Tex-Mex

chips and salsa

February 27th, 2013

I went to a Party at Rabina’s on Sunday, with a Tex-Mex food theme and lots of Tequila and Grapefruit Margaritas. I seem to remember Rabina really looked the part and had on some fine brontosaurus foreskin boots that Kinky Friedman would be proud of – damn I should have taken a picture!

Originally Tex-Mex was an abbreviation for the Texas-Mexican Railway, but by 1945 it had become a reference to food. The food itself is a hybrid of Spanish and Mexican food, Texas being part of Mexico and Mexico once being a Spanish colony. Later on Mexico lost Texas to the United States. Typically Tex-Mex food contains, grated cheese, beef, pork, chilli, spices and corn or flour tortillas.  Tex-Mex is not the same as Mexican food, though there are some similarities.

dips

Rabina made Guacamole (from avocados), a winter Salsa (with lots of chilli and tomato) and Hummus (from chickpeas and garlic), which is Mediterranean, but it was good, so who’s complaining.

venison chilli

I made a Venison Chilli (see my recipe here) and boy was I looking forward to it – it was a bitterly cold day with little flurries of snow.

black bean chilli

Rabina did a vegetable Black Bean Chilli (curiously I’ve always thought that black beans taste like bacon),

roast garlic

containing roasted garlic and topped with cilantro (coriander).

chicken marinade

There was lots of spicy chicken (marinaded in Tequila among other things),

cooked chicken

cooked in the oven,

chorizo

along with several bowls of sliced Chorizo.

chocolate strawberries

For pudding lovers, the chocolate covered strawberries appeared late in the afternoon.

smoking room

I was impressed by the smoking room with central heating, but as a reformed smoker and having already cycled through the cold, I stayed indoors.

We consumed several cases of Claret, a few bottles of Cava and as I mentioned at the beginning, some Margaritas. A very good time was had by all!