The Taco Blog, or “You ask a boy a question…”
We approached a culinary novice today, someone who might enjoy a few ideas on how to cook easy, familiar dishes in a new or fun way. (Or, well, at all.)
“What’s a good food topic for the blog today?” we asked.
“Tacos,” says he. “People want to read about cooking tacos.”
So. Tacos.
They seem pretty basic to most of us — brown some meat, add some cheese and assorted vegetable goodness, maybe a little sour cream, and ‘Voila!’ — you’ve got yourself a taco.
That’s all there is to it, right?
Not really. There’s a fairly amazing variety of taco categories out there, waiting to be explored, and they can be dressed up or down to suit their creator’s needs. This makes them a good standby choice for just about anyone looking for a fast and fairly easy meal.
The taco basics are pretty much what we’ve outlined above — they’re not tricky. You can get regular (or “Jumbo!”) taco shells at any regular grocery store — just make sure they’re fresh, since stale taco shells get chewy in a way that is really unfortunate. Classic tacos generally have four basic components: ground beef (browned) with some taco spices added (you can get those at the store, too. If you’re going this basic, we’ll assume you don’t want to concoct your own), shredded cheese (a sharp cheddar is nice), lettuce and tomato (if you like that sort of thing), and the all-important shell. For a quick meal in a pinch, these can do nicely. Just resist the urge to overfill them, unless you like wearing your food.
Once you branch out from the basics, however, the true artistry of this food format shines through. Like most any culinary tradition that arises from necessity, “complete meal” foods you can hold in your hand offer a nice, sturdy flavor and texture base to build upon. The classic taco is a little bit crunchy and a little bit juicy — and when that cool sour cream mixes with hot melted cheese, it’s a wonderful thing.
Taking those basic principles and expanding them can lead to flights of food fancy that are amazing in their variety. A few traditional examples:
* Tacos de Cazo — deep-fried tacos, traditionally made with with tender cuts of beef
* Tacos sudados — “sweaty tacos;” These are made by filling soft tortillas with spicy meat and then placing them in a container covered with cloth, which traps steam from the meat, warming the tacos.
* Tacos De Adobada — “shepherd style;” These tacos are usually made with pork steaks sliced thinly and seasoned with adobo, which are skewered and broiled before becoming part of the taco filling.
* Tacos dorados —flautas or “taquitos;” Tortillas are filled with cooked and shredded meat (often chicken or beef), rolled up and fried until crisp.
* Tacos de pescado — “fish tacos;” These originated in Mexico near Baja California; the fish is usually grilled and accompanied by a citrusy sauce or salsa.
Of course, if you feel like branching out, there’s no need to stick with traditional offerings. Anything you can slap on top of a tortilla can be a taco. And while crunchy, corn shells remain most popular in the United States, if you prefer the soft embrace of a flour tortilla, you are not alone.
Some less traditional taco offerings include breakfast tacos (think omelet, but easier to carry — scrambled eggs, cheese, bacon and some grilled peppers, all wrapped up in a neat package), dessert tacos (it’s true — try tortillas with honey, peanut butter, and fruit. Brush the tortillas with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon, then drape over balls of foil to create a shell shape and bake. Or fit small tortillas into a muffin pan and toast for mini “dessert taco salads.”)
If those ideas are a little too wacky for you, try swapping out one or two components at a time. Maybe tonight you make “classic” tacos, but with a grilled chicken twist. Or stir fry a little spinach and work that in. The taco really offers a lot of options for trying new flavors in an inexpensive way. And if you serve the different ingredients in a help-yourself format, everyone can try something different if one combination goes awry.
So, tacos… Maybe there’s more to them than we thought. They definitely involve a lot of room for creativity to budding chefs of differing experience levels.
TRY THIS: If you want to try a taco that’s a little bit more upscale, but still yummy, then give our Carne Asada Tacos with Pickled Onions a try. And for extra credit, you can make Dean Fearing’s Barbecue Shrimp Taco with Mango-Pickled Red Onion Salad. To learn a little more about Dean and where he gets his food inspiration, check out our interview here.
If you want to learn to make some fantastic tacos AND some dishes to go with them, try one of the cooking classes offered at The Cooking Depot, Cook’s, Pots & Tabletops or Kitchen Kapers.
[...] Try shrimp, fried oysters – this is another dish that lends itself well to experimentation. As we noted in the past, tacos are incredibly versatile and so easy to make that they almost demand you give them creative [...]