The Texas Cowboy Kitchen

by Grady Spears, June Naylor

Price: $19.99
ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-6973-3
ISBN-10: 0-7407-6973-1
Format: Paperback
Size: 11 x 9 in.
Page Count: 228 pages

“While categorized as a cookbook The Texas Cowboy Kitchen is so much more than that - it’s a visual history of the Old West thanks to a series of marvelous full-page photos by famed cowboy photographer, Erwin E. Smith; it’s an informative, smile provoking collection of commentary about cowboys, their lives and the famed Chisholm Trail; and a selection of over 100 mouth-watering recipes that have withstood the test of time and culinary fads.” ––Lunch.com http://www.lunch.com/data/The_Texas_Cowboy_Kitchen-1307340-Reviews-1-1.html

Award-winning journalist and author June Naylor has covered food, dining, and travel for more than twenty years. She is a frequent contributor to a number of Texas newspapers and magazines, as well as to national periodicals and Web sites. With Grady, June wrote The Texas Cowboy Kitchen. A native Texan, she lives in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Texas Cowboy Kitchen is a full-color cookbook featuring cowboy-turned-chef Grady Spears’s modern twist on over 100 classic cowboy dishes ranging from appetizers to desserts and more.

Gather ’round the chuckwagon, pull up a hay bale, and dig into The Texas Cowboy Kitchen (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $19.95) by cowboy-turned-chef Grady Spears with June Naylor.

This unique, full-color cookbook, now available in paperback, features Grady’s modern twist on more than 100 classic cowboy dishes ranging from appetizers to desserts. The innovative recipes are satisfying like their old-time counterparts, easy to make, and often accompanied by interesting notes about the ingredients and culinary history.

Equal parts cookbook, history lesson, and photographic essay, The Texas Cowboy Kitchen blends Grady’s distinctive recipes with June’s narrative of life on the Chisholm Trail, and award-winning historic photos with modern four-color culinary shots. The unique combination makes this beautiful book a candidate for the coffee table as well as the kitchen counter.

Features include:

• Historical essays and 45 black-and-white photos by cowboy photographer Erwin E. Smith depicting the Old West and life on the Chisholm Trail
• Hearty comfort foods from Pork Tenderloin with Watermelon Salsa to Butterscotch Pie, in 10 chapters ranging from “Things You Don’t Rope” to “Campfire Cocktails”
• Foreword by Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher and lifelong cowboy Nolan Ryan
• A glossary describing all the goodies that go into the Texas Cowboy Kitchen eats, plus sources for finding ingredients and more information on the Chisholm Trail and cowboy heritage
• The innovative recipes are satisfying like their old-time counterparts, easy to prepare, and often accompanied by interesting notes about the ingredients and culinary history.

Enjoy the ride, and remember, it’s all about preparing food that makes you feel tall in the saddle, and having fun on the trail in the process. Saddle up!

An owner of Tex-Mex restaurants in Austin and Dallas, Matt Martinez, Jr., loves to share his passion for what many fellow Texans consider the ultimate comfort food. He says Tex-Mex is the source of severe longings because our bodies crave that gratifying combination of carbohydrates and protein, offered in abundance in this easy recipe for perfectly simple chalupas.

Makes 4 servings

2 cups Matt’s refried Beans
8 crisp corn tostadas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 cups chopped lettuce
1 cup coarsely chopped tomato
2 cups shredded brisket or chicken
Chopped white onion and freshly sliced
jalapeño for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Distribute refried beans evenly over each tostada. Top with cheese and bake until cheese melts. Remove from oven and top with lettuce, tomato, and brisket or chicken. Serve with garnishes.

Matt’s Refried Beans

1/4 cup bacon drippings
4 cups cooked pinto beans
Salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy skillet, heat the drippings until smoking hot. Add 1 cup of the pinto beans, heat for 1 minute, then carefully mash together with drippings. Lower heat and add remaining beans, cooking and mashing, 1 cup at a time, over low heat, until smooth.

Here’s another great use for your Dutch oven. If you don’t have one, a favorite casserole dish or deep baking pan will do fine. Just be sure to use fresh, ripe strawberries for the best flavor.

filling

4 cups sliced fresh-hulled strawberries
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons melted butter
Pastry (recipe follows)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Pastry

1 3/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening, cold
6 tablespoons heavy or whipping cream
6 tablespoons buttermilk
3 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place strawberries in a lightly greased Dutch oven. Make the syrup by combining the sugar and flour in a bowl; add water and lemon juice, mixing well. Pour syrup over berries; bake for about 15 minutes while preparing the pastry.

Adjust oven temperature to 425 degrees. Prepare the pastry by combining the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the shortening, a little at a time, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; stir in the whipping cream and buttermilk. Knead dough 4 or 5 times; roll to about 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough to fit baking dish. Place pastry over hot berries; brush with melted butter. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown. Before serving, combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over hot cobbler. Serve with buttermilk ice cream.