Just Tacos 100 Delicious Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

178 Pages·2011·41.05 MB·English

by  Shelley (Shelton) Wiseman

just
tacos
100 Delicious Recipes
for Breakfast, Lunch,
and Dinner
SheLLey WiSeman
just
tacos
100 Delicious Recipes
for Breakfast, Lunch,
and Dinner
SheLLey WiSeman
PhotograPhy by romulo yanes
t
To Liam, Louis, Lucas, Olive, Mitchel, Felix,
Vita, Niels, and Bas, my nieces and nephews
who bring joy to my life.
Text © 2011 by Shelton Wiseman
Photographs © 2011 by Romulo Yanes
All rights reserved.
Pp
The Taunton Press, Inc., 63 South Main Street
PO Box 5506, Newtown, CT 06470-5506
e-mail: [email protected]
Editor: Carolyn Mandarano
Copy Editor: Nina Rynd Whitnah
Indexer: Jay Kreider
Cover design: Teresa Fernandes
Interior design: Carol Singer
Layout: Amy Griffin
Photographer: Romulo Yanes
Food Stylist: Paul Grimes
Prop Stylist: Philippa Brathwaite
The following names/manufacturers appearing in Just Tacos are trademarks:
Abuelita®, Breville®, Coca-Cola®, Goya®, Maggi®, Maseca®, Oster®, Play-Doh®,
Tabasco®
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wiseman, Shelton, 1956-
Just tacos : 100 delicious recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner / Shelley
Wiseman ; photographer, Romulo Yanes.
p. cm.
Includes index.
E-Book ISBN 978-1-60085-796-6
1. Tacos. 2. Cookbooks. I. Title.
TX836.W57 2011
641.84--dc23
2011029268
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Acknowledgments

➺
First and foremost I would like to thank my friend and
mentor, Roberto Santibañez, for being so generous with his
knowledge and spirit. I would also like to thank other Mexican
chefs who have inspired me: Maria Dolores Torres Yzábal, an
extraordinary woman and my former co-author; Diana Ken-
nedy, who first brought real Mexican cuisine to this country and
created a high standard; Ricardo Muñoz Zurita, for his exquisite
palate and huge historical food knowledge; Federico Rigoletti,
for sharing his time and expertise with me and for the finesse
of his sensibility with seafood; and the lively Roberto Craig and
the quirky David Ortega for sharing their recipes.
I would like to thank Taunton Press for giving me the oppor-
tunity to write this book; my editor, Carolyn Mandarano, for her
guidance; and my agent, Doe Coover, for her always-available
helping hand.
The quality of this book is greatly enhanced by the photogra-
phy of my former Gourmet magazine colleague, Romulo Yanes,
and the acute artistic eye of food stylist Paul Grimes.
I would like to thank all my neighbors for being willing tast-
ers (and dish washers), notably Raychel O’Shea Patiño, James
Viskochil, Nicky Lee, and Mark Tyner.
I would like to thank my family and friends for keeping me
sane, as the act of writing a book can get lonely.
Finally, I would like to thank my assistant, Rebecca Rosas,
for her hard work and companionship.

Contents
Introduction  2
TorTillas  6
VegeTable  24
seafood  50
ChiCken, Turkey, and duCk  70
Pork  90
MeaT  118
breakfasT  138
Quesadillas, soPes, and TosTadas  156
Metric Equivalents  170
Index  171
Introduction
➺
Tacos, that humble Mexican food has not yet. That is where
street food, have entered the this book comes in. Here I have
popular food culture to such an included many fillings that are
extent in the U.S. (and increas- easy to make for a simple and
ingly around the world) that other satisfying meal, whether it is a
cuisines, notably Korean, are steak freshly sliced from the grill
discovering them as a way to sell or a roast chicken tossed with
their own cultural dishes. Even onion and topped with a good
high-end restaurants of other salsa. There are many options for
cultural orientations, like Nobu, vegetarians, from straight refried
the Japanese-Peruvian restaurant beans with crumbled cheese to the
empire, are including tacos on more exotic grilled nopal cactus
their menu. pads with fresh tomato salsa. I’ve
also included some dishes that
Why are tacos so popular? are a bit more involved, though
In an increasingly fast-paced not overly difficult. Some of these
world, a taco is the quintessential are dishes that could be served
food on the go. Essentially any- on their own as well as serve as
thing can be enclosed in a tortilla— a taco filling and often can be
add an interesting sauce, some frozen. So if you have time to
crunchy onions, and you’re good prepare in advance, you can still
to go. In fact, the best tacos are put a meal, even a feast for many,
eaten as soon as they are made. together quickly.
Like pancakes, you serve one It is the fun of eating tacos
person at a time directly from the that attracts people—messy, sat-
stove, which is why taco trucks isfying stand-up food lends itself
are so popular. to casual gatherings and easy
While eating tacos and other conversations. A few margaritas
Mexican foods has become part of don’t go amiss either, and I have
our everyday life, cooking Mexican included an unusual tequila drink
2
made with pineapple to add to Eastern lamb spit (Mexico City
your repertoire. has a large Lebanese population).
I have concentrated on classic Tacos focusing on grilled meats
Mexican tacos, some with strong are called tacos al carbon, which
regional identities and many from often have as accompaniments
the cosmopolitan melting pot grilled spring onions or roasted
of Mexico City, where I lived for serrano chiles. In many Mexican
many years. I also have added marketplaces you will find taco
some modern variations from stands focusing on quesadillas,
local chefs and of my own cre- which are made starting with raw
ation. What I have stayed clear of tortilla dough and filled before
are the commercial hard-shelled the tortilla is fully cooked. This is
tacos that seem to have been where you will find a great variety
invented by the U.S. food indus- of vegetable fillings that also work
try a generation ago and can still for tacos: cooked mushrooms,
be found in national food chains. nopales, swiss chard, potatoes,
Newer chains, while using soft and, of course, cheese.
tortillas, still overload the cho- The largest variety of tacos
sen (but often insipid) meat with are tacos de guisados. A guisado
so much beans, guacamole, and is simply a cooked dish. These
shredded lettuce that you can’t are homestyle preparations in
taste the meat anymore. great cazuelas (Mexican casse-
role dishes) that are brought from
Varieties of tacos a home kitchen to a stand and
Perhaps the most famous, but served up to order. These might
fairly modern, taco invented in include chiles rellenos, pork adobo,
Mexico City is the taco al pastor, or even mole poblano. Tacos de
with its layers of adobo-marinated carnitas are in a class of their own
pork (or chicken) roasted on a and are found in specialized places.
vertical spit to mimic the Middle Carnitas are made by cooking
introduction 3
large hunks of pork in water and lime salsa; the smoky heat of a
enough pork fat to brown the meat chipotle salsa with the mild herba-
once the water has cooked them. ceous heat of a poblano sauce. For
Fish tacos are mostly from the grilled meats, salsas also supply a
extensive coastlines of Mexico juicy dimension, and the appropri-
(although lake regions have their ate salsas are quite liquid (cooked
own specialties, like charrales, tomatillo salsa) or have juicy
tiny fried fish tacos). Those found elements like tomatoes. There is
in the Baja peninsula are very dif- nothing to stop you from using
ferent from those found in Vera- more than one salsa at a time
cruz, while Puerto Vallarta seems either, as a typical taco stand will
to have a corner on the smoked have at least two, usually a red
marlin market. and a green to choose from.
The tacos included in this book
are just a beginning, as the sub- Have a taco party!
ject is inexhaustible. I hope you If you have a backyard, you can
will enjoy these as well as create get a large comal (or large pizza
some of your own. pan) to go over a candy burner
and have an eat-as-you-go or
Salsas make-your-own taco party com-
Salsas are another vast subject plete with a bar of fillings, salsas,
and should not be thought of and fixings.
solely for their heat. Adding heat If you like to grill, consider the
is definitely one of their jobs, but Grilled Garlic-Marinated Skirt
we could simply have a bottle of Steak with Charred Spring Onions
Tabasco® on the table if that was (pp. 121–122), Grilled Shrimp in
the end of it. Compare the fruity Adobo (p. 63), and Grilled Cactus
heat of a mango and habanero Pads (p. 44).
salsa with the sharp acidity of a If you prefer make-ahead
raw tomatillo salsa or serrano- fillings that can be reheated on
4 introduction
the stove or in the oven, choose each side to melt the cheese and
from any of the braised fillings. A heat the fillings, then deliver it on
well-rounded selection includes a plate. Have guacamole and salsa
Pork in Green Sauce (p. 95), Duck (with only a touch of chile, if at
Legs Braised in Chipotle-Tomatillo all) on the side to add. Be sure to
Sauce (p. 87), Swiss Chard and treat the kids to a fruit cooler
Potato (p. 29), and tender (p. 143) to wash it down with!
Octopus with Pickled Jalapeños, Another kid-friendly choice,
Olives, and Capers (p. 67). since all kids like fried food, is the
Some fillings, such as Lobster Baja Fish Tacos (p. 53). Just be
and Mango Salsa (p. 65), Chopped sure to seed the chipotle chiles
Fish and Tomatillo “Salad” (p. 56), before adding them to the mayon-
and, of course, Guacamole (p. 34), naise accompaniment and add a
work well at room temperature, little at a time to taste, or just
so all you need at the last minute make a lime mayonnaise and mix
are hot tortillas. This could make it with the shredded cabbage like
a quick-to-put-together taco a slaw.
lunch party. I’ve tried to give you a large
For kids, I have had great selection of tacos to choose from
success with a choose-your-own- for any occasion, but sometimes
filling quesadilla party, using it is hard to know where to start.
store-bought tortillas and offer- I hope these suggestions will
ing a choice of shredded cheese, help. Enjoy!
simple refried beans, sautéed
mushrooms, and chicken with
onions to mix and match. The idea
is that when you heat the second
side of the tortilla you add the
chosen fillings, then you fold the
tortilla and heat it some more on
introduction 5