Local restaurants offering the taste of Texas

Texans are known for being proud of their state and everything about it, from football to barbecue. So is it any wonder that Texan restaurant owners would purchase local produce and Texas-made products?

Next week a handful of Rio Grande Valley restaurants are participating in the statewide Go Texan Restaurant Round-up program, which allows patrons to try Texan dishes made with local ingredients and paired with Texas wines.

The Texas Department of Agriculture established the Go Texan restaurant program in 2008 to help bring local producers and Texas products to eateries that want to cook with local ingredients. Besides lower prices and fresher quality, Texans often champion in anything homemade.

Chef Henry J. Hamor recognizes that buying locally also means he’s helping to stimulate the local economy. As the owner of Calesa, an Asian and European fusion restaurant in Harlingen, Hamor eagerly agreed to participate in the Go Texan program. He created a savvy menu with gourmet quality featuring not only local ingredients but local flair.

A Gulf shrimp fritter and spicy seared scallop appetizer is brilliantly paired with a glass of Flat Creek sparkling almond wine. It’s a perfect combination of sweet, savory and spicy. The Caesar salad served afterward takes on a decidedly RGV twist with black beans, tortilla chips and succulent orange slices.

Chef Hamor’s wild boar is surprisingly mild with a not-quite-full-bodied red wine also from Flat Creek. The final entrée of spiced roasted goat leg with wild mushrooms is tender and tasty with lots of spice, but not a lot of heat. Dessert is an unexpected partnering of a peach tart with coconut ice cream. The tartness of the peaches balanced out the sweetness of the glass of Muscat.

For those who want a home-style experience with an exotic menu of Caribbean plates, Cocina del Caribe opens its doors to you.

The family-owned restaurant in Mission debuted in February, but already has a number of regulars. Owner Sheila Vallés-Pankratz grew up with authentic Puerto Rican and Cuban family recipes and has taught them to her cooks. And buying locally is important for the best flavor and getting the most for her money, she said.

“You’re going to be able to get it cheaper, it’s going to be fresher and it’s going to help out a lot of Texans,” she said.

She buys local produce whenever she can, including 1015 onions from a farm in Mission, which she uses in sofrito, a base for many of the entrées available on Cocina del Caribe’s menu. Sofrito is made of onions, garlic, cilantro, culantro, olive oil and achiote.

Two appetizers are offered on Cocina del Caribe’s Texan menu: pastelillos and rellenos de papa. Pastelillos are much like savory empanadas – pastries stuffed with beef sautéed in sofrito. The second appetizer is another way to enjoy the same flavors as the previous dish, but the beef is surrounded by fluffy mashed potatoes with a light, golden crust.

Sofrito is a common thread in Cocina del Caribe’s cuisine. Pernil, shrimp in coconut milk, and pastelon are the three entrées to choose from on the special Texan menu. The first is a tender roast pork served with white rice and red beans. The shrimp in coconut milk looks like it might be spicy, but is sweet, creamy and savory. If you’re feeling adventurous, try the pastelon, also known as “Caribbean lasagna.” Layers of beef sautéed in sofrito and slices of ripe plantains alternate to create a tower of the signature sweet and savory flavors.

If you still have room for dessert, try one of the four offered: New York cheesecake, guava pastries, Tembleque or rum cake. Those with a serious sweet tooth will do well with the Tembleque, which is a bit like a flan, but made with coconut milk. Cake lovers will enjoy the moist rum cake. And if you prefer to end a meal with a palate-cleansing dish, the guava pastries are very slightly sweet, but mostly tart and served with vanilla ice cream for balance.

There are many other restaurants in the Valley who are participating in the Go Texan program and offer Texan dishes with local products. Some are donating a portion of proceeds for the Restaurant Round-Up week to a local food bank.

Choosing a restaurant that buys locally means you’ll be able to enjoy garden-fresh quality meals, and know that you’re helping your local economy.

For more information, a list of participating restaurants in your town, and to sign up to win prizes, visit www.gotexan.org.

Amy Nichol Smith covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4420.