Fideo loco

A few years ago, I was enjoying breakfast tacos at Pete’s in San Antonio and I spotted a sign advertising fideo loco.

In Tex-Mex, when an item is qualified with the phrase crazy or loco, it means that the basic dish has been enhanced with more than the usual toppings. For instance, a taco loco will be stuffed with every meat available. And in the case of crazy nachos, beyond fried corn tortillas, beans, and cheese, there’s also taco meat, guacamole, and sour cream.

Fideo loco, however, was new to me.

Now, I was familiar with traditional fideo, which is a beloved South Texan dish. It’s made by frying broken pieces of thin pasta such as vermicelli or capellini in oil before cooking it in a tomato-based broth. It’s what’s known as a sopa seca, which translates to dry soup. This means that it doesn’t have as much liquid as a soup, yet isn’t as dry as a traditional pasta dish—instead, it falls somewhere in between.

This comforting dish is South Texas comfort food at its finest, and while it does appear as either a starter or a side at restaurants, it’s also often prepared at home and served as a main course. Because ingredients are inexpensive and it takes little time to put together, it’s a workhorse for busy families who need to get a meal on the table quickly. There are many ways to prepare it, but every South Texan’s favorite bowl of fideo is the one they grew up eating, prepared by someone they loved.

In my first book, I included my rendition of traditional fideo. It’s a quick and easy meal that’s especially welcome on a chilly day. But since fideo loco was new to me, I asked the waitress what was involved.

She explained that it took the foundation of South Texas fideo—the thin noodles and the tomato broth—then added pinto beans and taco meat to the mix. So, following in the tradition of other Tex-Mex dishes described as loco, it was simply the standard dish enhanced.

I ordered a bowl, and the piquant broth and noodles were livened by the beef and beans. It was filling and good, and I decided to try my own version at home.

While I learned that there are many ways to transform regular fideo into one that’s loco, such as stirring in potatoes, squash, or steak, for mine I decided to stick with the simple additions of taco meat and pinto beans. I kept my beans plain, though charro or ranch style would be good, too.

Here’s my take on the dish, which has a smoky, chipotle-laced tomato broth that’s thick with noodles along with cumin-spiced ground beef and tender pinto beans. It’s hearty, simple and makes for a fine one-pot meal. And that’s not crazy at all!

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