I told you that I am a sucker for tacos. It’s no joke, and I often reiterate to my wife that if I could eat anything any day of the week it would probably be tacos (or pizza). Once of my most recent taco findings was the Mexican Potato Taco. You would never think that something so simple could be so flipping delicious. As I was thinking about making another batch of tacos de papas (potato tacos), I decided to go another route and marry two ingredients that I knew would really work well together for my taco Monday. Kidding, I am not sure what day I made these but I can probably say it was not on a Tuesday. Not that there is anything wrong with eating tacos on a Tuesday!
Chorizo and Potato Tacos Recipe
These are not the prettiest of tacos, but having been around chorizo for many years I can guarantee there really is no great picture of cooked Mexican chorizo. Taste, however, well that is on a whole other level!
Start by adding water to a pot. Add in your diced potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Once tender, strain and set the potatoes to the side.
While the potatoes cook, add the chorizo to a large skillet on medium-high heat.
Remove the chorizo from the casing and squeeze it into the skillet. Start breaking up the chorizo with a wooden spoon. Add in the diced onions and cook, continuing to break the chorizo along the way.
It will look a bit oily. Don’t worry as the cooked potatoes will soak up all of that spiced goodness.
Add the drained potatoes to the skillet, and give this a good stir. Reduce the heat to low, cook for about 5 minutes, then load your taco.
Take a couple of warmed corn tortillas, spoon in some of the chorizo and potato mixture, and top with avocado, as squeeze of lime, and a wedge of avocado and you have yourself one heck of a great taco. Not only is this super affordable, but it is a nice twist on a standard taco night. Hope you enjoy!
I often find it funny on all of the posts for ‘Taco Tuesday’. Granted I love the name and the idea of it all, especially if you are planning out the weekly meals, but I feel that Monday (Meatless), Wednesday, Thursday, Friday (Fish Fry in Wisconsin), Saturday, and Sunday get left behind. I’m sure those days are out there in terms of identifying food to a day but that is not how it goes down in our house. Sure, we try to get a meatless Monday in (and any day of the week for that matter), and hump day or Thursday results in (at least for me, ‘I’m tired of cooking) a let’s order something kind of night, but for tacos, heck, I could eat those every day of the week. So upon my wandering around the house looking for something to do or cook as I was bored, I came across a lonely poblano pepper.
Yep, one poblano pepper resulted in this Taco Thursday. The idea of the poblano made me think of the chicken poblano recipe that my wife loves, but I had just recently made that for her, hence the lonely poblano. So I came across a nice looking chuck roast that was calling my name, as was the pressure cooker for that matter.
These pulled beef tacos were super simple to make, and quick (due to the pressure cooker), and made everyone’s Thursday a very happy one.
I left this one pretty generic as the taco game is pretty diverse. The idea here is to get your shredded beef ready and you load however you want. This particular evening I went with hard shelled tacos with cheese, onion, and garden tomatoes, along with some hot sauce.
If you do not have a pressure cooker (I highly recommend that purchase) then feel free to use a slow cooker with less water, and cooking that on low for 6-8 hours. The pressure cooker however will get you done and ready within 45 minutes if that.
To the pressure cooker, heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil on medium-high heat. Season both sides of the chuck roast with salt and pepper. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the chuck roast and sear it on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. You want some good browning so let it sit there, do not disturb it, then flip until both sides are seared.
Once seared, add in the garlic, onion, and poblano pepper. Cover the roast with water or beef stock, cover, and cook for about 45 minutes. Let your pressure come down before taking off the lid (follow your pressure cooker instructions). The roast should be fork tender and should easily shred with a couple of forks.
Pulled Beef Tacos Recipe
Discard the onion, garlic, and pepper.
Remove the roast onto a cutting board, and reserve a couple of cups of the liquid.
Using two forks, shred the beef and discard any of the weird fat that may still be intact. No one likes that stuff, trust me.
Next, heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add in the oil, and once shimmers, add in the beef. Season with a pinch of salt, then the berbere spice. Give that a good toss, and sear the shredded beef. Something about those slightly crispy strands of beef get me every time.
Once the beef is slightly seared to your liking, add in just a bit of remaining liquid, to your liking, to moisten the beef.
Once your remaining taco ingredients are ready, it’s taco time!
Load in the beef into your desired shell whether that be hard, or soft, and load in your fillings.
The result is super tender shredded beef with awesome flavors from that berbere spice, and just all of those goodies from your taco fillings. This shredded beef taco is not only easy to make, loaded with flavor, and perfect for any day of the week, but it also is a nice change to that classic American ground beef mixture that we grew up to love. Hope you enjoy!
I left this one pretty generic as the taco game is pretty diverse. The idea here is to get your shredded beef ready and you load however you want. This particular evening I went with hard shelled tacos with cheese, onion, and garden tomatoes, along with some hot sauce.
If you do not have a pressure cooker (I highly recommend that purchase) then feel free to use a slow cooker with less water, and cooking that on low for 6-8 hours. The pressure cooker however will get you done and ready within 45 minutes if that.
To the pressure cooker, heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil on medium-high heat. Season both sides of the chuck roast with salt and pepper. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the chuck roast and sear it on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. You want some good browning so let it sit there, do not disturb it, then flip until both sides are seared.
Once seared, add in the garlic, onion, and poblano pepper. Cover the roast with water or beef stock, cover, and cook for about 45 minutes. Let your pressure come down before taking off the lid (follow your pressure cooker instructions). The roast should be fork tender and should easily shred with a couple of forks.
Discard the onion, garlic, and pepper.
Remove the roast onto a cutting board, and reserve a couple of cups of the liquid.
Using two forks, shred the beef and discard any of the weird fat that may still be intact. No one likes that stuff, trust me.
Next, heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add in the oil, and once shimmers, add in the beef. Season with a pinch of salt, then the berbere spice. Give that a good toss, and sear the shredded beef. Something about those slightly crispy strands of beef get me every time.
Once the beef is slightly seared to your liking, add in just a bit of remaining liquid, to your liking, to moisten the beef.
Once your remaining taco ingredients are ready, it’s taco time!
Load in the beef into your desired shell whether that be hard, or soft, and load in your fillings.
Lately my daughter has been really into mushrooms. So I typically pick up a couple of large containers of whole mushrooms during the week, and her and I will clean them and she will cook them down however she wants. This past week was no exception, plus they were on sale which makes it all the better. As these cooked down into a lot of mushrooms, I knew I had to do something with them as I think she was mushroomed out after a couple of servings. That’s when I threw out some bait to my wife stating that I was going to serve up some mushroom tacos this week. Her response was ‘Mushroom tacos? C’mon!’. I don’t think she really believed me, but as we are trying to eat a lot less meat during the week, this I knew would be a real winner, and it was.
Mushroom Tacos Recipe
I knew these would be a big hit, and seeing as though my boys were up north fishing, I knew that my wife and daughter would devour these. These mushroom tacos are way too easy to make, and make for a fast and delicious meal any day of the week.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
16 oz whole mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1 tbsp canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 whole onion, diced
1 whole jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, diced
1 tomato, diced
salt, to taste
cracked black pepper, to taste
1 package corn tortillas, warmed
1 package of queso Chihuahua, optional
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped, optional
Start by heating a skillet on medium heat. Add in the canola oil, onion, and garlic. Give that a good stir and cook for a few minutes. Add in the mushrooms, and continue to stir.
Cook until the mushroom caramelize, about 20 minutes or so, stirring along the way. Add in the jalapeno, salt, pepper, and diced tomatoes. Cook for another 5 minutes or so.
Mushroom Tacos Recipe
Once the mushrooms begin to caramelize, heat another skillet, and add in the corn tortillas. Continue to flip the tortillas until they are completely warmed through. To be honest, I like a little bit of char on mine so I let them go a little longer.
I also like to add the slices (or shredded) cheese directly on top of my mushrooms, allowing it to melt. Also if you have never had queso Chihuahua, try it. It could possibly be one of my favorite melting cheeses.
Take two tortillas, if using corn, and fold in the cheesy mushrooms. Shower with a bit of cilantro and dig in.
Mushroom Tacos
The end result is one darn good taco. It’s ‘meaty’ in the sense because of the mushrooms, and it’s just loaded with flavor. You know what would also be good is the Mexican mushroom salad I made a handful of years ago. Shove some of that in some tortillas to kick start your day and you would be all set!
The slow cooker rarely gets put away in our house. Based on our busy schedules is pretty much the reason why, and I am typically the one hustling around trying to feed four hungry people every day. Not that I have a problem with that, but the slow cooker always comes to the rescue, and typically anything I throw in there is a real winner. This particular recipe known as Mexican Barbacoa is a real winner, and is something that is only typically served in our our Mexican restaurants on the weekend. This homey doesn’t have time for that, plus I typically stay away from local tacquerias on the weekend.
Mexican Barbacoa Recipe
For one, we are big fans of shredded meat, especially when it comes to tacos, and this one is no exception. You are going to love the texture, flavor, and simplicity of this Mexican barbacoa.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
4 lbs beef chuck roast
3 tbsp canola oil
8 oz can of chipotle chilies in adobo
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced, or chopped (your call)
2 cups of beef stock
2 tbsp cumin powder
2 tbsp ground Mexican oregano, crumbled
1 1/2 tsp salt, to taste
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 limes, juiced
flour or corn tortillas, warmed
black beans, cooked, optional
fresh jalapenos, thinly sliced, optional
Start by adding the 2 tablespoons of oil to a large dutch oven or large skillet. Bring this to a medium heat. The goal is to add the beef in batches to get a nice sear on all sides before placing it into your slow cooker.
Once browned, add each piece to the slow cooker, and repeat with any remaining beef. Once the beef is added, rinse out the skillet or dutch oven, return back to the stove, let the water evaporate, then add in the additional oil bringing it back to a medium heat.
Add in the onion, garlic, and chipotle chilies in adobo sauce. Add in the beef stock, and let this come to a quick boil. Add in the cumin powder, oregano, salt, pepper, and lime juice, and give a good stir Add the mixture to slow cooker, and add to your high setting. Cook this for about 6 hours.
Mexican Barbacoa Ingredients
After 6 hours, check on the beef and make sure it is fall apart tender. If not, continue to cook until it is and shred all of the beef, making sure everything gets nicely incorporated. Cover and let this cook for about 20 minutes longer to all of that shredded beef and soak up all of that delicious stock.
During this time, cook your beans, and warm up your tortillas. Slice up any additional things such as limes, jalapenos, or onions.
Mexican Barbacoa Recipe
Now it’s ready to serve. I like getting a bit rustic, laying out some barbacoa, beans, chilies, and have things on standby like fresh cilantro, and salsa.
Layer your tacos to your desire and dig in like it’s no one’s business. Forget about waiting for the weekend for this Mexican barbacoa. Go for Tuesday, because who doesn’t love a Tuesday, right?
I know that recently Cinco de Mayo excites the gringos, but I could go for what everyone gets excited about that day, everyday. See, I may be like you and could seriously eat tacos, Tex Mex, or anything in between those (enchiladas, burritos, taquitos) on a regular basis. I’m not going to be shy about it. But in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, I decided to whip up some really easy, and excellent tacos. Tacos I knew my wife and kids have never had, and ones I have been wanting to make for years. Welcome tacos de papa, or Mexican Potato Tacos.
These are just way too easy to make and the result, however basic they may be, are so super satisfying that they have you thinking about leftovers for breakfast, or a gentle reheat in the oven for next day’s lunch.
Let’s get started.
3 whole russet potatoes, cleaned, skins peeled and removed
1 tsp salt, more to taste
2 cloves of garlic, lightly smashed
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tsp cracked black pepper, to taste
1/2 tbsp ground cumin, to taste
1 package sturdy corn tortillas
1 cup of canola oil
crumbled queso fresco, optional
2 whole serrano or jalapeno chili pepper, thinly sliced, optional
The focus here is really on the tacos. The fixings are up to you. I loaded my plate up Tex Mex style with all of the fixings because, hey that’s how I like to roll on my Mexican platter. The only thing it was missing was a great chile toreado!
Start by quartering your cleaned potatoes. You can go smaller if you want. I had some time on my hand so quartered worked fine by me. Add these to a pot of cold water, along with the garlic, one roughly chopped serrano chile, and add the teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until fork tender, about 40 minutes.
Once the potatoes are tender, drain, return them back to the pot on medium heat an and cook to remove any excess water.
Once the water is evaporated, you have a couple of options. My first option is to always use a potato ricer for my potatoes. If you don’t have one, use your favorite masher, heck even a couple of forks. You want the potatoes smooth, but if you like some texture, then heck by all means get some texture into those suckers. If you want to remove the garlic and chilies, then go for it. Me? I mash them into the potatoes. Once mashed, add some salt, cumin, pepper, butter, and milk. Give a good stir, taste, and adjust any salt or cumin if needed. Set aside to cool.
How to make Mexican Potato Tacos
When you are ready to get these things going, heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add in the canola oil, and let it come to temperature for a couple of minutes.
Lightly heat up your corn tortillas in the microwave, or in a separate pan. The goal is to make them flexible for folding. Corn tortillas out of the bag are no bueno.
Once the oil is heated, and you have some workable corn tortillas, take a nice spoonful of the potato mixture and slather it into the tortilla. Fold the tortilla over, using the potato as the glue to pinch around the edges, and gently lay into the skillet. Repeat with a couple of more tacos. I think I fit about 3 tacos per cook.
Cook the tacos for a few minutes, then gently flip over to crisp the other side. Question? Can I spray these with cooking spray and place into a 375 degree oven, turning once and going that route? Yes, but I think the texture is slightly different. If you want to go that route, go for it. You can probably fit more on a baking sheet!
Mexican Potato Tacos (Tacos de Papa) Recipe
Once the tacos are cooked, remove and place on a paper lined sheet to let any excess oil drain. Now you have choices. You can carefully open these up and stuff them with things such as cheese, salsa, beans, or whatever you like, or you can roll like I did.
Add the Mexican potato tacos to a serving plate, lining them up nicely, and ladle on some warm salsa verde, shower with cheese, and lay around your fixings. I like mine spicy so I showered mine with more chilies.
Sure, I made the kids a batch of chili lime slow cooked chicken tacos as well (only thinking what I could use for leftovers the following days), but these Mexican potato tacos were it! I laid them on the table, not discussing much about them only that they were potato tacos (you should have seen their looks), and those were the only tacos I had on my plate.
I think that curiosity drove my wife, daughter, and one of my boys interest, and as soon as they took a bite they were totally sold!
Guess who had leftovers the following morning? Well, me of course (take one, lightly crisp it up in the oven while you make an over easy egg and place that on top (thank me later)), as well as my wife who I think took down another two for lunch.
Easy. Super delicious. Something that should be on every Mexican menu but I have yet to see nor order. Just saying. If you are looking for an awesome taco idea, give this one a shot. Hope you enjoy!
I’m a real sucker for sauces, salsas, and dips. I can’t say that everyone else in my family is the same that way. So as I typically do, I scavenge through my refrigerator looking for things that can be used up, or things that I can come up with in terms of new ideas. I remember this clearly. It was taco Tuesday night at my house. Who can forget taco Tuesday’s right? This is when I found some cilantro and some sour cream that needed to be used before it went bad. Are you like me when it comes to sour cream? You use a tablespoon or so, then it sits there only for you to keep looking at the expiration date? Well, no more!
Garlic Cilantro Lime Dip Recipe
This recipe is way too simple to put together and lasts a handful of days in the refrigerator. It’s great on tacos, baked potatoes, and drizzled probably on anything that sour cream would lend a hand to.
Let’s get started.
1 cup of sour cream
1/2 bunch cilantro, washed and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 whole lime, juiced
salt to taste
That’s it! What is not to love about that!
Add the cilantro, garlic, and lime juice to a food processor. Pulse and spin that baby until everything is nice and fine.
Garlic and Cilantro Lime Dip Ingredients
Add the sour cream to a bowl and fold in the garlic, cilantro, and lime mixture. Give it a good stir until everything is nice and smooth. Give a taste, and season with salt.
If you have never had Korean bulgogi, essentially super tender and delicious pieces of thinly sliced beef or pork, marinated and grilled, well, then you have got something to look forward to. Korean bulgogi, in a sense, reminds of of Filipino barbecue (another favorite in this house), and something that is not only easy to make, but something that everyone loves.
You can use Korean bulgogi served over rice, on tacos, quesadillas, and in my case lettuce wraps.
Korean Bulgogi Lettuce Wraps
Let’s get started.
Ingredients for the marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 whole onion, finely minced or grated
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium sized gala apple, skin removed, roughly chopped
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp cracked black pepper
2 whole stalks of green onions, ends trimmed, roughly chopped
1 tbsp mirin
1 1/2 tbsp dark sesame oil
2 lbs beef sirloin, thinly sliced on the bias
2 tbsp sesame seeds
Ingredients for the Lettuce Wraps:
1 head of bib lettuce
1 bag of coleslaw
2 tbsp mayonnaise
Cucumber, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper thinly sliced and sauteed (optional)
1/2 onion, thinly sliced and sauteed (optional)
Start by blending the following:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 whole onion, finely minced or grated
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium sized gala apple, skin removed, roughly chopped
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp cracked black pepper
1 tbsp mirin
1 1/2 tbsp dark sesame oil
Take this mixture, and marinate the beef into a mixing bowl, and mix well. Next add in the green onions, sesame seeds, and mix well. Marinate this mixture for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
Korean Bulgogi Ingredients
The following day, remove the beef marinade, and let it come to a bit of room temperature, just something to knock the chill off.
I like to grill my Korean bulgogi, but all means you can do this on large skillet. I just like the additional flavor from the grill.
Get your grill going. Once the grill is nice and hot, add the beef slices and cook until about medium. These will go quickly. As you can see I had my oldest manning the grill. Place the cooked slices of beef in a bowl, and repeat until all of the beef is cooked.
Korean Bulgogi Ingredients
Form your lettuce wraps by taking a piece of lettuce, add in a piece or two of beef, tuck in some cucumbers, slaw, onions and peppers, and dig in. You want to talk about beef that is loaded with flavor and is perfect for summertime grilling, well this is the one. Hope you enjoy!
I remember years ago when my coworkers and I went to our local taqueria and one of my colleagues ordered beef tongue tacos. I didn’t flinch at all as I was used to plenty of my friends eating ‘weird’ things in my life. I always had an interest in beef tongue, and on a recent visit to my favorite taqueria, I decided to get a beef tongue taco, or taco de lengua, and base my own recipe off what my experience was with theirs. To say the least, the beef tongue taco was amazing, not only in how ‘beefy’ it tasted, but also in texture. I swear, if I served you own, you would most likely think it was some type of beef. That’s when I decided to take things in my own hands, and head back to the meat department and order a tongue.
I did not tell anyone the following day (well I told my daughter as she was baking a cake) what I was making as I wanted to surprise them when I was going to serve the tongue tacos the following day. Were they surprised? Yes.
Mexican Beef Tongue Tacos Recipe
Making the beef tongue takes a few hours to make, but it is totally worth it, plus you are left with some awesome beef stock when you are done.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
1 beef tongue
4 jalapeno peppers
2 tbsp whole black pepper
1 tbsp salt
4 bay leaves
6 dried chili piquin
2 whole onions, quartered
1 head of garlic, cut in half
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 bunch of cilantro stems (use the ends of the fresh cilantro)
flour or corn tortillas, warmed
1 small onion, minced
fresh cilantro, chopped
limes, quartered
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (optional)
1 tbsp canola oil
Start by taking the tongue and adding it to a large saucepan. Add water and make sure it covers the tongue by a couple of inches. Place this on medium heat, and boil for about 2 hours.
After 2 hours, remove the tongue and place onto a cutting board. Pour the water out and wash out the saucepan.
Return the tongue back to the pot, cover with water again, then add in your aromatics. Add the jalapenos, black pepper, salt, bay leaves, piquin, quartered onions, garlic, and cilantro stems. Bring this to a simmer, and cook for 4 hours.
After 4 hours, remove the tongue, and strain the stock. Discard the stock solids, but reserve the stock (it’s really great).
Next, take the tongue and rinse under cold water. Now it’s time to peel the outer layer as that is not desired. If you cannot easily peel it, use a pairing knife and trim all of it away, exposing the cooked beef tongue.
Mexican Beef Tongue Tacos Recipe
Discard the outer layer, then cut your beef tongue into strips, then into bite-sized chunks. Season with a pinch or two of salt. Mix, and get ready to sear it up for your tacos.
Heat a large skillet on medium heat, then add a tablespoon of oil. Once heated, add in some of the beef tongue, and cook until it gets a slight sear on them. Once seared, add a spoonful or two of the reserved stock. Heat through until the stock reduces, then remove from the heat.
Take a flour tortilla, load it with some of the beef tongue, and top with cilantro and onion. Squeeze some lime, and dig in.
Mexican Beef Tongue Tacos Recipe
It is everything I love about a simple taco. A slightly charred flour tortilla with a bite from the jalapeno and onion, along with the tartness from the lime. I’m in. Now with the nicely charred tongue, and now I have a new favorite taco.
Short of the story… DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY NEW THINGS! The new things can be down right amazing.
1 bunch of cilantro stems (use the ends of the fresh cilantro)
flour or corn tortillas, warmed
1 small onion, minced
fresh cilantro, chopped
limes, quartered
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (optional)
1 tbsp canola oil
Instructions
Start by taking the tongue and adding it to a large saucepan. Add water and make sure it covers the tongue by a couple of inches. Place this on medium heat, and boil for about 2 hours.
After 2 hours, remove the tongue and place onto a cutting board. Pour the water out and wash out the saucepan.
Return the tongue back to the pot, cover with water again, then add in your aromatics. Add the jalapenos, black pepper, salt, bay leaves, piquin, quartered onions, garlic, and cilantro stems. Bring this to a simmer, and cook for 4 hours.
After 4 hours, remove the tongue, and strain the stock. Discard the stock solids, but reserve the stock (it’s really great).
Next, take the tongue and rinse under cold water. Now it’s time to peel the outer layer as that is not desired. If you cannot easily peel it, use a pairing knife and trim all of it away, exposing the cooked beef tongue.
Discard the outer layer, then cut your beef tongue into strips, then into bite-sized chunks. Season with a pinch or two of salt. Mix, and get ready to sear it up for your tacos.
Heat a large skillet on medium heat, then add a tablespoon of oil. Once heated, add in some of the beef tongue, and cook until it gets a slight sear on them. Once seared, add a spoonful or two of the reserved stock. Heat through until the stock reduces, then remove from the heat.
Take a flour tortilla, load it with some of the beef tongue, and top with cilantro and onion. Squeeze some lime, and dig in.
You know when you have that craving for tacos, or better yet fajitas? Yeah, I know, I pretty much have that craving all of the time! This dish, known as alambre, is a popular Mexican dish that should be on everyone’s menu, but is not. This Mexican alambre is a mix of beef, bacon, peppers, and cheese, topped with avocados and limes, only to be folded into nicely grilled flour tortillas. This feeds an army and is packed full of awesome flavors and textures, that I’m positive will have you making this more than once.
Mexican Alambre Recipe
Alambre, in Spanish, literally translates to ‘wire’ and I suspect that it could be due to the fact that meats and vegetables were skewered and grilled before getting chopped up and folded into tacos. Regardless, I simply throw things on the grill to get a nice char before slicing and serving.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
6 slices of bacon, cut into 1 inch slices
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 whole white onion
4 jalapeno peppers
2 whole roma tomatoes, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
2 lbs bottom round beef, thinly sliced
2 morita chili pods, stems and seeds removed
2 puya chili pods, stems and seeds removed
4 cloves garlic
2 cups of water
flour tortillas, warmed
avocados, slided
2 cups of Oaxaca cheese
Salt, to taste
sour cream, optional
sliced limes, optional
Start by marinating your beef. I like to do this overnight, but 4 or more hours should be sufficient.
To a small sauce pan, add the water, the garlic, and the 4 chili pods. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook for about 20 minutes or until the pods are softened. Let the mixture cool. Take the pods, garlic, and about a cup of the water and blend until you have a fine puree. Pour this mixture into a sealable bag, throw in a generous pinch or two of salt, and add in the beef, seal, and give the beef a nice massage to ensure the marinade penetrates the beef. Place in the refrigerator until you are ready to grill.
Mexican Alambre
When you are ready to start making this, you have a couple of options. First is to grill the vegetables and beef (which is what I prefer), or you can cook everything in one big wok or skillet. (Hint: chose the grill)
Heat up your grill. I like to use a combination of charcoal and cherry wood as the smokiness really gets into the great flavor of the beef.
While the grill heats up, add the bacon to a large skillet, and cook on low heat, adding about 1/4 cup of water during the cooking process. You don’t want the bacon to be fully crisp as you normally might eat for breakfast, but somewhere between soft and crisp. Continue cooking the bacon on low heat, reserving some of the fat.
Next, add the whole bell peppers, onion, and jalapeno peppers to the grill, cooking over the coals. Your goal here is to get a nice char, while not fully cooking the peppers. Once you get a bit of the char, remove them from the grill, and take them inside to slice. Remove any of the seeds from the jalapenos if you don’t want this to be spicy.
Once you slice the peppers, and onion, add them to the cooked bacon, along with the sliced tomatoes and cilantro. Give this a good stir, and season with a pinch or two of salt.
Return back to the grill, and cook your beef until it is about medium. Don’t overcook your beef!
Take the beef inside, and slice into 1 inch strips, then add the beef to the bacon mixture, giving a good stir.
Top the mixture with the Oaxaca cheese, then cover, and remove from the heat. You want the cheese to melt into the mixture.
Mexican Alambre Recipe
Now you are ready to serve. Uncover, and place the skillet onto some heat resistant pads on the table. Top with fresh limes and sliced avocados, along with a plate of warmed flour tortillas.
Take your tortilla, take some of the alambre, and fold it into the tortilla. Give a squeeze of fresh lime juice, lay on some avocado, and some sour cream if you prefer, and dig in.
This was a great meal to serve at the table. The kids loved the interactivity (and the rocking flavors), and it was a great conversation piece. My oldest, who typically does not like melted cheese (especially on tacos), nor peppers, was spooning this into about 4 tacos. I think he loved this Mexican alambre, and I’m certain you will to! Enjoy.
Start by marinating your beef. I like to do this overnight, but 4 or more hours should be sufficient.
To a small sauce pan, add the water, the garlic, and the 4 chili pods. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook for about 20 minutes or until the pods are softened. Let the mixture cool. Take the pods, garlic, and about a cup of the water and blend until you have a fine puree. Pour this mixture into a sealable bag, throw in a generous pinch or two of salt, and add in the beef, seal, and give the beef a nice massage to ensure the marinade penetrates the beef. Place in the refrigerator until you are ready to grill.
When you are ready to start making this, you have a couple of options. First is to grill the vegetables and beef (which is what I prefer), or you can cook everything in one big wok or skillet. (Hint: chose the grill)
Heat up your grill. I like to use a combination of charcoal and cherry wood as the smokiness really gets into the great flavor of the beef.
While the grill heats up, add the bacon to a large skillet, and cook on low heat, adding about ¼ cup of water during the cooking process. You don’t want the bacon to be fully crisp as you normally might eat for breakfast, but somewhere between soft and crisp. Continue cooking the bacon on low heat, reserving some of the fat.
Next, add the whole bell peppers, onion, and jalapeno peppers to the grill, cooking over the coals. Your goal here is to get a nice char, while not fully cooking the peppers. Once you get a bit of the char, remove them from the grill, and take them inside to slice. Remove any of the seeds from the jalapenos if you don’t want this to be spicy.
Once you slice the peppers, and onion, add them to the cooked bacon, along with the sliced tomatoes and cilantro. Give this a good stir, and season with a pinch or two of salt.
Return back to the grill, and cook your beef until it is about medium. Don’t overcook your beef!
Take the beef inside, and slice into 1 inch strips, then add the beef to the bacon mixture, giving a good stir.
Top the mixture with the Oaxaca cheese, then cover, and remove from the heat. You want the cheese to melt into the mixture.
Now you are ready to serve. Uncover, and place the skillet onto some heat resistant pads on the table. Top with fresh limes and sliced avocados, along with a plate of warmed flour tortillas.
Take your tortilla, take some of the alambre, and fold it into the tortilla. Give a squeeze of fresh lime juice, lay on some avocado, and some sour cream if you prefer, and dig in.
Do you dream of tacos? I know I do, and when you have a really great taco, it’s hard not to dream of them. One of my favorites in this city, and I know everyone has their own, is at El Rey Supermercado. I love their tacos al pastor, or carne asado, loaded up on corn tortillas drizzled with their salsa verde. This recipe inspired me, not only due to my love of tacos, but of fried rice as well. I wanted to create a fried rice that was inspired by taco ingredients, and this one hit the mark.
Taco Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground chuck, cooked and drained of any fat
1 whole poblano pepper, roasted, skin and seeds removed, chopped
1 whole small onion, diced
12 oz can of black beans, rinsed
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tbsp garlic chili salt
salt, to taste
1/2 cup water
4 cups of cooked jasmine rice, cold and preferably 1 day old
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 whole egg, beaten
Crushed up tortilla chips
Shredded cheddar cheese
canned black sliced olives, optional
Your favorite hot sauce, optional
Fresh cilantro, chopped, optional
Make the rice ahead of time, and make sure it is cold. Preferably leftover rice, as I think it works better for fried rice.
Make your meat mixture. To a large skillet, cook your ground chuck, then place a lid over it and drain off any excess fat. Place back on the burner on medium heat, then toss in the onion, peppers, black beans, and seasonings. Give this a good stir, cooking the seasonings, then reduce the heat to low. Add in the water, cover, and keep on very low heat to make the ground chuck and beans nice and tender. Cook until the water has evaporated, then remove from the heat. Place the meat mixture into a bowl, and then wipe out the skillet.
Taco Fried Rice Ingredients
Now onto the fried rice. Return the large skillet back to the stove, and heat to a medium heat.
Add in the butter, and let it come to a bubble, swirling it along the way.
Add in the cold rice, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Once it starts to warm up, start flattening it down, building a nice light golden crust on the rice. Once that crust begins to form, add in the beaten egg, stir, and then add in the meat mixture, and stir, flattening it along the way, getting a nice crust in the process. Cook for about 7 minutes or so, then get ready to serve.
Add the taco fried rice to a bowl. Crush some taco chips on the top for more texture, then top with shredded cheddar cheese, black olives, fresh cilantro, and dashes of your favorite hot sauce, or salsa. If you want add a small dollop of sour cream, or heck, any of your other favorite taco toppings.
Taco Fried Rice Recipe
After serving this, my wife and daughter really fell in love with it. It’s everything you may expect in a classic taco, but mashed into everything you love about a fried rice. Even my oldest, who may sometimes be my pickiest of eaters, stuffed this mixture into a warm tortilla and made a burrito out of it! What’s not to love about that! Hope you enjoy!
1 whole poblano pepper, roasted, skin and seeds removed, chopped
1 whole small onion, diced
12 oz can of black beans, rinsed
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder
½ tbsp garlic chili salt
salt, to taste
½ cup water
4 cups of cooked jasmine rice, cold and preferably 1 day old
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 whole egg, beaten
Crushed up tortilla chips
Shredded cheddar cheese
canned black sliced olives, optional
Your favorite hot sauce, optional
Fresh cilantro, chopped, optional
Instructions
Make the rice ahead of time, and make sure it is cold. Preferably leftover rice, as I think it works better for fried rice.
Make your meat mixture. To a large skillet, cook your ground chuck, then place a lid over it and drain off any excess fat. Place back on the burner on medium heat, then toss in the onion, peppers, black beans, and seasonings. Give this a good stir, cooking the seasonings, then reduce the heat to low. Add in the water, cover, and keep on very low heat to make the ground chuck and beans nice and tender. Cook until the water has evaporated, then remove from the heat. Place the meat mixture into a bowl, and then wipe out the skillet.
Now onto the fried rice. Return the large skillet back to the stove, and heat to a medium heat.
Add in the butter, and let it come to a bubble, swirling it along the way.
Add in the cold rice, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Once it starts to warm up, start flattening it down, building a nice light golden crust on the rice. Once that crust begins to form, add in the beaten egg, stir, and then add in the meat mixture, and stir, flattening it along the way, getting a nice crust in the process. Cook for about 7 minutes or so, then get ready to serve.
Add the taco fried rice to a bowl. Crush some taco chips on the top for more texture, then top with shredded cheddar cheese, black olives, fresh cilantro, and dashes of your favorite hot sauce, or salsa. If you want add a small dollop of sour cream, or heck, any of your other favorite taco toppings.
