tacos

[aryanhwy]

Our Christmas present from thebronwen and Ben was a trip to Penzeys Spices and a cart-blanche to pick out a selection we liked, under the condition that I report here on what we made with them. :) We tried out one of the mixtures we brought home for the first time on Wednesday, so here's my somewhat belated write-up.

I've never really been a big fan of tacos, and haven't had them in probably more than 10 years. But the taco seasoning that Penzey's had smelled so good, and Wednesday night I had a hankering for tacos. Given that I haven't had tacos in 10 years, it follows that I've never actually cooked them myself, but luckily there were instructions on the back, and it's not really that hard. So:

Tacos
1/2 kilo lean ground beef
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 yellow pepper, roughly chopped
1 red onion, roughly chopped,
4 T taco seasoning
1/2 c water

Brown the ground beef in a skillet until about 3/4 browned; drain if necessary (it wasn't for me). Add the tomatoes, onions, and peppers, continue cooking until beef is wholly browned. Add the taco seasoning and water, and cook for about 5 min. Serve with hard shelled tacos, greens of some kind (we used the generic mixed bag of salad greens from the grocery store), cheese, sour cream, sliced olives, etc.

I liked putting the onions, peppers, and tomatoes directly into the meat rather than keeping them separate as toppings, since then they added their flavor to the meat.

Comments

[jpgsawyer.livejournal.com]

Sliced Olives? Never had those on a taco but I guess it makes sense.

I can't remember the last time I had Taco's either. I think it was when I was back in Australia last time. I have a dim memory that they didn't have the spice mix and I had to make one up for them... I'd be curious if you knew what was in yours?

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

Sliced black olives and iceberg lettuce were the only things I'd put on my tacos growing up (not liking onions, tomatos, sour cream or cheese).

The mix that we used contains: paprika, salt, onions, lactose, dextrose, corn flour (corn, lime), tomato powder, cumin, garlic, oregano, tellicherry black pepper, cocoa powder, allspice.

[silme.livejournal.com]

I put sliced black olives in my burritos. :)

Although I spent 21 years in Colorado, I actually become a far better Mexican chef since moving to England as I have to cook so much from scratch. The black beans soak overnight, I often make my own salsa (especially in the summer when I can harvest my own tomatillos and chilis from the garden) etc. I like to use chipotles a lot and am a fan of the Cool Chile Company, one of the few places in the UK with decent Mexican foods and supplies. (They carry epazote! :) http://www.coolchile.co.uk

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

We've been unable to find a source of Mexican black beans here in Amsterdam, so that's one thing we bring back with us regularly (dried). Same for chipotles in adobo -- but it's good to know there's a source for them in the UK, since I get there more often than the US!

[silme.livejournal.com]

You can get dried black beans at most Tesco and Waitrose supermarkets here, so the next time you're over, do stock up. :) Sainsbury's used to carry them, but they seem to have stopped. I regularly get them at Tesco or Waitrose here in Lymington. Some health food stores stock them as well (there's a health food stall at the Lymington Saturday market that carries them), and I've also found them at some of the halal markets. I haven't been to the US in almost four years, so I've been pleased to locate Mexican cookery supplies over this way.

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

We've been able to get an assortment of other types of black beans from the various Turkish markets in our neighborhood; I haven't thought to look at the natural foods store (mostly because they're so expensive that we only buy there what we can't get elsewhere -- like whole wheat flour).

[silme.livejournal.com]

Oh, btw, Whole Foods in London does carry tinned refried black beans, but Whole Foods in London is even more expensive than I remember the chain being in the US. :)

Andrea's Taco recipe

[(Anonymous)]

Here is a recipe I love from Sara's sister, Andrea.
1 - 1 1/2 pounds ground meat
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 Tablespoons flour
1 Cup water.

Brown the meat and spices. Add flour and water to thicken. I often go easy on the spices, as we don't like it too spicey. I like chopped tomatoes, black olives, cheddar cheese and onions on top. Sour cream is good, too, but I never have any in the house.

[thebronwen.livejournal.com]

So did you *like* the tacos? We're dying to know! :D

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

The taco seasoning was really yummy, and it exactly filled a craving I hadn't had in years that I know I couldn't have filled otherwise. (Kind of like the one time about two years ago when suddenly I really wanted Kraft Maccaroni & Cheese. My mom mailed me two boxes, I ate them, and now I'm good for another 10-15 years. :))