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Newsletter - Text Version

“It's Taco Time Tonight - Let the Fiesta Begin!”

Turn your kitchen into a taquería, (a taco shop), for the evening and throw a taquiza, (a taco party). Tortillas, folded in half, amiably hold your choice of filling, garnishes, and a drizzle of sauce. Freshly assembled, a few tacos make a meal rich with flavor and full of satisfaction. You’ll quickly rediscover this humble fare can be muy fantastico!

IN THIS ISSUE, we revive the notion of tacos as a food with endless mix-and-match possibilities and personalities. Three examples of fresh, flavorful tacos are presented thanks to 300 Best Taco Recipes. And, if you’d like to really develop your taquero (taco chef) skills, we illustrate how to make your own fresh tortillas. It’s taco time, let the fiesta begin!

WHAT IS A TACO?

Anything goes in a taco! The “recipe” for tacos is open to improvisation and becomes an apt canvas for modern fusions borrowing from many cuisines. There is a formula for tacos: the tortilla, the filling, the toppings and the sauce. The tortilla is the vessel, the filling is the heft, the toppings add color and crunch, and the sauce moistens the contents with extra flavor.

THE TORTILLA: Tacos start with either corn or flour tortillas. Soft tacos indicate a fresh, warmed tortilla with a pliable quality. Hard tacos refer to corn tortillas that have been fried and shaped into a crunchy shell. Tortillas for tacos should be on the small side, ideally 6 inches in diameter.

THE FILLING: The first layer in a taco is the filling, traditionally some type of cooked meat. It might be beef, chicken, pork, fish or seafood, or beans as a vegetarian option. Any cut of meat, in any preparation will fill a taco. It doesn’t take much, just 2-3 tablespoons per taco.

THE TOPPINGS: A variety of toppings add color and crunch to a taco. Lettuce or greens are a common choice along with diced tomatoes, but feel free to branch out with all sorts of vegetables in shredded or diced form – onions, peppers, garlic, corn, scallions – and a sprinkling of fresh herbs like cilantro, parsley, or oregano.

THE CHEESE: Common, yet often optional, a sprinkling of cheese tops many tacos. Shredded Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses are well-known taco accompaniments, but any cheese will lend its own personality to the taco. Experiment with some classic Mexican cheeses: Cotija, Asadero, Queso Fresco, or Manchego.

THE SAUCE: Salsa or sauce, this layer provides delicious moisture to the entire taco and helps the other ingredients stay inside the taco. The entire universe of salsas is appropriate for tacos. Try out some of the spiked cream sauces below for a different angle.

THE ASSEMBLY:
1. Have all ingredients ready - warm fillings, fresh toppings, and hot tortillas.
2. Use taco stands for assembling hard shell tacos.
3. Build each layer with small helpings to achieve perfect taco balance.
4. Don’t overfill the tortilla – tacos are not meant to drip ingredients when eaten
5. Invite guests to build their own tacos.

RECIPE: Shredded Chicken Crispy Tacos with Cilantro Lime Sour Cream

Roasted chicken forms the basis for the filling, but it’s the sauce that brings this taco home! The chicken, shredded lettuce accepts the smooth and sour sauce; the hard taco shell provides the method for getting all these flavors to the mouth in delicious bite after delicious bite.

Shortcut: Rotisserie chickens from the local deli provide shredded meat for these tacos in a jiffy.

Recipes from 300 Best Taco Recipes by Kelley Cleary Coffeen. Copyright © 2011. Reprinted with permission of Robert Rose Inc., Toronto, Canada. All rights reserved.

Tools for this Recipe:
Citrus Juicer
Box Grater
Serrated Knife for tomato dicing

The Tortilla

Stacks of fresh tortillas are easily found at markets everywhere. Quick, easy, and inexpensive, these tortillas provide a jumpstart for taco time. Tortillas fall into two categories, flour or corn.

Corn Tortillas
Hard or Soft – For tacos, the tortilla may be hard or soft. A hard shell taco is a corn tortilla fried and immediately folded and formed. A soft shell taco sports a corn tortilla warmed for pliability, but eaten before crispiness sets in.

Masa de harina – is a flour made from dried corn that has been initially softened with a special solution of lime and water – “slaked lime.” The mix is rinsed, dried, and ground. Corn meal or corn flour is not a substitute for masa de harina; the flavor and texture just won’t be there.

Vocabulary Lesson: “Nixtamalization” – the process of soaking corn or grain in an alkaline solution. The grain softens, hard hulls loosen, and nutritional components are made accessible.

Flour Tortillas
Soft flour tortillas are equally suitable for tacos. Warm the flour tortilla, fill and enjoy immediately. The warming process allows the tortilla to become workable and improves the taste significantly.

Wheat flour is mixed with oil and water to form a dough. The flour is often processed white flour, but whole grain and multi-grain choices are becoming more readily available.

Lard is the traditional fat used in many tortillas, and often thought of as the “secret ingredient.” But, trends are shifting to healthier, unsaturated fat products such as canola or olive oils.

How to Make 12 Fresh Flour Tortillas

When you have time – and it doesn’t take much time – try your hand at homemade tortillas. Freshly mixed and made, the taste and experience is remarkable. As handy as any supermarket flatbreads are, something vital is lost to shelf time. Give fresh homemade tortillas a try!

1. Mix dry ingredients together well: 3c. flour and 1 tsp. salt.
2. Combine 3 tablespoon of vegetable oil with 1 c. of hot water.
3.Gradually add the liquid to the flour mixture. Mix well with a fork.
4. Knead the dough into a smooth ball.
5. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces; cover with a damp towel to prevent drying out.
6. Center each ball in the tortilla press between plastic or wax paper. Press the tortilla.
7. Press the tortilla to desired thickness, or use a rolling pin to a 6-inch diameter.
8. Cook the tortilla in a dry skillet at medium-high heat for a few seconds on each side, just until it begins to puff and brown.
9. Enjoy immediately, or keep warm in a tortilla warmer or covered in a towel in a warm oven.

* A stand-mixer outfitted with a dough hook makes this process super-easy.
* For corn tortillas, use 2-1/2 c. masa harina, 1-1/2 tsp sea salt, 1 tbsp. oil, and 1+ c. hot water.
* Kids love to help press out the tortillas!
* Line the base of a tortilla press with plastic wrap or wax paper, place another piece of wrap on top of the dough to prevent any sticking to the press. A heavier plastic bag split open works well.

Warm them Up, and Keep them Warm!

Warm tortillas make the taco! Accomplish this in one of three ways:
Stove top: Warm each tortilla for 30-45 seconds on each side in a dry skillet, griddle, or comal (flat, plate-like griddle) heated to medium-high heat.
Microwave: Place stacks of 4 tortillas on a microwave-safe plate and cover; heat for 30 seconds on high. Take care not to heat for too long.
Oven: Wrap stacks of 6-8 tortillas in aluminum foil; warm in a pre-heated 250°F oven for about 30 minutes.

Keep them Warm a Tortilla Warmer:
After heating your tortillas, it’s important to keep them warm as they transfer to the table and throughout the meal. Tortilla warmers provide just the right amount of insulation for the task.

RECIPE: Blue Cheese Burger Tacos with Red Onion Salsa

The classic flavor combination of sirloin and blue cheese combine in this upscale taco variation. The onion salsa provides a colorful accent and garnish. Made simply of red and white onions with olive oil, lime, and lemon juice, the blend sweetens over time and is even better the next day. Alternatively, make the salsa a day ahead of time and enjoy it at its best on any taco.

Recipes from 300 Best Taco Recipes by Kelley Cleary Coffeen. Copyright © 2011. Reprinted with permission of Robert Rose Inc., Toronto, Canada. All rights reserved.

Tools for this Recipe:
Food Chopper
Herb Scissor
8” Swiss Diamond Fry Pan (IMG 6541)

Make Your Own Tortilla Chips

Fresh and warm tortilla chips rate much higher on our “Like” scale than those out of a bag, and they’re much less expensive. Here’s how:

Baked: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly brush both sides of 4 (or more) tortillas with olive oil. Stack the prepared tortillas. Cut into wedges with a knife or a pizza wheel, or cut with a kitchen shears. Place wedges in a single layer on a parchment-covered baking sheet. If desired sprinkle the tortillas with salt or seasonings. Bake for 7-8 minutes, watching carefully. The chips should be crisp, starting to curl and brown slightly. We like to try different grill seasonings for some interesting chip variations.

Fried: Heat 3 cups canola oil in a 4 qt. heavy-bottomed saucepan to 360°F. Cut tortillas into wedges. Fry the wedges in a single layer in small batches for 1-2 minutes on each side. Scoop the chips from the oil with a spider, and place on paper towels to drain. Season lightly as desired and serve while still warm.

RECIPE: Shrimp and Chorizo Tacos with Chile Cream Sauce

The spicy chorizo lends its fiery flavors to the shrimp just as it is finishing browning. The tacos are topped with lettuce, minced onion, and a healthy helping of thinly sliced radishes. The magical mélange of tastes are enough by themselves, but the sauce completed the experience. The Chile Cream Sauce was blended from mayo, yogurt, and cottage cheese, then seasoned with a healthy dose of green chiles in the puree.

Recipes from 300 Best Taco Recipes by Kelley Cleary Coffeen. Copyright © 2011. Reprinted with permission of Robert Rose Inc., Toronto, Canada. All rights reserved.

Tools for this recipe:
12” Swiss Diamond Fry Pan
ChopStir
Lettuce Knife (Zyliss)

Ingredient Note:
Chorizo is a broad term used to describe several varieties of sausage. Mexican chorizo is, most commonly, a ground pork sausage mixture that sings with garlic and chile flavors, and hosts a hint of piquant vinegar. The deep red color emanates from the liberal use of dried, powdered guajillo chiles. Try a chorizo and diced potato taco with some chopped cilantro.

Cookbook Review:

300 Best Taco Recipes
by Kelley Cleary Coffeen. Copyright © 2011. Published byf Robert Rose Inc., Toronto, Canada.

This book dispels any stereotypes about tacos that you might have lingering in the back of your mind. Building on the basic formula of tortilla, filling, toppings, cheese and sauce, the variety and possibilities prove endless. The author provides an introductory primer about the key components of tacos, then jumps right into creating hundreds of mouth-watering variations. Organized by filling type, (chicken & turkey, beef, pork & lamb, fish & seafood, vegetarian, etc.), each unique recipe identifies the best tortilla match, the most favorable toppings, and the optimal sauce. Tips and hints are liberally included throughout the book as sidebars within each recipe. A special chapter is devoted just to Salsas & Sauces. The book finishes with the presentation of some inventive Dessert Tacos. We concluded after working with this book, that tacos are an amazingly adaptable and creative food form.

Fill a taco with your favorites and make it a taco-licious evening!