Learn with recipes: taco

Showing posts with label taco. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Tortilla Chip Taco Salad with Yellow Tomato Pico de Gallo

As you know by now, Thursday night means "Survivor" and usually tacos, in one form or another. Last night I went for a Taco Salad, to enjoy during my Thursday night program, but instead of using one of the those fried tortilla bowls, which I did not have, I just used tortilla or nacho chips, which I always have around.

To assemble I simply piled some nacho chips in the bottom of this cute little shallow round baking dish I have. I topped it with seasoned ground beef, some leftover Cuban black beans from the night before and some shredded cheddar cheese. Into a 375 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the meat and beans are heated through. Once out of the oven I topped it with shredded lettuce, chopped cilantro, a dollop of sour cream and a spoonful of yellow tomato pico de gallo.

I saw these nice looking yellow tomatoes at the store and decided to give them a try in a fresh pico de gallo for my taco salad. To make I combine the following in a small food processor: 1 yellow tomato, 1/4 red onion, 1 small garlic clove, 1 serrano pepper, juice of 1/2 lime, fresh cilantro, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and good seasoning of salt and pepper. Pulse the food processor very quickly in order to keep the salsa quite chunky. If you hold the button down too long, the tomatoes will puree quickly and you will have soup instead of salsa. It will still taste good, but it will be hard to keep it on the chips!

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Skirt Steak Soft Taco

Skirt steak, despite it being quite a tasty cut of beef, is not as widely available as I think it should be. As a matter of fact, I am unable to find it in any of our local supermarkets. I ask, but they tell me that a corporate office somewhere decides what cuts of meat each store will receive. I have even offered to call and put in a request, to the chief butcher in charge, but I am told that my pleas will fall on deaf ears. I always wonder the chefs and cooks on Food Network are talking about when they proclaim "just ask your butcher" to cut a roast a particular way or to "make friends with the butcher". Seems to me the day of the neighborhood butcher is either long gone, or it only exists in larger urban areas. Anyway, back on track, I am able to get an organic skirt steak from Yoders Meat Market, a local Amish grocer. The only down side is that they are always sold in the frozen state. Regardless, skirt steaks are always a flavorful, robust steak that do well in a wet marinade or with a dry rub. They are particularly good as an ingredient in fajitas and tacos. Dont overcook though, it should be prepared as you would a flank steak and sliced against the grain and on the bias.

Skirt Steak Soft Taco
1 skirt steak (marinaded or dry rubbed)
sliced red bell pepper
sliced onion
colby jack cheese
cilantro
sour cream
flour tortillas

Pat the skirt steak dry from any left over marinade if using wet ingredients or season with a dry rub, as you prefer. Cook on an indoor grill pan or an outdoor grill for approximately 4 minutes per side or until meat is medium rare. Do not overcook. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, saute onions and pepper in a skillet over medium high heat with about 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Heat the flour tortillas until warm and soft and fill with sliced skirt steak and sauteed peppers and onions. Additional toppings can include shredded cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro, hot sauce and salsa.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Pork Taco and Mango Chipotle Salsa

How quickly taco night rolls around! I swear, I could eat tacos and salsa every single night of my life and never, ever tire of either of them. I do think that the pork taco is my favorite, though. I made a slow roasted pork butt a while back and froze quite a bit in individual servings for just such an occassion. Sometimes it seems like kind of a hassle to package up leftovers into single serving portions and freeze them for later, but it is really worth it! All I had to do was remove a container of the pork from the freezer and pop it in the microwave for a minute or two to thaw. If you want to know how I prepared the pork roast from the beginning, just do a quick search through some of my previous postings about 6-8 weeks ago you will find it.

To prepare the salsa, I quartered my very favorite Sammie tomato from Charlie Sweet Corn produce stand and tossed it into a food processor with some onion, garlic, fresh cilantro, a chipotle pepper, a small mango, lime juice and salt and pepper. I pulsed it until it reached the consistency I was looking for and, Im telling you, if you like salsa, this is so delicious and goof proof.

To assemble the taco, I heated the shredded pork in a skillet over medium heat with a little oil. I added some chili poweders, garlic powder, Mexican oregano, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper and about 1/4 cup of water. I simmered it until it was heat through. The flour tortillas were heated directly over my gas stovetop flame until heated and little charred and then topped with the pork, sliced onion, mango chipotle salsa, monterey/cheddar cheese, lime and a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle of chopped fresh cilantro were the finishing touches.