Enjoy Your Own Taste of San Antonio
 

Tamales are tradition in San Antonio. Present on dinner plates at Mexican restaurants year ‘round, they’re practically obligatory on special occasions.

Whether served on their own or used when stuffing a holiday turkey or goose, discriminating chefs and discerning grandmothers alike agree on the importance of this cornhusk-wrapped treat – the savory ones stuffed with mixtures of pork, chicken or pinto beans, and the sweet versions sporting raisins, coconut or pecans. While you’re in San Antonio there are dozens of places to enjoy them. And after you return home, Delicious Tamales is among those that will ship some back to you. Be the first (and likely only) on your block to get some!

 
From Texas to Your Table

Ship-to-you products can say San Antonio in other ways as well, so says Pat Mozersky, author of the “Chef Secrets” column in the San Antonio Express-News. She suggests getting your own taste of the Texas Hill Country through exotics items like a bone-in leg of wild boar or boneless loin of South Texas antelope for a holiday meal that goes beyond that ol’ ham stuck with cloves.

Broken Arrow Ranch, a pioneer in managed wild game, can also supply such delicacies as elk and venison, along with recipes for their preparation. Mozersky also mentions the Coturnix quail ranched in nearby Bandera as another great example of unique local flavor. Available in whole, semi-boneless and other forms, these are great marinated and grilled or even deep-fried. The legs, thigh bone removed, are perfect finger foods for a get-together in any season.

Fresh Produce Aplenty

French-trained chef Scott Cohen has worked extensively with South Texas farmers and ranchers and is quite fond of such products as Ruby Red grapefruit, great during the winter months. He suggests using them as a way to put a new spin on your favorite ceviche recipe. Cohen also champions apples from Love Creek Orchards, saying breakfasts can especially benefit from a jolt of apple jalapeño jelly on your French toast or beignets.

And speaking of jalapeños, a quintessential San Antonio culinary component if there ever was one, a candied and pickled version is produced by Chef Michael Flores, who offers cooking classes aboard barges on the San Antonio River. For a taste of San Antonio at your next celebration, he suggests using his Bandito Bullets over cream cheese or adding toasted pumpkin seeds for salads with San Antonio flair.

Learn How to Make it Yourself

Tastes of San Antonio also can be garnered firsthand at any of the city’s many cooking schools and classes. Professionals (and passionate amateurs) can touch up their skills at the new branch of The Culinary Institute of America. In addition to classic French training, it has a Latin American focus. At a less intense level, Central Market offers classes to all comers on a year ‘round basis, and features both local and visiting chefs. (Director Mary Martini suggests topping holiday sweet potatoes with pralines, a pecan-based candy that goes back to the days when San Antonio was the world’s pecan capital.)

Fifteen students is the minimum number to make a class in comida casera (homestyle Mexican cooking), usually held the first Tuesday of each month at atmosphericLa Hacienda de los Barrios with cookbook author and restaurateur Diana Barrios Treviño. A Little Bit of Texas Cooking School, based at scenic Rio Cibolo Ranch just east of town, offers periodic classes in Southwestern, Texan, Mexican and herbal cuisine on the banks of a cypress-shaded creek.

Chef Brian West presents monthly classes at his Latin-themed Café Paladar, where you might learn how to make Snake Bite Rubbed Beef Tenderloin with Ranchero Demi topped with Mezcal Bearnaise. Rockhill Cooking Academy caters to kids and young adults with classes such as Mother-Daughter Christmas Breads, and the Young Chef’s Academy presents classes such as Southwest Fusion and The History of Modern Cuisine at two locations.

So whether you want to come savor the flavors of San Antonio at the source – or enjoy your own taste of our authentic cuisine back home – a variety of restaurants, chefs, farms and food makers are ready to serve up some of the country’s best culinary delights.