Mexican Tacos with Roasted Tomato Salsa

Dora Jennings came to teach another Mexican cuisine class at the store. The class was sold out for a month prior to its start! People in my neck of the woods, southern Oklahoma, love Mexican food--or what they perceive is Mexican food. This is not Tex-Mex, folks; this is the real deal. The people in the class liked the real thing better! Dora grew up in a border town and this is the food she knows how to make and likes to make. This food is so simple to prepare and good to eat. There is little technique involved, so you have few excuses not to try it.

Making the Roasted Mexican Salsa and Guacamole

3 fresh jalapeno peppers
9-11 fresh Roma tomatoes
2 T. Knorr Powdered Chicken Bullion

Char the tomatoes and peppers on a scorching-hot cast iron griddle or pan until the skins are black and they are softened. Once black and soft throw into a blender along with the 2 T. of bullion. Blend until you get the consistency you want. For a chunkier salsa only pulse the blender.

Note: Dora says that a 2:1 ratio of tomatoes to peppers yeilds a medium-hot salsa. I used three peppers and 11 tomatoes and mine almost blew my head off! I suggest you use 1 whole jalapeno and cut the other two in half. Scoop out the seeds and the white rib that holds the seeds. Blacken the halves on the skin side only. If you like it hot leave them whole. Serve with corn tortilla chips or use as a condiment. If you want to play a joke on someone double the jalapenos or throw in a habanero pepper!

Guacamole- I almost forgot. All Dora does is dice the avocado and mix it with the salsa. Pretty easy, huh?

Making the corn tortillas:

Dora commented that in her family when a girl turned 13 years of age she was expected to make corn tortillas for the entire family. I commented that it must suck to turn 13 in her family! All kidding aside, making homemade corn tortillas is quite easy as long as you have the proper equipment. You will need a cast iron griddle or pan, a tortilla press and wax paper (In my opinion, the best thing to use the plastic from a bread bag (you know, a Wonder bread bag) instead of wax paper. Cut circles out of the bag that match the diameter of your tortilla press.)

Corn tortillas (makes about 25 tortillas)
2 C. Maseca (Masa Instantanea de Maiz)
3 T. flour
2 C. lukewarm water
cooking spray or cooking oil like peanut oil
pinch of salt

Heat the pan or griddle on high heat. Mix the Maseca, salt and flour. Add the water and mix well with your hands. You are looking for the consistency of Play-Dough. Roll the dough into small balls no larger than 1 oz. or the size of golf balls. When the griddle is very hot apply cooking oil to a paper towel and wipe the cooking surface of the pan or griddle--be careful! Press a masa ball to form a tortilla and cook. Keep pressing balls until all are cooked.

Tacos De Picadillo

1/2 large onion (diced) 1 lb of lean ground beef
2 medium Russet potatoes diced into a 1/4" cubes
1 T ground cumin
salt
pepper

Add the ground beef, onion, cumin, salt and pepper to a saute pan or another pan that has a lid. Brown the ground beef and onion. Make sure as you are browning to chop the meat into small nuggets. Add the potatoes when meat is almost done, cover and coop until potatoes are cooked through.

Use whatever you like to top your tacos, but Dora suggests using finely sliced tomatoes, chopped green lettuce, oinions, avocados and mexican crema. Have these on a platter for topping.

Remember the tortillas you just made? Now we get to fry them! Heat peanut or canola oil in a pan. Add one tortilla at a time and fold them in half or use a deeper pan and use a taco press. Folding them in half will cause some to break, but don't worry. A taco press virtually eliminates breakage. Cook until the desired crispiness is achieved. I like mine soft. Set on paper towel or an oven rack to drain.

To assemble the tacos place 2 T. of the meat and potato mixture, then lettuce, tomatoes, onions. avocados, salsa and then the crema. (Mexican crema is not sour cream. It will be located in the refrigerated mexican section.) Un-freaking-believable how good these tacos are!