Sunday, October 1, 2023

National Taco Day

Here at BPL, we love National Taco Day so much that one article simply wasn’t enough; in fact, this may become an annual tradition. Last year, we highlighted several cookbooks from our collection, but this year, we’re taking it a step further by providing you with five different recipes from those books. However you prefer your tacos, one of these recipes is sure to spark your interest. BPL is also hosting an entire day full of taco-themed fun on October 4th. Keep an eye on our Facebook and website for more details. 


Bacon Cheeseburger Tacos

Ingredients

  • 1 pound 80% lean ground beef

  • ¼ cup Gringo Seasoning

  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola

  • 12 6-inch corn tortillas

  • 1 ½ cups shredded Mexican-style cheese blend, store -bought or homemade

  • ¼ cup finely chopped red onion

  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

  • 12 cherry tomatoes, quartered

  • ½ cup roughly chopped crisp-cooked bacon

Steps

  1. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef and the Gringo Seasoning, using your hands to evenly distribute the seasoning without overworking the meat. Form the meat into 4 patties, each one about ¾ inch thick.

  2. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until it is shimmering and just smoking, about 2 minutes. Sear the patties in the hot pan until they are crisp and deeply browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn the patties over and cook on the other side for 4 minutes for medium doneness. Transfer the patties to a cutting board and let them cool for 5 minutes. Then chop the patties into a rough ½-inch dice. 

  3. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees fahrenheit. 

  4. Stack the tortillas, wrap them in aluminum foil, and place them in the oven, and let them warm until they’re fragrant and pliable, about 15 minutes. 

  5. Remove the tortillas from the oven. Unwrap the stack and line up the tortillas, assembly-line-style, on your work surface. Place the beef in a straight line down the center of each tortilla. Sprinkle a line of cheese over the beef, then top with onion, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, and bacon, and serve. 

From: Trejo’s Tacos: Recipes & Stories from L.A. 

By: Danny Trejo with Hugh Garvey 

Page: 127


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Fish Tacos

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs

  • ½ cup flour

  • 3 tablespoons masa harina

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • ½ cup Crema Agria

  • ¼ cup mayonnaise

  • ½ cup heavy cream

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 2 teaspoons hot chile sauce

  • 2 pounds red snapper orr other white flaky fish cut into 2-inch pieces

  • 1 cup cooking oil

  • 12 corn tortillas 

  • 2 cups shredded green cabbage

  • 1 cup fresh salsa 

  • Lime wedges 

Steps

  1. For the batter, whisk together eggs and then mix in the flour, masa harina, and salt.

  2. For the sauce, whisk together the Crema Agria, mayonnaise, cream, lemon juice, and hot chile sauce. 

  3. Heat oil to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Dip fish into batter and fry until golden; drain on paper towels. 

  4. Place 3 pieces of fish on each tortilla; top with cabbage. 

  5. Drizzle sauce on each taco; serve with salsa and lime wedges. 

From: Mexican Cooking: A Step-by-Step Guide to Authentic Dishes Made Easy

By: Chelsie Kenyon

Page: 160


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Tacos Gobernador 

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • ½ medium white onion, thinly sliced

  • 1 medium chile poblano, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced into strips

  • 1 medium celery stalk, thinly sliced crosswise on the diagonal

  • 1 medium chile serrano, stemmed and thinly sliced into rings

  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated 

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican

  • ¾ teaspoon Mortan kosher salt, plus more to taste

  • ½ teaspoon crushed or ground coriander seeds

  • 1 medium Roma tomato, cored and chopped

  • 8 Tortillas de Maíz

  • 6 ounces queso asadero, quesillo, or Monterey Jack cheese, grated

  • Lime wedges

  • Your favorite salsa

Steps

  1. In a large skillet over high, heat the oil. Arrange the shrimp in an even layer in the skillet and cook, turning once, until just starting to brown, for about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside. 

  2. Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter. Cook the onion, chile poblano, celery, chile serrano, garlic, oregano, salt, and coriander, tossing occasionally, until the onion and chile poblano are beginning to brown, for 6 to 8 minutes.

  3. Add the tomato and cook, tossing occasionally and scraping up any browned bits, until the tomato begins to break down, for about 5 minutes more. Transfer to the bowl with the shrimp and toss to combine. Taste and season with salt. 

  4. Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel. Working with 2 or more tortillas at a time (if you can fit 2 tortillas in your skillet), cook the tortillas until lightly toasted on one side, for 2 to 3 minutes. 

  5. Flip and add a small mound of cheese in the center of the toasted side. Top with some of the shrimp filling and fold over like a taco. Cook the untoasted side until the cheese is beginning to melt and the tortilla is lightly toasted, for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip to toast the second half. Combine with the remaining tortillas, cheese, and shrimp.

  6. Serve with a squeeze of lime and your favorite salsa.

From: Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico 

By: Rick Martinez 

Page: 162


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Chipotle Chicken Salad Tacos with Avocado, Red-Skin Potatoes and Romaine

Ingredients

  • 1 large red-skin boiling or Yukon Gold potato, sliced ¼ inch thick

  • Salt

  • 3 tablespoons vinegar (cider vinegar is good here, or use balsamic if you like more sweetness)

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican

  • 2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, seeded and chopped

  • ¼ small white onion, finely chopped

  • 6 ounces (about 1 ½ cups) coarsely shredded cooked chicken 

  • 2 cups sliced romaine leaves–slice them about ¼ inch across 

  • 1 ripe avocado, pitted, flesh scooped from the skin and cut into ¼-inch cubes

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil

  • 12 warm corn tortillas, store-bought or homemade

Steps

  1. Scoop the sliced potato into a large microwaveable bowl, drizzle with ¼ cup water and sprinkle generously with salt. Cover with plastic wrap, poke a couple of holes in the top and microwave on high (100%) for about 4 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Scoop the potatoes onto a cutting board, leaving the liquid behind, and let cool. 

  2. Add the vinegar, oregano, chipotle chiles and onion to the bowl with the potatoes cooking water to make a dressing. Mix well, then taste and season with salt, usually about 1 teaspoon. 

  3. Use a fork to break the cooled potatoes into ½-inch pieces, then scoop them into a large bowl. Add the chicken, then drizzle on the dressing and toss everything together. (If there is time, refrigerate the mixture for about half an hour to blend flavors.)

  4. Just before serving, add the lettuce and avocado to the bowl. Drizzle with the oil and toss to combine everything. Serve with the warm tortillas for making soft tacos. 

From: Mexican Everyday

By: Rick Bayless

Page: 201


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Tacos Al Pastor

Ingredients

  • 40 dried guajillo chiles

  • 20 dried ancho chiles

  • 20 dried pasilla negro chiles 

  • 2 ½ cups fresh orange juice

  • Grated zest of 1 orange

  • ⅓ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

  • 9 cloves garlic

  • 1 ½ tablespoons cumin seed, toasted and ground

  • 1 ½ tablespoons dried Mexican oregano, toasted and ground

  • 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt

  • 1 tablespoon black pepper

  • 1 ½ tablespoons distilled vinegar 

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

  • 6 ounces cola

  • 8 ounces Mexican beer

  • 4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into ½-inch cubes

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 24 (5 ½ -inch) soft white corn tortillas, for serving 

  • Garnish: caramelized diced pineapple 

Steps

  1. Stem, seed, and rehydrate the dried chiles. Drain and set aside, reserving the soaking liquid. 

  2. In a small saucepan, simmer the orange juice over medium-low heat until reduced by half; set aside. In the jar of a blender, puree the rehydrated chiles until smooth, adding some of the soaking water, if needed, to achieve a smooth consistency.

  3. In a large bowl, add the reduced orange juice, pureed chiles, orange zest, brown sugar, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, black pepper, vinegar, lime juice, cola, and beer and stir to mix well. Add the pork, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight. 

  4. When ready to cook, remove the pork from the marinade and drain well. In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Saute the pork pieces until the meat is cooked through, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve right away or keep warm in the pan until ready to serve. 

  5. To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with pineapple and salsa. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand. Spoon on some filling, top with pineapple and salsa, fold, and eat right away. 

From: Tacos: 75 Authentic and Inspired Recipes

By: Mark Miller

Page: 76




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