Re: Mas taco/burrito help -- Taco Recipe

[Guest guest]

I didn't get a chance to see any other recipes. I hope this one isn't

redundant....

I've been working on this taco recipe for awhile...

Brown 1 3-4 pound chuck roast in a heavy pot (I use a cast-iron enameled

one).

Add 2 cans of RO*TEL diced tomatoes and green chilies.

Put a lid on the pot and put it in the oven at 325 and bake for 3 hours.

Periodically check to make sure the liquid hasn't boiled away. Add water if

needed.

At the end of three hours remove the pot from the oven. The meat should be

fall-apart tender. If it isn't, put it back in the oven for another hour.

Shred the roast using two forks and pull the meat apart. If there is a lot

of liquid left put the pot on the burner and gently simmer the excess liquid

away. The meat shouldn't be too dry or wet.

Fry corn tortillas in 1 " of oil (I use a combo of peanut and coconut)heated

to 350 degrees. Fry both sides for 5-10 seconds. The tortilla should be

soft. Drain on paper towels. Sometimes we dip the tortilla in Parmesan

cheese after frying -yum!

Serve with diced tomatoes, diced onions, shredded cheddar cheese and

shredded iceberg lettuce. Add cilantro if you like and salsa.

Beer is a must.

I usually make a huge pot of the meat because my family likes it on

tostadas and in enchiladas too.

Jean

***Possible Spam*** Mas taco/burrito help

Thanks for the suggestions Heidi and Elaine.

Maybe I need to ask a more basic question - like what do you all use

for shells, tortillas, toppings etc. I've got penzy's Mexican spice,

and I have salsa that we use most of the year when fresh tomatoes are

not in season.

I tried burritos by mixing spiced ground beef with tomato sauce and

beans and made this weird glop that didn't seem to have balanced

flavors. And I didn't like the texture. My husband liked it, but

he'll eat anything and I want something I like, too, and I can serve

to guests. I decided maybe I used too many wet ingredients.

I decided to try soft tacos and made ground beef, lettuce, onions,

sour cream, and salsa. It was kinda plain and again stuff didn't

really jibe well.

Then I tried " hard " tacos with the fried corn tortillas. They were

just as hard to eat as I remembered them being when I was a kid. I

even had grease running down my chin. They were better and

nostalgic.

Maybe shredded beef, pork, or chicken is the way to go? Maybe I'm

putting too many different things in - maybe just something simple

like meat, cheese, and salsa. Anyway, it always leaves me wanting to

go out for fast food tex-mex. Maybe I'm just expecting too much

from homemade tacos without chemicals. Thanks, Betsy

[Guest guest]

> Fry corn tortillas in 1 " of oil (I use a combo of peanut and

coconut)heated

> to 350 degrees. Fry both sides for 5-10 seconds. The tortilla

should be

> soft. Drain on paper towels.

My mother is Mexican American and this type of taco shell is total

comfort food for me! I find I don't have to take any temperature of

the oil though, just put 1 " depth in a heavy pan (I like cast iron),

heat on high heat (this later gets adjusted to a slightly lower

heat, if it smokes it's too hot!) and cook away. We drain the oil

on paper bags, sometimes for 15-25 minutes.

These days I am so short on time I don't even make a sauce for

meats. I might saute or barbecue meat, chicken, pork, beef, shrimp,

fish, (or use leftover meat from a roast chicken or what not) and

put bite sized pieces of meat in the bottom of the taco. We cover

this with salsa, then whatever condiments we are having that day,

often diverging sharply from what I grew up eating!

We have been known to use various salsas, shredded jicama, Mexican

hard cheese (I like Cotija Queso Seco), avocados, tomatoes, lettuce,

a sauteed blend of onion & red & yellow bell peppers (yum, my

favorite!), tomatillos, and lately even sauerkraut and even kefiili!

Cheers, Leann

[Guest guest]

>My mother is Mexican American and this type of taco shell is total

>comfort food for me! I find I don't have to take any temperature of

>the oil though, just put 1 " depth in a heavy pan (I like cast iron),

>heat on high heat (this later gets adjusted to a slightly lower

>heat, if it smokes it's too hot!) and cook away. We drain the oil

>on paper bags, sometimes for 15-25 minutes.

It's always amazed me when I've seen Mexican Americans

cooking ... it's all homemade, and all so FAST. My Mom learned

it because we lived in So. Calf. I lived on fried tacos

all the way through college and when I was single. I just

kept the lettuce, onions, and cheese in containers in

the fridge, and some meat, and made tacos as needed. Or

froze them and heated them in the toaster oven.

I didn't learn about salsa til later, but really, you make it once

a week and just keep it handy.

-- Heidi Jean