FoodB

Jenn wasn't feeling well this last week so I was in charge of keeping the house running, which is exhausting on top of 8 hours of work. Luckily we have a good assortment of cookbooks to resource from and I wasn't a complete idiot when it came to cooking this week.

On Tuesday I made tacos, which is something that isn't to difficult to make just time consuming. When I was growing up, my mom would generally just fry up some ground beef and spices and we would have tacos from that and life was good. Then I got married and Jenn introduced me to the whole Lawry's taco mix and new taco flavors were presented to me. Now that I am becoming a food snob, premade mixes are okay in a pinch, just not prefered. So when one of my favorite food shows, Americas Test Kitchen, tackled making tacos, I decided I would have to try what they suggested.

Here is the recipe:

Beef Tacos
Makes 8 tacos, serving 4

Beef Filling
2 tbsp vegetable oil or corn oil
1 small onion , chopped small (about 2/3 cup)
3 medium cloves garlic , minced
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Table salt
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tsps cider vinegar
Ground black pepper

Shells and Toppings
Taco shells
Shredded cheddar cheese
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Tomatoes, diced
Sour cream
Avocado, diced
Onion, diced
Minced cilantro leaves
Taco sauce

1. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat until hot and shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, spices, and 1/2 tsp salt; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook, breaking meat up with wooden spoon and scraping pan bottom to prevent scorching, until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, and vinegar; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently and breaking meat up so that no chunks remain, until liquid has reduced and thickened (mixture should not be completely dry), about 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
2. Using wide, shallow spoon, divide filling evenly among taco shells; place two tacos on individual plates. Serve immediately, passing toppings separately.

The recipe was really good and I noticed it took about as long as the mix would have taken so I'm going to throw all of that stuff away. Also I have to beg everyone not to buy premade taco shells. It may seem scary making your own shells but it is so worth it. I don't have a cool taco shell maker yet so I still make mine with a pair of tongs and a fork. Just keep the heat around medium so you can control the splatter and you will really notice the difference when eating fresh shells as opposed to the stuff you buy. Or you could just go with flour tortillas if you are strapped for time.