Los Barrios Family Cookbook (2002) – Sassy Biscuits
Trevino, Diana Barrios. Los Barrios family cookbook: Tex-Mex recipes from the Heart of San Antonio. New York: Villard, 2002. P. 26 [TX715.2 .S69 T74 2002].
By Tara Ferrara, an undergraduate nutrition student at UTSA
Sassy Biscuits
1 1/2 cups buttermilk biscuit mix
1/4 cup cooked chopped chorizo (Mexican sausage)
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
2 scallions, sliced
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk.
- Preheat the oven to 350* F.
- Combine the biscuit mix, sausage, peppers, scallions, and cheese in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk and stir until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead just until it comes together.
- Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 3/4-inch thickness. Using a floured 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out the biscuits and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until golden brown. Serve hot.
“Serve these biscuits with scrambled eggs and your favorite salsa (see pages 7 and 10), or enjoy them on their own with butter.”
Commentary:
After being shown the Mexican Cookbook Collection, I instantly knew I wanted to look for a recipe by Diana Barrios Trevino. I chose this cookbook not only because she won the Throwdown with Bobby Flay on the Food Network, but also because I have eaten at both of her family’s restaurants in San Antonio (Los Barrios and La Hacienda de los Barrios). They both are phenomenal and I would recommend anyone who hasn’t been to go check it out. I also knew this cookbook had to be wonderful because Emeril Lagasse wrote the foreword. As Emeril says in his Forward, he came to San Antonio “in search of big Tex-Mex cooking, which San Antonio is known for,” and fell in love with the whole Barrios family (as well as their home-style Tex-Mex food). I knew there had to be some tasty recipes in Diana’s cookbook.
After flipping through the different sections, I came across a recipe called “Sassy Biscuits,” which the cookbook notes that the Barrios family serves for breakfast on Christmas morning. This instantly caught my attention because I love breakfast! It seemed like this recipe would be a nice twist to traditional buttermilk biscuits. The ingredients include buttermilk biscuit mix, cooked and chopped chorizo, diced green and red bell pepper, sliced green onions, shredded cheddar cheese, and buttermilk.
First, I preheated the oven to 350 degrees. Then I combined the biscuit mix, chorizo, peppers, scallions, and cheese in a large bowl. Next, I added the buttermilk and stirred it together until soft dough forms. Finally, I put flour on the counter and kneaded the dough so it would come together. The recipe called for 12 to 14 biscuits, but I ended up making my biscuits on the larger side, yielding only 10. The hardest part was waiting while the biscuits cooked in the oven for 14 minutes! I served the “Sassy Biscuits” with an over-easy egg and some fresh fruit. They turned out awesome and my boyfriend was pleased with them as well. I never had any doubts though; I knew I was cooking a recipe from one of the best.
