Pasta Chihuahua as Served at Rulis' International Kitchen in El Paso, Texas, as seen on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 30.
Recipe courtesy of Rulis' International Kitchen

Pasta Chihuahua

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  • Level: Easy
  • Total: 1 hr 30 min
  • Active: 45 min
  • Yield: 6 servings
This creation set me on the path to fusion cuisine and gave me the confidence to open Rulis' International Kitchen. It came to me over 12 years ago and was inspired by an Italian meat sauce; the flavor is all Mexican though. Tomatoes were unknown to Europe until explorers and traders took them back from the New World (Mexico). This is a full circle dish: Mexico gave Italy tomatoes, Italy gave the world pasta and meat sauce, now I bring it back over the Atlantic and give you Mexican pasta.

Ingredients

House Seasoning:

Chihuahua Pasta Sauce:

Directions

  1. For the house seasoning: Mix the salt, granulated garlic, smoked paprika and black pepper in a bowl and use to season everything.
  2. For the Chihuahua pasta sauce: Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and start browning the chorizo, about 4 minutes. Add the onions and minced garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with green chile, stir and cook an additional 3 minutes. Stir in the fresh tomatoes, oregano, cumin and hot links. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.
  3. Cook the linguine until al dente. Set aside.
  4. Sprinkle the steak with the house seasoning and grill on high heat, 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest 5 minutes before dicing the steak into bite-size chunks.
  5. Heat up 3 ounces of water in a saute pan and toss in the pasta to reheat. Toss in the steak and cook more if desired. Introduce the pasta sauce to the pan and heat it up to at least 140 degrees F. Nest the contents into a bowl, top with cotija cheese and garnish with fresh cilantro.