Hundreds of Texas restaurants and wineries are serving their best Lone Star fare this month during the 2011 GO TEXAN Restaurant Round-Up, presented by Farm Credit, July 25-31. Part of the proceeds will be donated to Texans in need.

“Our farmers, ranchers, winemakers and fishermen make it easy for chefs to serve fresh Texas fare,” Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples said. “The GO TEXAN Restaurant Round-Up celebrates the farm to table connection while Texans enjoy local products and support local food banks.”

Restaurant dining, Texas style, featured at GO TEXAN Restaurant Week.

Restaurants across the state are participating in this year’s Round-Up, including Luke in San Antonio, Garrido’s Restaurant in Austin, The Vintage House Restaurant at Messina Hof Winery and Resort in Bryan, Cocina del Caribe in Mission, Grumps in Granbury, and Mercado Mayapán in El Paso.

Texas winemakers will be providing award-winning wines ranging from traditional Rhone varietals such as Cabernet and Merlot to up-and-coming Mediterranean varietals like Viognier and Tempranillo

Texas Hills Vineyards owner Gary Gilstrap’s wines will be featured in establishments around the state. While his favorite wine pairing is his Toro de Tejas Tempranillo with smoked meats — “It goes well with anything off the grill,” he said. His advice to Texas chefs is to start with the best food and wines, and to think outside the case.

“If the food is good and the wine is good, and if they’re better when you put them together, then you’ve found the perfect pairing,” said Gilstrap. “It’s not always going to be traditional.”

This week-long dine-around is an adventure, plus a chance to sign up to win one of the Texas-size giveaways.

GO TEXAN launches Texas wine site to support state's industry.

AUSTIN — The Texas Department of Agriculture has launched a new program called GO TEXAN or Go Thirsty, designed to promote local restaurants and retailers that carry Texas wines and support the Texas wine industry’s $1.7 billion impact on the state’s economy.

The new GO TEXAN or Go Thirsty web page will list restaurants that serve Texas wines and will help connect local wineries with restaurants that want to offer Texas wine on their menus.

The program also will provide GO TEXAN or Go Thirsty dining cards for consumers to share with restaurants as a thank-you for offering Texas wines or as a way to request Texas wines be added to their wine list.

“If you want more than good, you want great; if you want great, you need to GO TEXAN,” Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples said. “With the GO TEXAN or Go Thirsty program, we hope to continue raising awareness about the quality wines made right here in the Lone Star State.”

GO TEXAN or Go Thirsty cards are available at wineries throughout the state and can be downloaded and printed from www.gotexanwine.org. The website also contains resources for restaurants interested in adding Texas wines to their lists.

More from SavorSA about Texas Wines: 10 Texas Wines to Tempt Your Tastebuds

Crowds at the San Antonio Herb Market’s Basil Fest on Saturday at the Pearl Farmers Market, and the Pesto Challenge named a new winner.

Luis Morales, of Humble House Foods demonstrates making pesto.

Luis Morales of Humble House Foods demonstrated his “secret recipe” Basil Pesto earlier in the day. The difference? Morales uses walnuts in the popular Mediterranean sauce, made of fresh basil leaves, olive oil and cheese.

“Walnuts are less expensive than pine nuts,” Morales explained as he demonstrated how to make his pesto in a food processor. He was handing out recipe cards at the demonstration, so the secret of his pesto was soon revealed. (Click here for recipe.)

Chef Michael Flores also shared his recipe for Piquant Citrus Sauce with Basil & Spinach. It incorporates goat cheese, ricotta cheese, fresh spinach and chiles, and can be a spread, a dressing for a bean salad or tossed with pasta. Check out Flores’ recipe by clicking here.

Malabar Spinach grows as a vine.

Sunny weather and a steady breeze kept things comfortable at the market as customers made their way through the stands and tables. John Marrs had big, healthy basil plants for sale from Marrs’ Garden. Nature’s Herb Farm had a large selection of all types of herbs, as well as some flowers and even a hot weather-friendly green, called Malabar Spinach, that produces spinach-like leaves on a sturdy, climbing vine.

Brilliantly colored cut flowers for vases and fresh vegetables were available, as always, from Oak Hill Farm, and Sol y Luna Bakery did a brisk business with its whole grain baked

Fresh eggs, in a variety of colors, offered at the Pearl.

products. Other sellers had farm-grown tomatoes as well as squash, eggplants, cucumbers, beans, sweet corn, eggs and cuts of grass-fed beef. Indoors, Imagine Farms sold lavender products and olives, olive oil and olive-leaf products were available from the Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard’s table.

The Pearl Farmers Market is every Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Basil is one of the top herbs that cooks keep in their kitchen gardens.

If you’re going to the Pearl Brewery’s farmers market this weekend, you have the added enticement of the San Antonio Herb Market’s Basil Fest, with lots of information, plants for sale, a Pesto Challenge and recipes by chef Michael Flores.

The Basil Fest will be during the same hours as the farmers market, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. There is no entrance fee.

For a complete list about the events happening during the day, click here.

Below is an unusual cookie recipe calling for cinnamon basil. If you don’t have cinnamon basil, regular basil would work.

Cinnamon Basil-Lime Cookies

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons fresh cinnamon basil, chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped lime peel (zest)
1 cup pistachios, chopped

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In large mixing bowl beat butter at medium speed until light. Gradually beat in sugar; add egg, vanilla basil and lime peel, beating until very light and fluffy.

At low speed, beat in dry ingredients in 3-4 additions. Mix in chopped nuts, using hands if necessary.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape each half into a roll 6-7 inches long. Roll in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 8 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut dough into 1/8-inch slices and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned around bottom of cookies (do not overcook). Immediately remove from sheet with spatula and place on wire rack to cool. When completely cool, store in airtight containers.

Note: Rolls of dough may be frozen. Thaw for a short time before baking.

From “Southern Herb Growing” by Madalene Hill and Gwen Barclay with Jean Hardy

You think Texas wine is great with food? Restaurant and catering chefs can now prove it by entering the first Edible Texas Wine and Food Pairing Competition.

Brisket, about as Texas as food gets, can show well with a Texas wine.

The competition, which will offer cash prizes, is open to any Central Texas restaurant (mobile or brick and mortar) or catering company. The boundaries for this competition do include San Antonio establishments.

Also, entrants must belong to the GoTexan Restaurant program to be eligible. For information on joining the program, click here.

The competition is being produced by Edible Austin and The Texas Food and Wine Gourmet.com.  It is also hosted by the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center in Austin.

This is the first of four annual regional competitions planned whose mission is to encourage the use of Texas wine and as many Texas food products as possible. It is designed to raise the bar for excellence in Texas winemaking and provide a platform for Texas wine and winemakers to receive recognition and reach a broader audience.

Preliminary judging will be done by a panel of notable Texas wine and food professionals. Five finalists will be selected to prepare their menus on Friday, June 3, hosted by the AT&T Center’s Carillon Restaurant (Tejas Room) on the UT campus in Austin.

This event, open to 125 guests, is an official Optional Event during the 2011 International Association of Culinary Professionals annual conference and will benefit the Texas Wine and Grape Grower’s Association.

The final, on-site judging will be done by a panel of national celebrities from the food and wine industries. The five finalists will prepare their three-course meal to serve 125 on-site. Servers will be provided by the competition. Significant cash and other prizes will be awarded.

To enter the competition, please complete the official entry form, prepare your menu with wine pairings, write the recipes and submit them. Submission information is listed on the Competition Rules. Deadline for entering the competition is Feb. 15. Finalists will be notified by March 15.

Click here to download entry form and competition rules. Good luck!

Make a date to dine out by celebrating menus of the Lone Star State and helping kick off Texas Wine Month.

Watermelon is just one among hundreds of Texas products featured during GO TEXAN Restaurant Round-Up.

Participating members of the Texas Department of Agriculture’s GO TEXAN Restaurant Program will be serving special Texas menu items through Friday.

Many also contribute a portion of the week’s proceeds to food banks across the state.

Click here to find the list of San Antonio restaurants that are participating, and read about some of the great Texas food that is being served.

The Texas Department of Agriculture is sponsoring Go Texan Restaurant Week Sept. 27-Oct. 1.

For the entire week, restaurants across the state will be serving up Texas-produced food in ways that show off the diversity of the state’s agricultural riches.

In San Antonio, some of the restaurants with specials that week include:

• Acenar, 146 E. Houston St., which will offer a three-course prix fixe meal featuring Texas chicken-fried oysters; grilled adobo chicken breast with asadero-stuffed poblano or sirloin steak asada and grilled beer marinated sirloin; and peach cobbler or pineapple cream cheese empanada. Cost: $35.00 a person, plus tax and tip.
• Boardwalk Bistro, 4011 Broadway, which will feature fixed-price Texas meals as well as a food-and-wine-pairing menu with Texas food with Texas wines. A Texas wine tasting with special pricing and Texas wine list will last throughout October (Texas Wine Month).
• Earl Abel’s, 1201 Austin Hwy., which will offer discounts on Texas items, including Texas raised, grass-fed bison burgers with sweet potato fries in addition to Texas quail stuffed with homemade pork sausage and cornbread dressing.

A partial list of other restaurants involved in the Go Texan week include Barn Door, 8400 N. New Braunfels; La Hacienda de los Barrios, 18747 Redland Road; Josephine St. Cafe, 400 E. Josephine St; the Lodge Restaurant of Castle Hills, 1746 Lockhill Selma Road; Zocca Cuisine d’Italia, 420 Market St.; and various Stonewerks locations.

For a list of participating restaurants in San Antonio, click here.

From Go Texan, this recipe is spicy, just the way we like it, with some Asian and jerk flavors doing the work.  The piquant flavor of the lime sauce will taste especially good with the trimmings, peppery leaves of watercress.

A spicy, Caribbean twist is this burger's appeal.

Firecracker Burgers with Cooling Lime Sauce

1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck

Seasoning:
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon Caribbean jerk seasoning
1 teaspoon salt

Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons grated lime peel
1/4 teaspoon salt

4 sesame seed sandwich rolls, split and toasted
1 cup watercress or mixed spring greens

Combine ground beef, curry, jerk seasoning and salt in large bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly.  Shape into four 3/4-inch thick patties. Place patties on grill over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill uncovered, 13 to 15 minutes to medium (160-degree) doneness, turning occasionally until not pink in center and juices show no pink color.

Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in small bowl; set aside.

Spread sauce on cut sides of rolls. Place a burger on bottom half of each roll; top evenly with watercress. Close sandwiches.

Makes 4 burgers.

Source: Go Texan

Colorful peppers are popular at Texas farmers markets in summer. Peppers, above, are from July, 2009, at the Olmos Farmers Market.

If you have been faithfully attending farmers markets that have been open all year, good for you.

Seasonal markets are also underway. Check out the Texas Department of Agriculture’s listing of farmers market associations (with specific markets listed under each association)  in San Antonio and Bexar County.

Another helpful Go Texan site is for pick-your-own produce locations, listed by county. Also, this site has a list of specific produce and where to find it, if it is available.

Photos by Nicholas Mistry

Chef Michael H. Flores is the new face for watermelon in Texas.

The San Antonio native was chosen by the Texas Watermelon Association to star in bilingual spots promoting the summertime favorite. The commercials will air from May through September and are being produced in partnership with the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Go Texan program.

“I love the Lone Star State and truly believe and understand why ‘buying Texas’ is so important,” Flores said. “I will create new recipes using Texas crops while showcasing them through various media outlets. I’ve been developing new recipes, market buying, planning a watermelon media tour across the state, tying in the sweet summer fruit to various Texas festivals and taping commercials. I can’t wait for my fellow Texans to see how Texas watermelons shine.”

The ads will air across the state in cities such as Dallas, Houston, Austin, El Paso, the Rio Grande Valley and Waco in addition to San Antonio.

Texas’ watermelon production ranks third in the nation and generates about $160 million annually.