San Antonio 2014

We just returned from our third annual trip to Tucson to visit our daughter. San Antonio is nearly half way. This year we planned an early dinner in San Antonio and then drive about an hour more to Kerrville where we spent the night.

A recent ‘Garden and Gun’ article on San Antonio gave us several possibilities for dinner. Our choice was La Gloria and it was a good one. The River Walk has been an attraction for a long time in San Antonio. It’s what tourists do in the evening after a visit to the Alamo.  Work on development of the San Antonio River began in the 1940’s. Over the years it has been expanded; in 1961 a plan was created and two miles of river walkways were created. When the San Antonio river Improvements project is complete it will link up 2020 acres of public land with a river running through it, larger than the three most popular US parks: Central Park in NYC, the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and the Chicago Lakeside.  La Gloria, open just a couple of years, is located on the upper reaches of the river; the boats do not go that far. The waiter told us it was about a two mile walk to the area near the Alamo in the central downtown. The restaurant serves Mexican street food. The bar is outside along with most of the tables overlooking the tiny river. Ducks roam between the tables. There is a mist blowing to cool. I might have preferred the inside but my husband had the hostess show us to a table nearest the river.

We started with one of their special tequila drinks. We chose one with mint and basil and cucumbers. It was still too sweet. I should have had a traditional margarita. My husband says next year he will have a cerveza.

We tried a sampling of several things on the menu to share. The shrimp ceviche was one of the best things. We had fish tacos and a more traditional assado taco. The interesting dish was one we had never heard of, the tlayudas, or Mexican pizza. It’s more like a huge taco than a pizza. Black beans and melted cheese on a large pizza sized tortilla, piled high with lettuce, tomatoes, and avocados. The tlayuda originated in Oaxaca.

On our way back home we again stopped in San Antonio on a Sunday morning because we had heard the farmer’s market was nice. This was also recommended by ‘Garden and Gun.’ Well, this was not worth the stop. There was not much to buy and it all seemed very expensive to me. Eggs were $6.00 a dozen, and kale was $4.00 for a bunch. I did buy some good cheese and tomatoes, but this is not worth a stop the next time.

There are many recipes for Mexican pizza and really you can create what you like on any kind of shell. I tried one on flour tortillas and it was really great. You could put toppings on just crisp tostadas and that would make a quick easy pizza. The recipe I used has lots of cheese, beans, salsa, chilies and sausage. How can you go wrong?

 

Mexican Bean Pizza

Serves 4

1 ¼ cups shredded Cheddar cheese

¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 (6-inch) flour tortillas (I like the smaller tortillas as they are easier to eat than the large ‘pizza-sized’ ones.)

1 small onion, chopped

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained

½ cup salsa, mild or spicy

2 ounces canned, chopped green chilies (Our jalapeños are in so I used fresh.)

2 ounces pulled pork or chorizo (casing removed) I used chorizo and it gave the pizza a spicier taste)

Heat oven to 350°F. Mix half the Cheddar cheese with the Monterey Jack cheese in a bowl; set aside.

Brush a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of the oil and arrange tortillas in a single layer. Puncture each tortilla a few times with a fork. Sprinkle remaining Cheddar cheese evenly over 4 of the tortillas, then cover each with a remaining tortilla. Bake 5-6 minutes or until browned slightly.

While tortillas bake, heat remaining oil in a skillet and cook onions until browned. Add beans and partially mash with a potato masher or the back of a fork.

Remove tortilla pizzas from the oven and top each with the bean mixture, spreading evenly. Top with salsa, green chilies, pulled pork or chorizo and cheese mixture.

Return to oven. Bake until cheese melts, about 10-12 minutes.