Say 'howdy' to basic, new cowboy dishes

By Barbara Albright
Associated Press

WILTON, Conn. — "The Texas Cowboy Kitchen," written by Grady Spears with June Naylor, is an oversize cookbook that will pose a question for cowboy and cowgirl cooks, real or wannabes: Do they use it in the kitchen or display it on the coffee table?

The book (from Texas Monthly Custom Publishing, distributed by Ten Speed Press, 2003, $34.95) will surely add to the number of wannabes. Besides offering a menu of great dishes from the Lone Star State, the book includes wonderful archival cowboy photography from the Erwin E. Smith Collection at the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth. It also has mouthwatering food photography by Ralph Lauer.

Grady is a seasoned author as well as a cowboy cook-restaurateur. His previous books include "A Cowboy in the Kitchen" (1998), "Cowboy Cocktails" (2000) and "The Great Steak Book" (2000).

In 2002, he opened the Nutt House Restaurant, Granbury, Texas, and the Chisholm Club in downtown Fort Worth, in the Renaissance Worthington Hotel. More recently, he's opened the Burning Pear restaurant in Sugarland, Texas.

His most recent book has some basic cowboy recipes, including chicken and dumplings, and Blue Ribbon cornbread, as well as newfangled recipes from some of Texas' innovative chefs.

The dishes I tested were solid, worked beautifully and required very little fuss.

I did use much less salt and pepper than they called for. I think that when these recipes were tested, the testers relied more on experience and always on measuring spoons when they added salt and pepper. So I have adjusted the following recipes to use less salt and pepper than the originals. Let good sense and your own taste be your guide.

This recipe is from David Garrido, who often guest-chefs at the James Beard House in New York City. He displays his culinary skills at Jeffrey's in Austin, combining Southwestern and Latin flavors.

His paella recipe is incredibly easy and requires few ingredients.

Chicken Thighs Paella

• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 chicken thighs (if the thighs are small, use 8)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2/3 cup diced onion
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 serrano chilies, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 cups Texmati rice (see note)
• 2 pinches saffron threads
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 3 cups water
• 6 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• 4 lemon wedges for garnish

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and sear 4 to 6 minutes or until golden brown. Add the onion, garlic and serrano chilies and cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the rice and saute 2 minutes or until rice starts turning light brown.

Add the remaining ingredients. When the mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and cook for 14 to 17 minutes or until the rice is tender. Serve hot and garnish with lemon wedges. Makes 4 servings.

Note: Texmati rice is an aromatic rice that's a cross between American long-grain rice and Basmati rice.

Justin's Chicken and Dumplings

• 10 cups chicken stock
• 6 chicken thighs
• 6 chicken legs
• 5 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 4 ribs celery, diced
• 1 large onion diced
• 6 large carrots, diced
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the stock in a large, heavy pot and cook thighs and legs over medium-low heat for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until very tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool, reserving stock in its pot. Remove chicken and discard skin. Pick chicken from the bones and set meat aside.

To make dumplings, combine flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Add heavy cream to mixture, stirring just until dough is thick and sticky. Turn onto a floured work surface and knead dough until you can roll it out to a thickness of 1/16 inch.

Add the celery, onion, carrots, and thyme to stock and reheat over medium heat just until boiling. Cut dough into dumplings that measure 1-by-1-inch. Add dumplings to boiling stock, cover, simmer, cooking for about 20 minutes. Add chicken meat and salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Besides his career as a baseball player, Nolan Ryan also is a rancher and wrote the foreword to this book.

Spears likes to make this hearty meatloaf with Ryan's ground beef, so it is named for the town close to the Nolan's family ranch. It includes brown sugar which I might cut down slightly next time I make it because it can turn out a little sweet. However, the meatloaf was really tasty the next day, and it's great for sandwiches.

The book recommends adding chopped fresh jalapeno peppers and more pepper sauce if you like spicier foods.

Gonzales Meatloaf

• 2 pounds ground sirloin
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup bread crumbs, dried
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 cups grated Monterey jack cheese
• 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce to taste (this will vary depending on how hot the brand of sauce you use is and how spicy you like your meatloaf)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, mixing well. Place the mixture in a greased loaf pan. Bake for 75 minutes, then increase the heat to 425 F and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until the meatloaf is firm to the touch. Remove and serve warm. Makes 6 to 8 servings.