Tacos & Guac Just Like Mama's

[ratcheese]

I make the world's best tacos. Actually they are my Mother's recipe, which I grew up on. And they are the indisputable, undeniable, have people standing-in-line good. They are so unique and fabulous, I have often, often, thought of opening my own taco joint.

The reason I mention my Mother's tacos is because I'm considering giving you guys who are interested in Mexican Food, the recipe. I'm 54 now, and I don't think I'll ever open that Taco Joint and they are too good to keep a secret.

So, if any adventurous souls would like to make Mama's Tacos at home, from an old family recipe, let me know. I'll give it to you.

[Jesse]

So, if any adventurous souls would like to make Mama's Tacos at home, from an old family recipe, let me know. I'll give it to you.
I'm interested!

[ratcheese]

Ok Jesse, this is the first day off I've had in a while, so bear with me as I've had a few already!

These are Matamoras Style, or Northern Mexican w/ ground meat and fried tortillas

I will break this up into three stages/and I am not a measuring cook

The salad:
Diced onion
Diced tomato
Iceberg lettuce(do not substitute, you need the crispness)
White vinegar
Plain sugar
mix the vinegar and sugar dressing so it is not overly sweet/ just enough to off-set the vinegar
Make the salad first as it will keep

The meat:
Use the best hamburger meat, the lowest fat content
Brown and season with good Chile Powder (which is a deep red color--beware of McCormick and the likes, find the freshest possible) The predominant flavor is Chile, so go heavy on it, because the salad is going to be sweet and sour, which will off-set the spiciness.
Add a little Nutmeg and Cinnamon to taste.
You can also simmer with fresh Pomegranate Seed, Orange zest, and/or Pine Nuts/that's up to you and what you have available.

Shells: The best Corn Tortillas are white, not yellow, and thin. There is no such thing as crisp taco shells in real tacos--that is a fast food. Tortillas can be fried crisp for things like Tostadas or Chalupas, but Tacos should never be crisp--think of al-dente pasta and New Orleans style flash fried seafood--you flash fry at high temps to moisturize and texturize, but if you fry too long, or at too low temp, it will be greasy, so you want the oil at a very high temp so you can slide the tortilla into the oil and fold it, using two forks. Fry for maybe 15 seconds--just long enough that it will hold its shape. Let the tortilla lay flat, in the oil, for a few seconds before you try to fold it with the forks--then turn it on each side once. Turn upside down and let drain on paper towel and they will be greasless if you have it right. (the first one is almost always a throw-away.) This only takes one inch of oil in a frying pan, or less. No need to deep fry. They just need to hold their shape. Turn them with the forks until you have a taco shell.

Now you need to slice an avocado in thin slices for garnish and use some fresh cilantro if you want.

I did not mention salt, that is up to you, but never use black pepper in Mexican cooking. Rick Bayless is full of ****. Mexicans hate black pepper for the most part. Beware of any Mexican recipe that calls for black pepper.

This is the first time this recipe has been outside my family and I assure you Mom is STILL alive and kickin' and cookin' tacos for everyone in Texas!

I hope those instructions were clear and I hope you have fun and enjoy them as much as I have all my life. When I was young and laying in a foxhole on the other side of the world, these tacos are what I dreamed of.

[Admin]

When you say "chile powder", do you mean ground chile peppers only, or the stuff with cumin and salt, etc. mixed in? I'd like to copy this to the Recipes section for posterity.

[ratcheese]

When you say "chile powder", do you mean ground chile peppers only, or the stuff with cumin and salt, etc. mixed in? I'd like to copy this to the Recipes section for posterity.

Chile powder is pure ground chile; I believe it is actually Ancho Chile, but I wouldn't swear on it; it is easily found at most stores today. But, your question is well taken--Pure Chile Powder Only--no additives!

AND----your reference to Cumin reminds me that a little cumin never hurts in any Mexican dish--they use it like we use black pepper.

[Low-N-Slow]

A lot of people have chili powder-- the one with the cumin, garlic, salt and spices-- in the pantry, and they tend to grab it without thinking when the recipe calls for chile powder. If the recipe also calls for salt and cumin, too, the result can be downright nasty.

[Jesse]

Thanks ratcheese, I will give it a try within a couple weeks! I'm sure everyone will love it!

[JudiB]

Oh THANK YOU, ratcheese!!

This looks wonderful. You don't top with any cheese then? (my mouth is watering). I can't wait to try this.

[ratcheese]

Oh THANK YOU, ratcheese!!

This looks wonderful. You don't top with any cheese then? (my mouth is watering). I can't wait to try this.

Some of my family use cheese--my sister uses cheese, but she is a radiologist, so...

[Isabella Maja]

Also, I make the world's best tacos. Actually they are my Mother's recipe, which I grew up on. And they are the indisputable, undeniable, have people standing-in-line good. They are so unique and fabulous, I have often, often, thought of opening my own taco joint.

The reason I mention my Mother's tacos is because I'm considering giving you guys who are interested in Mexican Food, the recipe. I'm 54 now, and I don't think I'll ever open that Taco Joint and they are too good to keep a secret.

So, if any adventurous souls would like to make Mama's Tacos at home, from an old family recipe, let me know. I'll give it to you.

OMG! Thank you, thank you! I feel the love!

Now, I understand that you are not getting any younger, but 54 is young!

Ok, so you're not going to open the Taco Joint!
Did you ever think about just having a Taco Dinner?

Like some churches have a fish fry during lent?
Friday night Taco Dinner sounds like a great idea for after Lent!

Give it a thought, ok? ;) :tasty:

[ratcheese]

Thanks Isabella, I might do that if I can get off work long enough.

I came back to read what I wrote yesterday and I realized that writing a recipe for the first time is not that easy, especially after we had a couple of Saturday Bloody Mary's, ha.

So, let me clarify some things--

1) I was wrong to say there is no such thing as crisp tacos--there is--but not crumbling, cracking, shattering crisp like Taco Bell. Those are prefab taco shells made for convenience. Frying your own shells will take some practice, but it is not brain surgery and you will quickly get the hang of it so you can find the texture that is right for you. Remember, they are supposed to be greaseless, so if they are greasy after they've cooled for a minute, then you are frying at too low heat.

Try it this way--slide a tortilla into the oil flat, if the oil is hot enough, the tortilla will puff up. Turn the whole thing over quickly, then lay one fork in the middle, to hold the crease, and use the other fork to lift an edge-over the other fork and make the fold. Hold it maybe five seconds, then tilt it so the other half of the now folded taco shell is immersed in the oil, and hold it down in the oil for another five seconds. It doesn't take long at all if the oil is hot enough, and you will be able to feel the texture holding the shape.

Stand the shells upside down on a paper towel to drain and cool. Best if eaten immediately after cooling--one minute or so.

Don't be afraid to discard the first few practice tortillas.

2) Add some onion to the meat when browning, just not too much because you have onion in the salad.

3) Two tablespoons of meat per taco is about right, then fill with salad. The uniqueness of these tacos lies in the sweet and sour salad, contrasting with the spicy meat filling--so you have to find the correct balance between the two. Don't be afraid to make the meat filling spicy, because the salad will counter balance--that is the whole idea(l).

If any of you get into this Mexican cooking, I will give you some more recipes for the staples like refried beans, rice, and my world famous Guacamole. If you can learn to cook those staples, along with some homemade French Fries, then all you need to is to learn a few basic meat dishes and you have a whole new repertoire.

[kcdixiecat]

Bring on the guacamole recipe!!!

[Jesse]

Hell yeah!

[ratcheese]

Wow, this is enthusiasm is fun.

Let me start by saying that earlier in this thread, I sort of knocked Mexican culinary skills and I stand by that in general, but there are a few things they do that we can all benefit from and learning to make good Guacamole is one of them.

Nothing complements charcoaled steak like homemade fries and good Guacamole. It is great as a dip, or with many entrees as a side salad.

Ingredients (No substitutions-that's important):
Hass Avocados
Cerrano chilies
Cilantro
Tomato
White onion
Fresh lime
Cumin
Chile powder
Garlic powder
Your favorite hot sauce (I like Melinda's for this purpose)
Salt

As for portions I would begin with two avocados and one small/medium tomato, and maybe like one-quarter of a regular size onion.
1 cerrano, 1 lime, pinch of cumin, pinch of chile powder, pinch of garlic powder, salt to taste and maybe 4 drops of hot sauce (optional--guac is not supposed to be hot, I think a bit of good hot sauce gives it some depth, though).

1)Prepare all ingredients first: dice tomato and onion fine--Hold the cerrano by the stem and half length-wise, turn and cut length-wise again, scrape seeds out and discard, dice finely--cilantro, I like to leave fairly intact, chop a little but not too much--

2)Buy the biggest Avocado available even if they are hard--just wrap them in newspaper or put them down into your flour canister for a day or two and they will ripen.

On a big plate, mash the avocado with a fork and spread it out onto the plate. Do not over mash. Guacamole is a salad and people do all sorts of weird things to make it smooth when it is the texture of the avocado that should be preserved.

If you insist on smooth guacamole, you can blend them with a bit of mayo and you will have smooth, but that is not the way to good guacamole--you might as well buy some of that pre-packaged stuff.

After the avocado is spread on the plate, layer all ingredients on top to taste, squirt the juice of the lime and sprinkle the other things over it--then fold all ingredients together and you will have a nicely textured salad.

The avocado seeds will help keep the guacamole from browning (oxidizing) for a couple of hours if you put the guac in a bowl and bury the seeds in it before covering with plastic and refrigerating. The lime juice helps preserve, too.

Finding the cerranos can be a problem here, but there are enough Mexican stores now, maybe its not that hard. Jalapenos don't cut it and they must be fresh not pickled.

You should not be able to discern any of the spices individually, don't use that much, you want to taste avacado, tomato, cilantro, onion, and maybe a little lime.

Let me know how it comes out!

[edible complex]

Thanks Ratcheese!
now bring on the Bohemia's, pour some more!

[ratcheese]

Thanks Ratcheese!
now bring on the Bohemia's, pour some more!

Hell yeah! on the Bohemia

I'm not a very good recipe writer, so I hope you can muddle through that.

The easy part of this method is that you add all the ingredients to the mashed avocado, as you like, just sprinkle them on top in the portions you like.

Personally, I pour on the cilantro, but some may not like that much.

It's easy once you've done it a time or two.

[Isabella Maja]

Thanks for the guacamole recipe!
I'd love your refried beans N rice methods.
Don't worry about getting it into a recipe that reads like a book.

Most of us cook. Some of us never really follow a "recipe" per se, but get the feel & go with it. Some of us do follow recipes, but know enough about cooking that they can easily follow you.

We're waiting with bated breath!
:toast:

[Tchoupitoulas]

I'd give my right arm to find some good Mole' in NO.

[edible complex]

I'd give my right arm to find some good Mole' in NO.
I desperately miss Castillo's mole.

[JudiB]

ratcheese.... SMOOCH SMOOCH SMOOCH!

(I'm forward, what can I say?) lol

Ok, my mouth is absolutely watering. I'm off to the store today to buy the ingredients. I've read and reread your instructions... hahaha... I'll let you know how many tortillas go to the circular file along the way.

Actually, it looks pretty straightforward... thanks for the 'five second' clarification... it gives me a place to start. You know, not ever having seen anyone do it.....that can be tricky.

And oooo the guac sounds like a delicious side dish, I'm adding that to the grocery list. :)

[JudiB]

Before we go take a nap, LOL, I had to tell you how much we enjoyed this meal, ratcheese.

DEEEElicious, and a blast to make, too. It was funny trying to fold the tortillas in half though.... do these look all right? They sure were good, but I fried them a lot longer than five seconds.



http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/7861/img0913a.jpg (http://img382.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0913a.jpg)


I added salt, cheddar cheese, black olives... but other than that stayed true to your instructions. That salad is just delicious. I think I could have added more chili powder to the meat mixture though.

Gosh we ate TOO MUCH! :) Sorry 'bout the messy countertop but I was too hungry to clear everything off for a good pic.

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/8795/img0912a.jpg (http://img149.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0912a.jpg)

[Jesse]

They look great! I can't wait to give em a try.

[ratcheese]

Before we go take a nap, LOL, I had to tell you how much we enjoyed this meal, ratcheese.

DEEEElicious, and a blast to make, too. It was funny trying to fold the tortillas in half though.... do these look all right? They sure were good, but I fried them a lot longer than five seconds.



http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/7861/img0913a.jpg (http://img382.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0913a.jpg)


I added salt, cheddar cheese, black olives... but other than that stayed true to your instructions. That salad is just delicious. I think I could have added more chili powder to the meat mixture though.

Gosh we ate TOO MUCH! :) Sorry 'bout the messy countertop but I was too hungry to clear everything off for a good pic.

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/8795/img0912a.jpg (http://img149.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0912a.jpg)

I'm absolutely thrilled you made them! You are the first person outside my family to ever them!

The five second rule may have been too short. I'm so used to making them, I don't even think about it.

It looks like you got the hang of it though.

Longer is crisper.

---------- Post added at 09:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:45 PM ----------

Thanks for the guacamole recipe!
I'd love your refried beans N rice methods.
Don't worry about getting it into a recipe that reads like a book.

Most of us cook. Some of us never really follow a "recipe" per se, but get the feel & go with it. Some of us do follow recipes, but know enough about cooking that they can easily follow you.

We're waiting with bated breath!
:toast:

Ask and ye shall receive, Isabella.

We are very lucky to have Camillia Beans, here in New Orleans. They are clean, uniform beans that I use a lot. Also, Whole Foods has killer dried Pintos.

To soak or not to soak, that is the question.

For the fullest flavored beans, do not soak. Bring water to full boil, add beans and boil for a while, turn down to a simmer, stirring occasionally to avoid scalding, and cook for three hours or so. No salt until finished, you can add a bit of Rotel Tomatoes or chili powder if you want, but not much. Purified water helps, too.

For the easiest beans, soak overnight while you sleep, follow directions above and the beans will cook in half the time. Soak with a little baking soda if you have a gaseuos disorder resulting from beans.

Here's every Mexican housewife's secret to making perfect refritos: ladle them into the blender and turn it on. Adjust thickness, texture with the juice.

I always liked them with a little shredded cheese on top. They make for great nachos, too--now that you know how to make your own tortilla chips.
Spread them out individually in a baking dish, they can be touching but not heaped on top of each other in pile, top with a little refried beans, top that with some shredded cheese, top that with a sliver of pickled jalapeno (Herdez brand in the can, is the best), broil for a few minutes, watch them so they don't burn. Add beer or Margaritas and you are a hit!

---------- Post added at 09:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:07 PM ----------

I'd give my right arm to find some good Mole' in NO.

Here you go: with the understanding that we are dealing with limited ingredients here in NOLA, we can't make the variety, or quality of Mole that you get in Ouahaca, but I will give you the same recipe that most Mexican's use at home and I love it.

Boil a cut-up chicken with salt, bay leaves, and a handful of Juniper Berries. Put on plate and cover while reserving the broth.

Find a bottled Mole paste called Dona Maria at the grocery. Robert's and Rouse's both have it. Actually, it doesn't even have to be that brand, just start with a bottle paste.

Add four parts of the chicken broth to the one part of paste

Add a big, heaping tablespoon of high quality, pure peanut butter. DO NOT use Jif, Skippy, or anything other than Smooth Smucker's or the best peanut butter is a brand called Arrowhead Mills. Pure peanuts only and smooth.

Simmer the mole until it is smooth and consistent. (Mash the paste with a fork as it is like a brick. Then add the chicken back to the Mole, cover, and let sit for a few before serving.

Serve with refrieds, rice, and tortillas.

I made it for Easter and it was great.

[Isabella Maja]

Aw, Ratcheese, thank ya baby.

I think we are now going to have chicken mole this weekend.
Hmm, or maybe turkey mole.

I do use Dona Maria, but never added extra peanut butter!
Great idea. I get mine freshly ground at Whole Foods.

I like cheese with my refried beans as well.
I never knew that the pintos at WF were really good!
I'll have to try them.

Thanks so much for all of your homecooking tips!
And yeah, I was impressed too Judi, and tho not quite surprised, that you jumped on it so fast!
She's known for that Ratcheese!