If you’ve exhausted your rotation of go-to meals, you can try your hand at a recipe from one of two dozen historic Arizona restaurants and buildings that have withstood the test of time.
Chefs from across the state have shared recipes for the Historical League’s “Tastes & Treasures II,” a storytelling cookbook that highlights enterprises and buildings that are at least 50 years old.
The book, published in 2018, has been written for novice cooks and accomplished gourmets. Many of the ingredients are native to the Southwest, Mexico and South America.
Beyond learning how to whip up tiny BLTs or oven-roasted Brussels sprouts from Tucson’s Arizona Inn, “Tastes & Treasures II” also offers insights into the origins of the historic hotel, built by Arizona’s first congresswoman, Isabella Greenway.
The historic Arizona Inn, 2200 E. Elm, Tucson, photographed in 1957. It was built in 1930-31 by Isabella Greenway.
According to the book, Greenway built the resort in 1930 to be a customer for the furniture factory she created to give World War I veterans a place to work. It was said that she carried a set of sawhorses around the property, at 2200 E. Elm St., while bedrooms were being built so she could lie on plywood to see the view through the windows.
“Tastes & Treasures II” also takes readers farther south to Tumacacori for a stop at Wisdom’s Cafe, known for its homestyle Mexican food since 1944.
This 2002 photo of Wisdom’s Cafe in Tumacacori features the restaurant’s cheerful chicken mascot. The eatery has been operated by four generations of the Wisdom family since 1944.
The restaurant — which shared recipes for Wisdom’s shredded beef, beans and tres leches cake ice cream — “exemplifies the mingled Arizona-Sonora culture” and has been run by four generations of Wisdoms, the book says.
For the more seasoned cook, there’s Cafe Roka’s artichoke and portobello mushroom lasagna. The cafe is housed in a 1907 building in Bisbee by architect Henry Trost.
The four-story restaurant includes private rooms with windows looking down on Main Street, original maple flooring, 14-foot-high ceilings and a copper-topped 1890s oak bar.
Cafe Roka is housed in a 1907 building in Bisbee by architect Henry Trost.
The 216-page “Tastes & Treasures II” also features contributions from history-makers like U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s Lazy B Beef Jerky recipe, storytelling from Arizona’s Poet Laureate Alberto Ríos, and a chocolate cake recipe from the family of Eddie Basha who was the head of Arizona’s family-owned supermarket chain, Bashas’.
Funds raised from the sale of “Tastes & Treasures II” support the Arizona Heritage Center at Papago Park in Tempe.
It can be purchased for $30 at historicalleague.org.
Make it
TINY BLTs
The Arizona Inn’s recipe for tiny BLTs requires that bacon mayonnaise and tomato jam be made a day ahead. They are among the culinary goodies found in “Tastes & Treasures II.”
This recipe for the Arizona Inn’s tiny BLTs will serve eight. It features a bacon mayonnaise and tomato jam that need to be made a day ahead.
INGREDIENTS
1 (12-ounce) package applewood smoked bacon, cooked
1 package fresh arugula
Bacon mayonnaise
2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup cooked and diced bacon (use 2 slices, finely chopped)
1 to 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 to 2 teaspoons paprika
1 to 2 teaspoons chile powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Tomato jam
8 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 cup sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced (or grated with a microplane)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice, plus 2 tablespoons of the zest (4 limes)
1/2 to 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, cored and diced
1/2 serrano pepper, seeded, cored and diced (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup Champagne vinegar
PREPARATION
For the bacon mayonnaise, mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Place in a covered container and chill overnight. This may be kept up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
For the tomato jam, place all ingredients in a medium saucepan, stirring well to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for one hour, stirring often. Remove from the heat and cool before transferring to a covered container. Chill overnight. The jam may be stored in a refrigerator up to two weeks.
Assemble the tiny BLTs using the flavorful components: easy homemade biscuits (see recipe below), bacon mayonnaise, tomato jam, applewood smoked bacon and fresh arugula.
EASY HOMEMADE BISCUITS
This recipe makes 18 to 24 light and fluffy biscuits.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for rolling the dough
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter or shortening (1 stick), cut into tiny cubes
3/4 cup milk (whole milk is best)
1/2 cup grated white cheddar cheese (optional)
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Use a fork or pastry blender to cut in the butter/shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk, mixing until the dough is soft, and pulls away from the side of the bowl. Do not overwork the dough.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and toss with flour until no longer sticky. Roll dough out 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick. Using 2-inch round or square floured biscuit cookie cutters, cut straight down. Do not twist as you cut the biscuits.
Place biscuits on ungreased baking sheets. Top each biscuit with a sprinkle of the white cheddar cheese, if using, and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
The unbaked biscuits can be made ahead, frozen on a baking sheet, then transferred to zip-top bags. Label with the baking instructions; if still frozen when baking, preheat oven, bake at 450 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes, until light golden brown.
