Wrangling More Restaurant Recipes
When I planned this trip to collect restaurant recipes, I planned to drive through Texas and pick up a barbecue tip or two, and continue west. However, Texas is bigger than I had expected, friendlier, and more varied. So I have detoured to San Antonio, maybe to see the Alamo, but really to experience more of the Tex-Mex culture. San Antonio, though it is less than a two-hour drive from Austin, has a much stronger Mexican influence. There is a large open-air market in town with a lot of colorful Mexican wares, and the restaurants nearby seem more authentic. The food is generally spicier than I am used to in most Tex-Mex restaurants, and the desserts are ones I have never seen before.
There are a number of Mexican candies that are sold as you leave these Mexican restaurants, some like the maple sugar candies of New England, and a number of candied fruits, such as mango. There is also live music in several of the restaurants, usually a guitar, and sometimes an accordion. One thing I would like to bring home to New Hampshire is a strolling guitar player with his lilting songs of the south.
My current addition to my restaurant recipes is another soup, which will bring back warm memories when I am again in New Hampshire facing a cold November day. Not only is this soup delicious, it also looks striking. There are really two soups: a white cheddar cheese soup, and a black bean soup. You can make just the cheese soup, but the two are better together. Thanks to the wonderful folk at Boudro’s On the Riverwalk for this idea.
Black and White Soup, serves 8 (each soup serves 4)
Cheddar cheese soup
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1/2 large red bell pepper, sliced in matchstick-size pieces
1/2 large yellow bell pepper, matchstick-size pieces
1/2 large green bell pepper, matchstick-size pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1 cup whole milk
1 cup whipping cream
8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
Purchased Black Bean Soup, or your favorite recipe
Purchased tomatillo salsa (if unavailable, regular salsa)
Cheese soup: Melt butter in pot over medium heat. Add peppers, onion and garlic. Saut? vegetables until tender, about 6 minutes. Add flour and stir 2 minutes. Whisk in stock, then milk and cream. Simmer until slightly thickened, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Gradually add cheese 1/2 cup at a time, stirring after each addition until melted and smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To serve, simultaneously ladle a generous half cup of cheese soup and a generous half cup of Black Bean Soup into shallow bowls, allowing soups to meet in the center. Top with tomatillo salsa and sour cream.
San Antonio is a very large city, and one of the best places to stay is along the Riverwalk, which is in the center of town. The city has restored this area to be a most attractive combination of natural and urban influences, shaded with many trees. There are flat boats that glide along the river (which, in much of the Riverwalk, is like a large canal), open air restaurants and shops along the sides, and small plazas with a number of evening events. Now that I have another of my restaurant recipes, I must regretfully say adios to Texas.
Source: https://positivearticles.com