she cooked and canned the fresh tomatoes the family would use for sauces and made pasta by hand as her grandmother had done.

For Wood, the Christmas foods—and all the preparations of the season leading up to it—are a cherished time as she continues to share the family’s history and Italian culture with her two sons, their spouses, three grandchildren and extended family.

At the beginning of the holiday season, Wood makes Cuccidati — a Sicilian fig cookie made with fruit, nuts, citrus and a nip of brandy, and pizzelles, a vanilla cookie with a lacey snowflake appearance.

However, Christmas Day is the real showstopper as Wood and her husband John host the family in their home for a formal candlelit meal. With help from her grandchildren, Wood makes from-scratch home made spaghetti garnished with a special sauce.

On Christmas Eve night, Wood starts cooking several braciole. A braciole starts like a meatloaf, which she stuffs with three or four peeled hardboiled eggs. The braciole is wrapped in round steaks and tied before browning in a pot. For the sauce, she adds tomato sauce, Italian season ing, Italian sausage, and pork chops, letting them cook for hours before serving. The resulting sauce covers the pasta and the servings of braciole.

The family enjoys the meal together, pulling Christmas crackers in honor of her mother’s British heritage and singing Christmas carols together.

“I try to create as many special activities that would bring my children, their wives and my grandchildren into participating and feeling like they are part of this special family where we do these things,” she said.

THE SMELL OF HOME

When the tamales Veracruzanos are cooking for Miguel Herrera, it is the smell of his childhood, a fond reminder of the times he would visit his grandmother in the Huasteca region of Mexico.

After a rain, the air would fill with the smell of banana plants. Her rera, who wraps his tamales in banana leaves, remembers fondly watch ing his grandmother, Francisca Sanchez, lead the family in cooking these tamales together.

“It’s a kind of nostalgia. When I smell that banana leaf, it brings me back to Huasteca,” he said.

He is committed to keeping the tradition alive—especially now that he and his wife Kaitlyn welcomed their first child in July—especially when it comes to tamales at Christmas.

Herrera, often at the Brownsville Farmers’ Market selling his tama les under the name of Tamale Mio, worked hard to figure out the right way to make the tamales he remembered.

Now, at home during the holidays, his family loves to ask him to make tamales for family parties and get-togethers during the holiday season. He says their favorite is the puerco en chilpan.

Herrera starts with a Boston butt cut of pork, chopped into pieces to which he adds his blend of seasonings and garlic. After cooking for four hours, Herrera strains and reserves the liquid to which he adds a blend of chiles then a good helping of masa, to thicken it into a gravy to add to the pork.

Then it all goes in the signature banana leaf.

Growing up, he remembers how everyone got together to help make the tamales. There was music and a general air of joy about the process.

“Everyone had their role to play. So that is what I try to do during Christmastime I put my brothers to one task and my mom to another task,” he said. “So in the end, we all have these tamales to take home for the rest of the holidays that will have that same taste.”

TRUE CHRISTMAS DINNER

Living in McAllen, there is one thing that Priyanka Patel—a Valley transplant from South Wales in the United Kingdom—missed from the Christmas dinners of her childhood.

Growing up with her family in the United Kingdom, Christmas dinner was similar but with enough differences from the United States. There would be the familiar turkey and stuffing but add to that goose berries, parsnips and her favorite—Yorkshire pudding.

“You make these with eggs, flour and either water or milk. It is like a bread cup that you pour your gravy in. That is my absolute favorite thing,” Patel recounted. In the U.K., you can buy Yorkshire puddings frozen and ready to heat up in the oven—McAllen, not so much. So each year Patel and her husband Hershal try out new recipes to find the perfect Yorkshire pudding for Christmas lunch with their parents and three children.

“Because of our busy schedules, we do not get to eat together a lot. That day I like that we have this meal together,” she said.

Deni se Cathey is a reporter and photojournalist living in Brownsville. An expanded version of her story and recipes are at edibleriograndevalley.com.

OW N BACKY ARD

You don’t have to go far to get the rich, sweet, succulent and buttery taste of crabmeat on your plate. Look no further than the Lone Star State. With 367 miles of pristine coastline, blue crabs are a shore thing in Texas Gulf waters.

BROWNSVILLE WELLNESS COALITION

COOKING CL ASSES

FRESCO MOBILE

COMMUNITY GARDENS & URBAN FARMS

Birders Reach Nirvana in the RGV

STORY BY FATHER TOM PINCELLI | ILLUSTRATION BY DON BREEDEN

Abirder living in the Rio Grande Valley finds him or herself literally surrounded by an avian bounty, more or less a birder’s paradise. There is a small number of birding hot spots throughout the American Birding Association area, the so-called geographical parameters that define most birders’ primary area of interest. For clar ity’s sake, let me outline those parameters: the continental U.S. and Canada, Alaska, Hawaii and 200 nautical miles offshore. Now, that’s a chunk!

The hot spots contained in that “chunk” are just a handful: southeast Arizona, the California coast, south Florida, coastal Alaska, its islands and Hawaii … and in my estimation, the RGV, deservedly at the top of the list.

There are specific reasons for that. One is the Valley’s proximity to the tropics. The re gion’s subtropical habitat and climate allow for a flow of numerous tropical species that like deep south Texas: green jays, altamira orioles, plain chachalacas, great kiskadees, red-crowned parrots, etc., etc., etc. Add to that the fact that two flyways, the Central and Mississippi, pass through the Valley. They funnel neotropical mi grants through our area in both spring and fall. You’re beginning to get a clear idea of why the RGV is considered a birding mecca.

Some springs when weather conditions are less than favorable to the migrants’ northerly pro gress, these neotropical species practically rain from the sky when they use the area as a stopover to rest and refuel. Warblers, orioles, flycatchers, buntings and others provide a veritable smorgasbord of color.

Whereas the spring finds these migrants hell bent for their north ern breeding territories, the fall is when migration is more like a slow trickle. However, opportunity after opportunity exists for the birder to find something interesting in almost any portion of the RGV.

There is one more major factor that places the RGV at the top of the hot spot list: rarities.

Over the years numerous rarities, some of them first U.S. records, have graced the Valley with their presence. These are the area’s claim to fame. One example is the bat falcon that arrived at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge last December; thankfully, it decided to hang around for several months. It caused a major tremor through the birding community as thousands of birders descended on the RGV to add this mega U.S. rarity to their all-important life list.

Late autumn and winter typically are the time frames when we can expect and hope for some outstanding rarity to show up. As in the heart of every birder, especially every RGV birder, “hope springs eternal.” It is sometimes yes and sometimes no, but the yes years have been more and more noteworthy with one new U.S. record after another.

These include the bare-throated tiger heron at Bentsen State Park, Chilean elaenia on South Padre Island, crane hawk at Santa Ana NWR, and collared forest falcon and social flycatcher, both at Bentsen SP. Subsequently, in Brownsville, there were the masked tityra and stygian owl at Bentsen SP, gray silky-flycatcher at Laguna Atascosa NWR, Jabiru and Amazon kingfisher, to name a few.

There are other somewhat regularly occurring rarities that we can almost count on every couple of years: roadside hawk, rose-throated becard, blue bunting, crimson-collared grosbeak, Mexican violetear and more. Less rare but always important to the area are the strays from either the east or the west, the likes of the white-crowned pigeon and some out of the way western hummingbird. All of them just add to the interest of our locale.

So grab your binoculars and head out, be it to your backyard; the Santa Ana or Laguna Atascosa NWR; the Falcon, Bentsen, Estero Lla no Grande or Resaca del la Palma state park; or a local park, such as Ramsey in Harlingen on Loop 499; or the Quinta Mazatlan suburb in McAllen. Bask in the bounty that is all of ours.

There is always something wonderful out there that can make your day or at least make you smile and maybe even gasp. Give it a try. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had people tell me, “I never knew these birds were around here.” And some, well, they got hooked for good.

Remember, we live in the hot spot. I always tell birders, “If you want to see such and such, you have to come to the Valley!” Good birding, and I hope to see you in the field sometime.

Father Tom Pincelli is a retired Catholic priest known to many as “Father Bird.” He is a skilled birder committed to promoting bird watching and conservation. For many years, he wrote a birdwatch ing column for the newspapers in the Rio Grande Valley, hosted a local PBS TV show and led birding tours to several of the wild life refuges, state parks and other sites in South Texas. One of his favorite birds is the green jay.

Color illustrations by Don Breeden, award winning wildlife artist from Brownsville. Poster avalible on his website at breedengallery.com.

Because we know ya’ll aren’t eating your fruits and veggies, Juicin’ Alive is here to help you get your fix. From delicious on-the-spot cold-pressed We offer a curated selection of classic reads and locally roasted coffee. And now featuring our own signature line of pastries from the Karma kitchen.

2500 Padre Blvd. South Padre Island 956-747-2568

Brownsville’s only chocolate factory & café. Come join us for a house made pasty and coffee and take our Ethically sourced, Premium quality chocolate home with you!

500 E. Morrison Rd., Brownsville rawxocolate.com 956- 933-7690

Christmas Cookies

STORY & PHOTOS BY LISA PENA

22 WINTER 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY

Photo by Daniela Loera

The sweet convergence of traditions, new and old; family, present and passed; friends, close and afar; and oh, fabulous storytelling. Most agree, Christmastime is magic. The holiday season subtly encourages us to reflect on what is and what was, and that thoughtful pause in between is where nostalgia whispers to us all. It is a song that scoots us right up to the foot of our childhood Christmas tree as we admire the sparkling lights. It is a familiar movie that plops us back on the couch, sandwiched between family with matching pajamas adorned in red and green. It is the smells, tastes and sounds that lovingly tip their hats to the past and grant us full permission to recreate those same memories for those we hold dear.

There is nothing like a Christmas cookie that can wrap up tradi tion, nostalgia and storytelling in just one bite. The warm smell of vanilla. The perfect sound of crunchy chewiness. The way salt and sugar do-si-do so beautifully in your mouth. Delicious cookie recipes shared between family and friends can be a tender nod to the past and have the power to connect every generation at your table. So let’s get baking!

I recently spent time with some of the Rio Grande Valley’s phe nomenal bakers, and together we collected five cookie recipes that are sure to leave your family and Santa swooning.

Screwball Cookie Dough Bourbon the shining star, with a depth of flavor that bursts through with the first bite. There is no need to wor ry because the alcohol content burns off in the oven, so Santa will stay nice and sober on his flight around the world.

“When it comes to gingerbread, I am a purist. I want it simple but flavorful,” shared Rebecca McBride of Batch Please Cookie Co. based in Harlingen.

This is no surprise seeing as McBride spent her holidays baking bread from scratch with her grandma in a house that was built with her grandpa’s own weathered hands.

Growing up in coastal areas of Virginia, McBride had an occa sional white Christmas but even more memorable were the twin kling lights of Juniper Street and her grandma’s phenomenal baking. “Almost all of my recipes are from her original recipe book, with some special tweaks.”

Take, for example, her spiked snickerdoodle. The original reci pe makes cinnamon the heavy hitter, but McBride’s version makes

My Abuela s Kitchen

My abuela birthed seven sons. SEVEN. I was the first grand child, a girl. Needless to say, I was raised with ZERO humility in her home. “Apaga la luz! Ya llego el sol!” The translation is, “Turn off the light! The sun has arrived!” This was how my abuela wel comed me into her home every holiday season.

I would sit on her brown-pegged dining chairs with shiny lac quer, my feet in laced socks and tennis shoes dangling, and she would serve me a cup of Popular hot chocolate. The gritty choc olate sugar crystals were fantastic. The way the fat from the thick whole milk layered itself on the top was a dream come true for every taste bud I’ve been gifted.

I became curious about food and flavors at a very young age, and forever deep-rooted in my food memory bank is the first time I smelled Mexican vanilla. With my bare toes gripping the rubber of the step stool and my shoulders barely grazing the countertop, my mom held the dark bottle up to my nose. Even as a young child I remember wondering how something could smell so good that it felt as if I was tasting it, too. With my newfound fascination, baking in my home became a roaring force especially at Christ mastime. Flour and sugar would powder my hair and my nose. I would sneak frequent handfuls of chocolate chips and then care fully select the right Christmas baggie. My favorite time. Hands down, favorite childhood memory.

I am thrilled to share this delicious recipe that combines three kinds of chocolate and is sure to transport you back to your sweet est childhood holiday memories in your abuela’s kitchen.

CC ’s Sweet Memories

The memories of Roberta Castillo, owner and baker extraordinaire of CC’s Sweets & Treats in McAllen, are enveloped by and sealed with the love and recipes of her mom and grandma.

A curly headed little girl running up and down her grandparent’s ranch in Edinburg, Castillo grew up loving the kitchen and loving the land. “There was an abundance of grain, cotton, maize, chickens and cows and plenty of fruits. Some of my sweetest memories are canning and pickling with my Grandma Florence,” Castillo shared.

For Castillo, her memories of baking with her grandma extend far beyond the Christmas season because Grandma Flor ence was the biscuit maker for Castillo’s elementary school. Little Roberta had quite the swagger as she strolled through the cafeteria line, fully aware that the baker behind the coun ter had a biased heart and heavy hand when serving her. Kolaches cooling on the dryer and bread proofing every weekend are the core memories engrained throughout her childhood.

Adulthood led Castillo into a career in mortgage lending, but after 10 years and a huge housing crash, she returned to her passion. Now, she has owned and operated CC’s Sweets for 12 years and is work

Linzer Cookies

Makes 24 2-inch in diameter sandwiches

1¼ cups (360 grams) butter

7⁄ 8 cup (180 grams) sugar

¾ teaspoon (4 grams) salt

3¼ cups (400 grams) flour

1½ cups (140 grams) almond flour

Zest of 1 lemon or orange Powdered sugar, for dusting Jam, any flavor, for filling

Combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl, and stir until evenly combined.

Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Add the zest to the butter mixture and beat on low speed for 30 seconds until combined.

Add the dry ingredient mixture and beat on low speed for 1 minute or so until combined, stopping to scrape down the

ing on opening a second location in 2023. Cupcakes, cookies and brownies adorn her cute storefront but the macarons, boy oh boy, those are the stars. Drawing lines out the door for themed days like Harry Potter and Hocus Pocus, Castillo and CC’s Sweets are thriving in all things sugar.

Every single jam used at CC’s Sweets is named after Grandma Florence, which led to the creation of the confectioner’s best sell er: linzers. These cookies are composed of a scrumptious mixture of flavors including soft shortbread and real butter and filled with va rieties of Grandma Florence’s Christmas berry jam. They are definitely a crowd-pleaser.

is a pharmacist, author, speaker and home baker.. The mother to a child with severe disabilities, she also founded and runs the non-profit Labeled and Loved, which provides resources for moms with children with disabilities. You can watch her family’s cooking show The Love and Olive Show on YouTube. A runner-up in the first ever Silos Baking Competition on the Magnolia Network, she baked her RubyRed cream pies, a nod to the famous Ruby Red grapefruits of the Rio Grande Valley.

sides of the bowl at any point if needed.

Shape the dough into a disk, wrap it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until chilled.

Heat the oven to 300° F and line a large baking sheet with parchment.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll it out until it is about ¼-inch thick.

Cut out your desired shapes with your cookie cutters (half solid shapes, half with cut-out “windows”) and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

Re-roll out any dough scraps that remain and repeat the process to make use of all of the dough. At this point, if the cut-out cookie dough seems soft and warm, pop the entire cookie sheet in the fridge for 10 minutes to re-chill the dough. Otherwise, proceed immediately to the next step.

Bake the cookies for about 11 to 13 min utes, or until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges. Different cookie sizes

and shapes may require a different time in the oven , so I recommend keeping a close eye on the cookies during the final minutes of baking to be sure they do not overcook.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies rest for a few minutes. Then transfer the cookies to a wire rack until they have cooled completely to room temperature.

Transfer the cut-out window cookies back to the baking sheet. Using a fine mesh strainer, dust them with powdered sugar. Then spread a dollop of jam on a solid cookie. Gently place a window cookie on top to form a cute little linzer cookie sandwich.

Repeat with remaining cookies and enjoy!

Find these recipes on our website:

Old Fashioned Divinity Cookies

Spiced Snickerdoole Sugar Cookies

White Chocolate Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Popular Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

Market to Market

All Across the Rio Grande Valley Market Locations & Available CSAs

Wild August Nursery & Flower Market

Brownsville

Brownsville Farmers Market

Linear Park, 1495 E. 7th St. Saturdays 9AM-12PM brownsvillewellnesscoalition.com @brownsvillewellnesscoalition

The Market at North Park Plaza 800 N. Expressway 77/83 Saturdays 3-7PM marketattheplaza.com info@marketattheplaza.com

Edinburg Hub of Prosperity Urban Farm 3707 W. University Dr. Saturdays 9-11AM openfoodnetwork.net @hub_of_prosperity

Harlingen

Harlingen Farmers Market

Tyler Avenue & 2nd St. Saturdays 3-4:30PM Mid October-mid June harlingenfarmersmarket.com @harlingenfarmersmarket

HOPE Farmers Market

19833 Morris Rd. Mondays & Thursdays-Saturdays 10AM-6PM yahwehfarm.com yahwehs.farmgarden@gmail.com @yahwehsfarm hopeforsfs@yahoo.com hopeforsfs.org

16802 Garrett Rd. October-May Saturdays 9AM-12PM June-September Fridays 6-9PM wildaugust.com @themarketatwildaugust

Laguna Vista SPIGCC Community Farmers Market

South Padre Island Golf Course 1 Ocelot Trail Rd. 1st & 3rd Tuesday of the month 4:30-6:30PM

McAllen Farm to Table Tres Lagos Farmers Market 4350 Tres Lagos Blvd. First Sunday of every month 2-5PM visitmcallen.com @treslagosmcallen

Grow’n Growers

Farmers Market

Firemen’s Park , 201 N. 1st St. Saturdays 9AM-12PM visitmcallen.com

@farmersmarketatfiremenspark

McAllen Farmers Market 4001 N. 23rd St. Saturdays 10AM-1PM mcallenfarmersmarket.com @mcallenfarmersmarket

Mission

Neighborhood Farmers Market

The Bryan House 1113 E. Mile 2 Rd. Wednesdays 3-7PM thebryanhouse.com @thebryanhouse

San Benito

El Pueblito Market 101 N. Reagan St.

Second Sunday of the month 11AM-3PM elpuebilitomarket956@gmail.com

South Padre Island

South Padre Island

Farmers Market 8605 Padre Blvd. Sundays 11AM-1PM sopadre.com

Weslaco

La Cebollita Mid-Valley

Farmers Market

Weslaco City Hall 255 S. Kansas Ave. Last Saturday of every month 11AM-2PM @weslaco_chamber weslaco.com

Available CSAs in the RGV CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), is one way con sumers can directly support local farms. You connect directly with the farmer, and every week your farmer delivers or you can pick up a variety of fresh nutritious food. All CSAs have different financial structures and procedures, so we suggest you reach out to the CSA for more information.

CD&J Mini Ranch Offers a produce CSA Meat and egg CSA 29575 Adams Rd., San Benito cdjminiranch.com @cdjminiranch_woman_owned

Nature’s Heartland Farm Offers produce and eggs 11920 N. Mile 16, Edinburg Saturdays 10AM-4PM heartlandfarm.com @naturesheartland

Sentli Center for Regenerative Agriculture

Offers a produce CSA starting in November Shakera Raygoza at (956) 472-7436 info@sentli.org sentlifoods.localfood marketplace.com

Valley Green Growers Cooperative (VGG) Offers fresh produce and protein boxes CSA 19833 Morris Rd., Harlingen vggcoop@hopeforsfs.org

Poinsettia Perfection

How to choose and care for your holiday beauty.

STORY & PHOTO LORI MURRAY

One of the joys of my Christmas season is gazing at the sea of red that dominates huge areas in so many stores as retailers tempt us to take home a red poinsettia of our very own. Introduced to the United States in 1828 by Joel Roberts Poinsett, our first ambassador to Mexico, the flower has become a big part of our winter holiday culture. But how can we know which plant to select? And how do we keep our poinsettia from losing leaves once we have it home? A little under standing of the flower’s composition can help us choose a plant that will give us a great deal of pleasure during the winter and, living in the Valley, many subsequent years of enjoyment.

First of all, when picking a poinsettia, check its soil moisture. The plants shouldn’t be so dry that they are wilting, nor should they have soupy saturated soil. If you don’t want to stick your finger in the dirt, pick up a few different plants and compare their weight. The lighter the pot, the dryer the soil. It should be noted that a good watering can help wilted plants considerably, but they don’t always look as good as they might have without experiencing trauma, so avoid plants that seem too

light or too heavy.

The condition of the leaves is another clue. Most healthy poinsettias have dark green leaves with even coloration. Poinsettias with yellowing leaves, leaves with brown tips or leaves with brown edges won’t last as long when you get them home. Similarly, if you leave the plant in your car, it will likely endure temperature swings. Going from hot to cold to hot again may cause the plant to lose its leaves.

The big test is to see how far along the plant is in its blooming cy cle, and that involves a close-up look at it. The showy colored parts of poinsettias that most people think of as flowers are actually modified leaves known as bracts. The yellow flowers, or cyathia, are in the center of the colorful bracts. The plant drops its leaves and bracts soon after these flowers shed their pollen. So for the longest lasting poinsettias, choose plants with little or no yellow pollen showing. The freshest plants won’t be blooming yet, so the flowers will not be yellow but will be little rounded green buds. If the yellow flowers look like they’re producing powdery yellow pollen — or they’ve started to turn brown — the plant is already past its prime.

Photo by @kstankss

Red is the predominant color of the present day poinsettia, just as it was when the plant was first discovered in Mexico. Today, though, cultivars may be found in a wide array of colors, including white, pink and other combinations. Here are a few things you can do to preserve their long-lasting color display.

Place the plants where the flowers will last longest. They prefer cool temperature and no wind, so keep them away from heat or air conditioning vents. Really warm temperatures can cause them to mature too quickly, and drafts can dry them out and cause them to drop their leaves.

Keep your poinsettia away from animals, small children and heavily trafficked areas so it doesn’t get damaged. Also keep your plant away from hot or drying things like televisions, heaters, stoves and fireplaces. Poinsettias keep their bright colors longer if they are kept at 60 to 72° F. If you have the time, putting your plant outside at night, protected from breezes, frost and wind, is an excellent practice.

Give your plants some natural light, and the more, the bet ter. Direct sunlight isn’t necessary, and too much direct sunlight through a window can burn the leaves. So just keeping it in a bright sunny room is best.

Like other plants, the poinsettia will look its best if you don’t allow it to wilt and if you don’t facilitate root rot. Water your plants only when the soil is dry to the touch. Also, be careful not to let your plant stand in water after watering, even for as little as one hour, as this will cause the leaves to turn yellow and drop off.

Loaded with color and available everywhere, poinsettias are an easy way to decorate your home with holiday spirit. And living in the Valley allows us to move them outside after Christmas where we can enjoy them for years.

Lori Murray moved to the Rio Grande Valley in the late 1960s and found that gardening in the Valley was very different than anywhere else. She is a Cameron County Master Gardener and Texas superstar specialist. You can find find her column on gar dening in the Sunday editions of The Valley Morning Star.

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RECIPES

28 WINTER 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY

Photo by Daniela Loera

Spiced Pumpkin Velouté

Recipe by Graham Campbell

Serves 4

“This recipe is one of my go-to favorites. The spicy hit with the sweetness of the pumpkin match so well. It may even appear on the menu at Castlehill Bistro.”

2 pounds (1 kilogram) kombucha squash

3 ounces (85 grams) butter

1  white onion, sliced

2  cloves garlic

2 Guajillo chiles

4 cups (l liter) vegetable stock

1⅓ cups (300 grams) double cream

Salt, to taste

1 tablespoon (7.4 grams) pumpkin seeds, toasted

1 handful micro-cilantro

Pumpkin seed oil

Place a heavy-based pot over medium heat and add the butter.

Once the butter is foaming, add the onion and sweat it until soft but not colored. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.

Peel and roughly dice the squash. Add it to the pot with the chiles and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the stock. Cook until the squash is soft and tender. Then add the cream. Bring to a simmer then remove from the heat.

Strain the contents of the pot through a colander (re serving the liquid) and place the solids in a blender.

Blitz until very smooth, adding some of the re served stock until you’re happy with the texture. Season to taste, pass through a fine strainer.

Top the velouté with toasted pumpkin seeds, drizzle with pumpkin seed oil and garnish with micro-cilantro.

Buñuelos

Recipe by Vanesa Salinas-Diaz, Author of Palomita’s Cravings Makes 10

“The kitchen is the heart of our home. It’s the place where we enjoy cooking traditional recipes as a family to keep our culture alive. I in troduced my daughter, Palomita, to the kitchen when she was two years old. I not only want her to learn how to cook, but I also want her to learn how to cook traditional dishes like buñuelos, tamales and gorditas”

2 cups (240 grams) flour ¼ teaspoon (1.25 grams) baking powder

¼ teaspoon (1.5 grams) salt ¼ cup (47.7 grams) shortening  ½ cup (118.3 milliliters) warm water

1 cup (200 grams) sugar

and knead mixture. Slowly pour in the water and knead until the dough has a smooth texture.

Roll the dough into small balls. Roll each dough ball into a flat circle.

Heat oil in a pan. Fry dough circles on each side, one at a time. As the dough is frying, poke it with a fork. Place fried buñuelos on a napkincovered plate.

Sprinkle both sides of buñuelos with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Happy New Year! Feliz Año Nuevo!

Graham Campbell is one of Scotland’s youngest chefs to receive a coveted Michelin Star, at the age of 25. His cooking style and technique are innova tive and modern. Campbell competed on Netflix’s The Final Table in 2018. He recently moved to Edinburg, TX and will open his restaurant Castlehill Bistro very soon. Follow him on Instagram @chefgrahamcampbell.

Cinnamon Oil

Add cinnamon to sugar and mix until it has a light brown color and set aside.

In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Add shortening

Vanesa Salinas-Díaz is a former journalist and current educator raising a vivacious daughter who is the basis for her children’s books, Palomita’s Cravings. She hopes to inspire children to read and explore cultures from around the world, including Mexican American tradi tions. Read an expanded story at edibleriograndevalley.com.

Short Ribs with Mole Verde and Huitlacoche Tamales

Recipes by Larry Delgado, chef and owner of The Delgado Collective

“I grew up making tamales with my mom, my grandmother and aunts. Like most of us did in the Valley, we would all get together for the tamaladas at Christmas, and I have food memo ries of doing that.

“Taking my experiences in dabbling in different cuisines, I like including a version of something familiar with ingredients that are not so familiar, like huitlacoche. The flavor of huitlacoche releases the most intense and earthy flavor that I have ever tasted. Enhancing anything that we make with corn huitlacoche is the perfect fit.

“It is the same concept with the Short Ribs with Mole Verde — taking something not tra ditionally elegant and turning it into something that can be shared around a candlelit table with a nice bottle of wine. This dish tastes like a down home meal, but it can be presented and served in a more elegant way.”

For the Short Ribs

Serves 8

4 pounds (1.8 kilograms) short ribs

1 cup (120 grams) flour

2 tablespoons (14.8 milliliters) olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup (168 grams) onion, diced into ¼ inch

½ cup celery (50.5 grams), diced into ¼ inch

½ cup (64 grams) carrots, diced into ¼ inch

4 bay leaves

1 tablespoon (2.7 grams) thyme

1 teaspoon (2 grams) cumin

2 quarts (1.9 liters) beef stock

1 cup (236.6 milliliters) red wine 2 ancho chiles

In a 5-liter (1⅓-gallon) Dutch oven, heat olive oil. Add vegetables (onion, celery and carrots) and sauté for 10 minutes. Set aside.

Trim any excess fat off the ribs. Season short ribs liberally with salt and pepper. Lightly dust the short ribs with flour. In same Dutch oven, heat oil and sear until golden brown. Set aside.

To deglaze the pan, add the remaining ingredients to a stockpot and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Line the bottom of the Dutch oven with the cooked vegetables. Place seared short ribs over vegetables in braising pan. Add liquid to Dutch oven and put lid on, braise for 3 hours at 350° F.

For the Mole Verde

Yields 1 quart

¾ pound (340.2 grams) tomatillos

1 fresh jalapeño

In a 12-inch skillet, heat olive oil and sauté the huitlacoche, onion, garlic and bay leaves.

Add the huitlacoche mixture to a blender and pulse once or twice. The consistency should remain chunky.

Mix blended huitlacoche mixture with masa. Season to taste.

1 dried avocado leaf

1 dried bay leaf

¼ medium onion, chopped roughly

3 ounces (85 grams) roasted garlic

1 ounce (28.3 grams) epazote

¼ cup (7.5 grams) vegetable greens (beets and carrot tops, kale, spinach)

¼ cup (14.25 grams) lettuce

1½ teaspoons (9 grams) kosher salt

1 teaspoon (2.3 grams) black pepper

1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cumin

½ cup (72 grams) toasted pepitas

1½ tortillas

1 ounce (28.3 grams) pork fat

Cotija cheese, for garnish Pepitas, for garnish Micro-cilantro, for garnish

Boil tomatillos, jalapeño, avocado leaf, bay leaf and onion for 15 minutes. Remove from liquid and transfer to a blender. Add the remaining ingredients (minus pork fat) to the blender and blend until smooth.

In a medium stockpot, heat rendered pork fat, add the blended mixture to pork fat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Huitlacoche Tamales

Makes 24 tamales

½ pound (227 grams) huitlacoche (fresh, canned or frozen)

2 ounces (59.1 milliliters) olive oil

½ yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

4 bay leaves

2 pounds (907.2 grams) masa nixtamal Kosher salt

24 fresh corn husks

Cotija cheese, for garnish Corn relish, for garnish (recipe follows)

To assemble the tamales, divide the masa into 24 equal portions. Open the corn husks and place 1 portion of dough in the center of each corn husk. Fold over the sides of the husk and secure tamale with a piece of string. Repeat the process until all the dough is finished.

In a double boiler with a steamer insert, steam the tamales for 40 to 45 minutes.

Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

To serve, remove husks. Garnish with corn relish and Cotija cheese.

Corn Relish

2 pounds (908 grams) fresh tomatoes, chopped 4 serrano peppers, diced

1 medium red onion, chopped ¼ cup (1 gram) cilantro, chopped ½ cup (118.3 milliliters) lemon juice 2 ears corn, fire-roasted Kosher salt

Remove husk and hairs form corn. Roast corn over an open flame for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Allow corn to cool, and remove roasted kernels from the cob. To do so, stand the cob vertically on a cutting board and using a sharp knife, cut the kernels off as close to the cob as possible.

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl, and season to taste.

To plate the entire dish

Slice the ribs along the bone and add to the plate. Spoon the mole verde over the meat and top with Cotija cheese, microcilantro and pepitas. Place the garnished huitlacoche tamales on the side.

Photos by Daniela Loera

Photo by Daniela Loera

Eggless Nög

Recipe by Milton Saravia, beverage guru, The Delgado Collective Makes 1 serving

“I was bartending at a private party and some of the guests asked me if I could make eggnog without the egg. So right there, I came up with an alternative to this classic holiday drink. They loved it. They drank so much of it that we had so much of the other eggnog left over. Now, I get asked to make my eggless nog at our restaurants and at parties.

“I love this drink, the combination of the lingering flavor of the vanilla against the wood of the bourbon and then the added burned ‘s’more’ marshmallow. You will love it too. Cheers!”

6¼ cups (1.5 liters) agave nectar infused with pumpkin pie spices and vanilla extract

2 tablespoons (29.6 grams) heavy cream

2 tablespoons (59.1 milliliters) bourbon (or rum, brandy or aged tequila)

2 tablespoons (59.1 milliliters) Baileys Irish Cream

Shake and strain ingredients into a coupe or a snifter glass.

Garnish with a small, toasted marshmallow similar to one used in a s’more.

32 WINTER 2022 edible RIO GRANDE VALLEY

Photo by Daniela Loera