Sunday, September 13, 2015

Yes, I'm a taco virgin...



Ridiculous as this might be, considering I was a chef for a long time in Manhattan, then had my own restaurant in Peru, and have fed my family daily--with help from my wife/ex-wife Chepa--since 1994, I don't think I've ever made or eaten a taco. So somehow I woke up with the idea of making tacos today. I'm not gonna look up recipes, I'm just gonna do it based on what I've seen in ads and how Mexican meat is frequently seasoned.
I bought some crunchy shells, number one.
I just par seared about 1 1/2 pounds of good quality chuck meat. It's draining. I'm about to dice a fat red onion and maybe five organic scallions, a nice red Bell pepper, and three or four good organic Roma tomatoes, also diced. I'm gonna put a couple of good tablespoons of my fresh garlic in olive oil in the pan in which the meat was seared, then add the onion and scallions and pepper till everything is see-through. Then I'll toss in the tomatoes. Then I'll toss in the meat. When it gets hot I'm planning on putting in some pink sea salt, cracked black pepper, a little chile powder, some good cumin, a couple of ounces of white vinegar, a spoon of red pepper flakes, and, if need be, a couple of spoons of Peruvian tomato paste.
When it simmers and the flavors marry, I'll check it. When it's good, I'll probably put in a couple of slices of really good, sharp cheddar, and when that's disappeared into the pan, I'll top with a head of minced fresh cilantro.
I'll put that into the Taco shells I bought, top with shredded romaine and raddicchio, a slice of avocado, minced cheddar cheese and a smash of some Taco sauce I bought.
I hope that's something like a taco. I could probably check the internet but I don't want to be disappointed and have to change my plan if I'm wrong.
Sixty-four and having my first--I think--taco. I hope it won't kill me.

PS: Turned out pretty good. 

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