Food and Basketball

About author / Amy Powell

World traveler; gourmet 30 minute meals; lover of exotic ingredients; winner on FoodTV's Chefs vs City; graduate French Culinary Institute. Her recipes will tantalize your taste buds.

Food and basketball: what greater meeting of two great pastimes than this weekend when the top four men’s college basketball teams battle it out in San Antonio, home of some of the country’s best Tex-Mex cuisine. I’m traditionally not much of a basketball fan. But thanks to some good friends who are Kansas alumni and with Kansas making it to this weekend’s Final Four, I can think of no better excuse to throw on a KU shirt, head to the kitchen to fire up some of the Southwest’s best regional dishes, and take a seat in front of the TV to soak up all the action.

San Antonio and its famous Tex Mex cooking are a perfect fit for the Final Four. The Final Four is the end of a month-long tournament known as March Madness in which the top college basketball teams in the country compete first within their region in single-elimination games. The winners from each region--South, East, Midwest, and West--advance to the final four. The same way this tournament brings together some of the best basketball from very different parts of the country, so does Tex Mex cuisine represent not so much Mexican food, but a couple of centuries of the melding together of foods from Mexico, Spain, and good old American cowboys.

What most of us in America think of as Mexican food is likely more Tex Mex. That burrito from Chipotle the size of a small child? Unlikely you would find anything remotely like that south of the Mexican border. Artichoke enchiladas? Sherry and cream ranchero sauce? It all tastes delicious. But again, even though they are on the menu of your local “Mexican” chain restaurant, it's unlikely a Mexican would recognize those dishes from home.

Tex Mex cooking, while often viewed as Mexican food in the United States, was actually born of the rich exchange of cultures along the US and Mexican border, particularly Texas, hence the name, Tex-Mex. In the mid 1800s the region was a mix of Native Americans, Spanish settlers, and American cowboys. The food that emerged from this melting pot speaks to the heritage of all these cuisines.

Try not to be upset that what you thought you were eating all these years was Mexican food, and yet it was actually Tex Mex. All it takes is one bite of some real San Antonio-style Tex Mex and you might start giving it the credit it deserves. Mix the rich barbecued meats of the American cowboy with the refinement of the region’s Spanish roots and the flavors of Mexico, and the results are nothing but delicious.

To make your own Tex Mex feast in honor of the Final Four being in San Antonio this weekend, look not to your local Chevy’s restaurant but rather to your own refrigerator for inspiration. Take a basic Mexican food and build on it with American ingredients you are comfortable with. For instance, a real Mexican tostada is not the giant fried tortilla bowl filled with salad that we are used to seeing in this country. A Mexican tostada is more like a starter course: a fried corn tortilla topped with beans and maybe cheese. Something that size is actually perfect for a Final Four party. Just take the Mex part of the tostada and bring in the Tex part by topping those beans with some barbecued chicken and a sprinkling of Monterey Jack cheese.

Another great party dish perfect for adding your own Tex Mex flair is queso fundido, literally melted cheese. The most basic form of this dish involves simply melting cheese, preferably Jack or Cheddar, in a heavy pot or in the oven and then serving it with chips and salsa. For a Tex Mex variation, spice it up by sautéing chilies and onions in some butter before adding the cheese. Play with the cheese by mixing cheddar with other popular melting cheeses such as brie, Swiss, or even goat.

The meeting of four great basketball teams from different parts of the country deserves accompanying food that celebrates the meeting of three great cuisines from different parts of the world. If you weren’t able to make it to San Antonio this year for the Final Four, bring San Antonio to you. Breakout the KU shirt, fire up the grill, step into the kitchen, and then step out to the TV with a Tex Mex feast worthy of some of the best basketball we watch all year.

Serves/Makes: 4

• 1 pound tomatillos
• 1/4 large white onion
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 serrano chili, seeded and ribs removed, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 handful cilantro, roughly chopped, plus extra for garnish
• salt and pepper
• 1 pound flank steak
• 10 corn tortillas
• vegetable oil
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese