8.08.2009

guacamole & steak tacos

cilantro & onion & steak I know it doesn't look like much. But I think there are at least a few dozen posts that were never born because this past spring I have been head over heels for this dinner. So, for my birthday I had to have these tacos, with the real deal tortillas. Plus, it's all gluten-free, which makes it perfect to share with friends. The hardest part of the whole thing is just to make sure to have all of the ingredients as fresh as possible, and also to have ripe avocado's on hand. I also recommend having a bag of tortilla chips handy to ward off starvation, and to enjoy the guacamole, and cilantro-onion salsa, just be cautioned that you might not make it to the tacos! It isn't exactly refined in appearance, but I dare say, that my mouth waters when I think of tasting this steak taco with guacamole, and chipotle hot sauce chunky guacamole Guacamole for Four 3 ripe avocadoes 1/2 cup finely chopped onion (the stronger the better) 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro juice of at least 2 limes salt, to taste 1. Add the onion, tomatoes, cilantro, and lime juice to a medium size bowl 2. Using a very sharp knife, carefully cut the skin, down to the pit, all around the avocado. Separate the two halves with your hands, by gently wiggling the two pieces back and forth. Remove the pit with the knife. 3. Using a paring knife, slice the flesh into long strips, and then again across the flesh, to create little cubes. Scoop out the flesh with a grapefruit spoon. 4. Add the avocado to the bowl and mash slightly with a fork. I prefer it a little bit chunky, but feel free to mash to your own liking. 5. Add the salt, and taste. guacamole & steak Steak Tacos Tacos can be made with any protein, or even just vegetables. Of all things, we have a tonne of beef tenderloin, which for us, is too lean for anything other than tacos. Any cut of steak will do, the trick is to freeze it for a bit before slicing, so it's easier to shred with the knife. It can also be marinated in any multitude of things, including orange juice, lime juice, cumin, coriander, cayenne, or anything chipotle. Fry it up in a cast-iron skillet or saute pan. I never eat tacos without this healthful, but addicting salsa. An absolute must. Corn Tortillas How-To Corn tortillas seem a little tricky at first. They seem incredibly dry and even a bit brittle until warmed up, and then they revive themselves. Do not add water or any oil. Using a cast-iron skillet pre-heated to medium, there are two ways to heat the tortillas: It is easy to prepare one tortilla at a time, but it is best to consume immediately. Place the tortilla on the pre-heated skillet, and allow it to subtly brown. If there are black marks, that is taking it a bit too far. You can try to keep it warm by wrapping it in a tea towel, but if you can, it is better to prepare a stack at a time. Hopefully, you have the patience to read this, digest it, and re-read it. To prepare a stack of tortillas, place the stack on the hot skillet. Allow the bottom tortilla to brown, but again, not to become black. Then, flip the whole stack over. Now the top tortilla will be on the bottom browning, and the formerly bottom tortilla, which is browned on one side, will be on the top. Using a metal spatula, insert it into the middle of the stack and lift the upper half off the pile. Flip the upper half of the pile face down, onto the remaining stack, so that the cooked half is facing down. This will keep it the cooked tortillas from drying out, and turning into crackers. Soon, the tortilla on the bottom of the stack will be browned. Flip the whole stack again, so the cooked side is now on the top. Find the other cooked one in the middle, and flip the upper half of the stack so that the two cooked tortillas are next to each other, but both facing down. Repeat the process, and then repeat again for the other side of each tortilla. Immediately after removing the tortillas from the skillet, place the stack of tortillas into a tea towel. Keep the tortillas covered. Only heat enough for the first few tortillas for each person, and later heat some more, as necessary. If the tortillas sit too long, they become brittle and virtually useless as a taco. These tacos are a cinch, and ridiculously delicious to eat, once you get the process down. Don't be intimidated, just go for it!

6 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Gluten free + guacamole = three words that are part of my daily life :-D

Jessie said...

oh my! I love this! that guacamole looks really pretty in that last photo

Sam@BingeNYC said...

Yum. I just ate breakfast, and now I'm craving steak tacos.

Hillary said...

That guacamole looks pretty irresistible! Love the big chunks of tomatoes.

averagebetty said...

Mmm! One of my favorite treats! Great looking guac!

Shelby said...

yum! We just returned from our Mexican cruise where we got to have a special treat of Chicken tacos and Shrimp fajitas - and the tortillas were homemade. So yummy!

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