Parisa - A Texas/Alsatian microtreasure
Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 3:00 pm
At the southern edge of the Texas Hill Country, in Medina County where it meets the Texas Grassland, settled immigrants from the Alsace region of France. Their French/German traditions live on in the area including the cities of Hondo, D'Hanis, Castroville and Quihi.
One of the things that came along with them is a dish called Parisa. I don't think that it can be found anywhere in the US but in this small area. You can find this served in settings ranging from black tie dinners to evening campfires - it goes with everything! I did find a picture online to give you an idea of the dish, but it isn't my picture. I like the cheese grated much finer than this.
Alsatian Parisa
* 1 lb. lean beef (preferably grass-fed), bison or venison
* 8 ounces mild cheddar cheese, finely grated
* 1 medium onion, minced fine
* 1 or 2 serrano peppers, minced
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 2-1/2 teaspoons salt
* 4 teaspoons coarse-grind black pepper
* juice from two small limes
The most important thing to remember in making parisa is that everything must be excruciatingly CLEAN. The meat is served *raw*, so there is no compromise here. Also, it should be as lean as possible - you want no fat, connective tissue or anything else in there with the meat.
Grind it (or have it ground) through the fine plate on a very clean grinder. Most folks only use meat that they know the source for - can't be too careful here. The addition of lime (or lemon) juice serves to acidify the dish and prevent bacteriologic action. that along with a clean meat source should keep you safe and healthy. I haven't known anyone who got sick eating parisa.
You also need to keep it chilled as you work with it, so set the mixing bowl in some ice or something as you mix it all together. Feel free to adjust the spices to suit your taste! Mix it very well, and chill the resulting mixture for between 4 hours and all night. Goes down best when served on regular saltines or the like.
One of the things that came along with them is a dish called Parisa. I don't think that it can be found anywhere in the US but in this small area. You can find this served in settings ranging from black tie dinners to evening campfires - it goes with everything! I did find a picture online to give you an idea of the dish, but it isn't my picture. I like the cheese grated much finer than this.
Alsatian Parisa
* 1 lb. lean beef (preferably grass-fed), bison or venison
* 8 ounces mild cheddar cheese, finely grated
* 1 medium onion, minced fine
* 1 or 2 serrano peppers, minced
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 2-1/2 teaspoons salt
* 4 teaspoons coarse-grind black pepper
* juice from two small limes
The most important thing to remember in making parisa is that everything must be excruciatingly CLEAN. The meat is served *raw*, so there is no compromise here. Also, it should be as lean as possible - you want no fat, connective tissue or anything else in there with the meat.
Grind it (or have it ground) through the fine plate on a very clean grinder. Most folks only use meat that they know the source for - can't be too careful here. The addition of lime (or lemon) juice serves to acidify the dish and prevent bacteriologic action. that along with a clean meat source should keep you safe and healthy. I haven't known anyone who got sick eating parisa.
You also need to keep it chilled as you work with it, so set the mixing bowl in some ice or something as you mix it all together. Feel free to adjust the spices to suit your taste! Mix it very well, and chill the resulting mixture for between 4 hours and all night. Goes down best when served on regular saltines or the like.
