Chicken tacos & salsa

These were the experimental chicken tacos in mentioned in my last post. They turned out pretty good for what was essentially messing around with several ingredients, but frankly the next time I’m going to turn up the heat on them a bit more. Probably Mexican oregano would add another nuance of flavour too. Nevertheless, they work on their on or a a base for more flavour.

Chicken tacos
Makes about 6-8 tacos

Boneless chicken pieces (white and dark meat) – 1 pound, cut into large cubes
Red onion – 1, sliced fine
Tomatoes – 3, medium, cubed
Green or red pepper – 1, cut into strips
Jalapeno – I, deseeded and cut into strips
Chicken stock – 2 cups
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Adobo sauce – 2 tbsp
Cider vinegar – 4 tbsp
Dried Oregano – 2 tsp
Oil – 1 turn of pan
Salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro and julienned carrots

– On a medium setting, heat oil in a deep pot until it shimmers. Add the oregano, then the onion.
–  When the onion browns a little, add the chicken pieces and jalapeno strips.
– Sear the chicken pieces until they turn brown.
– Add the tomatoes and the adobo sauce.
– Cover the chicken pieces with stock, turn the heat down to low, cover and let simmer for 45-60 minutes. Add some water midway if needed.
– Move off the fire and strain the broth. Shred the chicken. Top with cilantro and carrots before serving.

Cook’s notes:
There’s very little replacement for the slow braising that most restaurants put their meat through for tacos. My way was a quick way to get the meat flavourful but I’m sure it could have benefitted with more time on a slow flame. The meat get very tender on low heat and starts to fall apart at the touch of a fork. It makes fabulous tacos.

For a tomatillo salsa that works wonders with these tacos, whizz together 3 jalapenos, 5 tomatillos, 2 teaspoons of cumin and 1 tablespoon of chipotle in adobo sauce in the food processor until pureed. Add a generous spritz of lime, pair with the chicken tacos or my favourite, the chorizo-and-potato tacos of the previous post –  and you’re ready for a par-tay!

Fuego

We’ve got gas!

Alright, that was a juvenile attempt at eliciting a double-take, but really we do have gas. The kind you cook with. Oh the joy of fire. Every time I see those sinuous flickering flames licking at the base of the pan, I do a little jig right there in the kitchen. No fancy pants induction stove is a match for a simple gas flame. Amey, who learned to cook only in this country, which means only on electric ranges, is a bit nonplussed at how quickly all his food cooks. He may never live in a house with an electric range again!

Oil starts to shimmer almost as soon as it hits a hot pan. Two-minute noodles actually take two minutes instead of eight. This is the best part of our move, my fabulous new kitchen with its darling gas range. Untouched by human hands before us. Well, except for the people who installed it. I have big plans for this stove. It is way bigger than my previous one. The last one matched the size of my old kitchen and was really made for people who believed cooking meant boiling water for tea. It was tiny. Our friends often marvelled that we cooked the meals on it that we did. The coils were all too close to each other to ever allow all four to be in use at the same time, thereby involving long stints in the kitchen if inviting company over for a meal. This full size range is a treat. Cooking is more of a joy than it ever was. Even the OCD-like reverential cleaning we put it through every time we use it is easier. Things are looking great in our kitchen.

Once we got here and settled in a bit, one of the first things I pulled from my files was this recipe for tacos. I’d been saving it for summer which is a bit silly considering it doesn’t call for summer ingredients or any such thing. You could just as easily make it at any time of year. To me, however, there is something inexplicably summer about tacos. The hand-held food, the riot of colour, the tongue-tantalizing hit of heat and spice, they evoke beaches and sun. I’d been daydreaming of taco picnics in the park in the cold of April. We haven’t quite gotten to the picnic yet but there have been tacos. Several experiments, like the accompanying chicken taco in the photo above; but mostly there has been a repeat of this chorizo-and-potato kind, because they are quite quick and delicious in an I-want-to-eat-these-for-every-meal-for-the-rest-of-your-life kind of way.

The original recipe comes from Tacolicious, one of my top two favourite Mexican restaurants in the city. It calls for making your own chorizo for the tacos. I’ve made these staying faithful to the original recipe and they are, of course, divine. My version is one that doesn’t require you to have all the spices, just some chorizo of your choice, some tortillas and a few potatoes. I use pork, so does the original recipe, but I doubt this would be much different with beef. Make sure you like the chorizo you buy because ostensibly it flavours the potatoes and onion too. I love the spice in chorizo and while the flavour is completely different, these tacos are texturally reminiscent of singed shepherd’s pie wrapped in a tortilla.

Chorizo and potato tacos
Inspired by the Tacolicious recipe via Food and Wine
Makes 6-8 tacos

Tortillas – 6 to 8, corn or wheat
Pork chorizo – diced fine, about 1 pound
Potatoes – 4 medium, diced small
Red onion – 1/2, finely diced
Chipotle in adobo sauce – 1 tbsp
Cumin – 1 tsp
Oil – 3 tbsp
Salt to taste
Shredded cheese to top (optional)

– Heat a saucepan filled with 3 cups of water. When it comes to a boil, add some salt then parboil diced potatoes for 6-8 minutes.
– Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan until it shimmers. Then add the onion and saute for a minute.
– Add the diced chorizo and cook until the oil turns red. Remove some of this oil and reserve. Remove chorizo from pan and drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
– Return the pan to heat and add the reserved red oil. Add some cumin.
– Add the diced potatoes. Sprinkle salt to taste and cook until the potatoes start to brown.
– Deglaze the pan with some vinegar and water and scrape off all the brown bits. Add the chorizo and mash the potatoes and chorizo in together.
– Spread into as much of a layer as possible, then let sit so that the underside of the mixture develops a crust, about 10 minutes.
– Mix up, spread into a layer and let brown for another 5 minutes.
– Move off the fire and top with chopped cilantro (and cheese if using).

Serve on warm tortillas with some spicy salsa of your choice.

Cook’s notes:-
I diced the potatoes so I didn’t have to mash them later. I just smush them in the pan with the back of my spoon. I like the extra hit of cumin here, though this really depends on your choice of chorizo. There are so many spices already present in this wonderful sausage that you may not need anything but an adjustment of seasoning in your final potato and meat creation.

You could dice up some onion or marinate a few slices of crunchy jalapeno in some vinegar and use them for toppings. Or simply use your favourite salsa. Or don’t mess with perfection. These do very well just by themselves, maybe with a pitcher of margaritas served alongside. So far they’ve been my new favourite thing out of my new kitchen. Next to a finger-lickin’ good chicken tacos and a fabulous tomatillo salsa I have coming up next. For now though, excuse me while I go back to gaze in adoration upon the pretty blue flames.