This week, we visit with Z’Tejas executive chef Diego Bolanos, who moved to Arizona in 2010 and has worked in many kitchens across the Valley and beyond. Highlights include opening his own restaurant in Sedona in 2013, and then selling the business and going to work with Sedona chef Lisa Dahl to help her create the award-winning Mariposa Latin-Inspired Grill. He did a stint at the Thirsty Lion as regional training chef for Arizona and...
If you’re searching for a novel brunch dish to serve your holiday guests (or perhaps tuck away for your own use), the folks at Z’Tejas have shared their popular huevos rancheros recipe. The multi-layered dish has a lot of components, but if you have all the ingredients lined up, you can make it in a snap. As for the Mexican cheese, Z’Tejas Chef Diego Bolan uses a mix of Oaxaca, Monterey jack, asadero, panela and...
All the news that’s fit to nosh. La Chimichanga Más Grande del Mundo: Valley institution Macayo’s Mexican Food is gunning for world domination. This Saturday, September 25, at 10 a.m., Macayo’s team members at the Ahwatukee location will attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the longest chimichanga on the planet. “We’re extremely proud to be the original developer of the world’s first chimichanga* – and to have it become our signature dish. In fact, since it was first created,...
Photo courtesy Campo Italian Bistro and Bar All the news that’s fit to nosh. Brunch Time: It seems every week I come bearing brunch news, and this week is no different: After settling into a nice happy hour and dinner rhythm, Campo Italian Bistro and Bar is opening for brunch service starting this Saturday, August 14. Expect Italian-inflected brunch classics like eggs Benedict topped with spinach, capicola and roasted pepper hollandaise, and a savory Dutch baby gilded with prosciutto, pesto and...
By the time August rolls around, Phoenicians have had it with brutal hot days. But August also brings a different kind of heat – Hatch chile season, that two- to three-month window when the flavorful, tear-inducing peppers from New Mexico are harvested and plentiful. Z’Tejas Southwestern Kitchen recently rolled out its annual Hatch chile menu that boasts everything from chile and watermelon gazpacho to pecan pie with green chile ice cream. Also on the menu – poached cod with Hatch chile sauce.
The Hatch chile menu will run through Oct. 31, according to Z’ Tejas Market Chef Dan Santos, but if you’d like to try making the cod at home, he has shared the recipe with PHOENIX magazine. When shopping for the fish, Santos advises buying pieces that are no thicker than two inches: “Any more than that, the bottom of the fish is going to burn and the top isn’t going to cook all the way through.”
If you’ve been searching for a brunch dish to “wow” your guests, Z’Tejas Executive Chef James Blanton offers up a recipe that fits the bill. His Southwestern breakfast bake is based on a classic bread pudding, but on the savory side, Blanton says. For the home cook, the recipe is ideal because you can add or delete whichever ingredients you like or don’t like, he says. “It really becomes a vehicle for you to be creative.” That only applies to the bread, meats and vegetables, however. The custard needs to be made as written (with the proper egg and heavy cream ratio) in order to thicken properly.