The El Paso Chile Company's Sizzlin' Suppers

Down in the West Texas town of El Paso, W. Park Kerr fell in love with food that called out from his roots and the roots of the region--kind of a hybrid of Lonesome Dove and Like Water for Chocolate. Kerr fell so hard, in fact, that he went right into the food business with his mother, packaging salsas and the like under the name El Paso Chile Company. But Kerr is a gregarious sort, and that has led to some mighty fine cookbooks that walk the hungry reader into Park Kerr's world--among them, The El Paso Chile Company's Texas Border Cookbook and The El Paso Chile Company's Burning Desires.

And now it's Sizzlin' Suppers. Kerr likes to wander around come supper time, so don't be surprised to find Horseradish Potato Salad (the author nominates this dish to the Steak Side Dish Hall of Fame) or Roasted Beet and Vidalia Onion Salad. Sure, there's a Tortilla Soup, but don't miss out on White Bean and Garlic Soup with Grilled Sausages. Kerr takes a swipe at the classic Salade Nicoise, but adds grilled salmon in place of tuna. His Grilled Shrimp with Guava Barbecue Glaze says a lot more about Puerto Rico than it does El Paso. The man likes to eat, everywhere, and then he brings it all on home. And this Sizzlin' Suppers book is the result.

"Dinner is eating," writes Kerr in the foreword. "Supper is therapy.... It's stew, not ragout. It's gravy or salsa, and never coulis.... Supper means food that you can eat with your fingers, and then you get to lick your fingers afterwards. Supper never met a finger bowl in its life."

So pull up a chair, relax, and have a little supper with W. Park Kerr, West Texas border style. --Schuyler Ingle