The main attraction for tacos is the filling.
And when it comes to fillings, it pays to be equal opportunity. Who doesn’t love a good carnitas taco with a little onion, cilantro and green salsa? Grilled chicken with a little pico or al pastor with grilled pineapple and green onion. I’m good with all of it. Gringo tacos with ground beef and Alton Brown’s Taco Potion #19? It’s in regular rotation. Even a vegetarian version with lentils and whizzed up cauliflower, yeah, why not? Where I draw the line, and this might surprise you, is at tofu.
Tacos seem like a simple food. A stack of tortillas, a little meat, a little onion, cilantro, a spoonful of salsa. Hit your local taqueria, order 2 or 3 and there’s lunch. At home, tacos quickly spiral out of control. No taco plate is complete without rice and beans. And wouldn’t some escabeche, pickled carrots and jalapenos, be good alongside? And what about guacamole? You’ve gotta have guacamole. Suddenly, your quick and dirty dinner has dirtied every pan in the house.
But what can you do? Summer, right about now, might just be the best time for a taco bar. Tomatillos and tomatoes are just coming in at our market, summer squash is plentiful. Chiles aren't far behind. There was no question we’d wrap the July 4th holiday weekend with tacos – with two different approaches to pork tacos from the Homesick Texan Cookbook and the accompanying sides.
If you're a Trader Joe's shopper, you know some items don't stick around long. They appear on the New Items shelf one week and a month later, they might be gone, not popular enough to keep their shelf space. I worry that the Hot 'n Sweet peppers are going to be one of those items, especially around here, where most people ask for 1-star spicy at restaurants. These little peppers are fan-freaking-tastic on pizza and they're one of the items on today's #FridayNightSlice -- the DailyWaffle Deluxe.
Read recipe headlines or captions and you might think cooking has turned into a version of Name That Tune. Take any dish, let’s say a salad in this case. Can’t you just see it, opponents stand across from each other on a cardboard cut out game show set, sizing each other up, looking for tells. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly practically plays in the background.
“Jim, I can make that salad in 7 ingredients,” says Contestant #1.
“I can make it in 5,” replies Contestant #2.
#1 rocks from left foot to right to left again. “Uhhh, Jim, I can make it in 3.”
Sensing uncertainty, #2 points, “Make that salad.”
Alright, let’s do it. Easy peasy Sesame Sugar Snap Peas.
