A Cowboy in the Kitchen

A Cowboy in the Kitchen:
Recipes from Reata and Texas West of the Pecos

By Grady Spears and Robb Walsh

A Cowboy in the Kitchen
From riding and roping on the open range to cooking and creating on the open grill, Reata Restaurant chef Grady Spears has taken his talent for down-home cowboy cuisine and given it a decidedly up town twist. What began as a single culinary idea has exploded into three restaurants: one in Alpine, Texas, one in Fort Worth, Texas, and a soon-to-be launched third on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Amid the popularity and buzz of Reata Restaurant comes A Cowboy in the Kitchen: Recipes from Reata and Texas West of the Pecos.This gorgeous volume brings you one of America's most iconic cuisines- that of the Texas ranch. It's filled to the brim with strong, flavorful recipes; fascinating ranch memorabilia; gorgeous full-color photography; and truly marvelous, utterly real food.

Not just your basic beans and biscuits, A Cowboy in the Kitchen serves up recipes like:

Oven-Roasted Tenderloin of Pork with Apple Poblano Chutney
Biscuit Pudding with Southern Comfort Cream
Char-Grilled Texas T-Bone with Caciotta Cheeses Enchiladas

"Reata" means rope in Spanish, but in Texan mythology the name means a lot more. Reata was the name of the ranch in Giant, a book by Edna Ferber that was made into a movie in 1956. The film starred Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean and won nine Academy Awards. Today, celebrities like Tommy Lee Jones, Martha Stewart, Nolan Ryan and many, many more consistently patronize Reata. Heralded widely in publications like Gourmet, P.O.V, Martha Stewart Living, Chile Pepper Magazine, The New York Times, Cowboys & Indians, and Texas Monthly, Grady has truly become, as reviewers attest, "a rising star in the Lone Star State."

In a world of electronic communication and information super-highways, Texans have never lost sight of the cowboy culture. Its influence reaches every facet of Texan life the way they eat, the way they dress, even the way they think and act. A Cowboy in the Kitchen is a rousing and delicious testament to this way of life. From innovative Tex-Mex flavors to perfectly prepared steaks to sinfully rich desserts, this is a book for the cowboy in all of us.

Grady Spears is a native Texan and an amazingly talented self-taught cook. He worked as a cowhand and cattle broker before becoming executive chef and co-owner of the two Reata Restaurants. Spears was named one of the Top 5 Chefs of 1998 by Restaurants and Institutions Magazine.

Food writer Robb Walsh has won the James Beard Journalism Award for his magazine feature writing. He is a columnist for Natural History, former food editor of the Austin Chronicle, a contributing editor for American Way, a commentator on NPR's "Weekend Edition" and the founder and head judge of the Austin Hot Sauce Contest, the world's largest hot sauce contest.

A Cowboy in the Kitchen:
Recipes from Reata and Texas West of the Pecos
By Grady Spears and Robb Walsh
Ten Speed Press
Cloth, $29.95
224 pages, full color
Publication Date: February 1999
ISBN: 1-58008-004-9
Recipe Reprinted by permission.