Tacos & Guac Just Like Mama's

Share Ya Mama's Best Dishes Here. We Won't Tell Her!
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ratcheese
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Re: Pancho's

Post by 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.
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kcdixiecat
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Re: Pancho's

Post by kcdixiecat »

Bring on the guacamole recipe!!!
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Jesse
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Re: Pancho's

Post by Jesse »

Hell yeah!
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ratcheese
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Re: Pancho's

Post by 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!
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edible complex
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Re: Pancho's

Post by edible complex »

Thanks Ratcheese!
now bring on the Bohemia's, pour some more!
After Mon & Tues, even the calendar says W-T-F!
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ratcheese
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Re: Pancho's

Post by ratcheese »

edible complex wrote: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.
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Isabella Maja
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Re: Pancho's

Post by 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:
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Tchoupitoulas
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Re: Pancho's

Post by Tchoupitoulas »

I'd give my right arm to find some good Mole' in NO.
“Well-behaved women seldom make history” ~ Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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edible complex
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Re: Pancho's

Post by edible complex »

Tchoupitoulas wrote:I'd give my right arm to find some good Mole' in NO.
I desperately miss Castillo's mole.
After Mon & Tues, even the calendar says W-T-F!
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JudiB
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Re: Pancho's

Post by 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
Eat, Drink and Be Merry.....
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