Taco Tuesday!

I have been craving Mexican food since I left San Francisco. I am sure New York has some tasty burritos and tacos, but I have not ventured out to find them.  Who doesn't love a Taco Tuesday? I was inspired by the taco truck that parks a few blocks from our house and seems to have a pretty steady line outside. So I decided to make my own.

I have not been cooking much steak lately,  since my favorite method is on an outdoor grill. But I just bought a new grill pan (which I am now in love with), and have been wanting to try it out. The key to a grill pan is that after the meat has been marinating, make sure it is patted dry before putting it in the pan. Also, don't forget to rub the pan with oil. This helps with smoke control, and it helps the meat cook more evenly. The great thing about the cast iron grill pan is that it can go in the oven, so after the meat has grill marks, it can finish in a hot oven without moving it. I like to have a ton of fixings on my tacos, like avocado and beans. I wanted to make as many of the fixings I could by hand, so I tackled refried beans, salsa, chopped avocado, lightly pickled radishes and onions,  and the main event... grilled skirt steak folded inside a corn tortilla. I have not cooked Mexican food that much, but I thought these tacos came out delicious and not hard to make!

Skirt Steak Marinade
1 lb skirt steak
Juice of 2 limes
1/4 t. cayenne (if you don't like spicy, modify)
1 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin powder
1/4 t. coriander
1/4 t. fennel flower (not necessary if you don't have it)
1/2 t. paprika
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 jalapeno  cut into 4 pieces
splash of oil (I used peanut because that's what I had)
Salt
Pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a big enough bowl  to hold the steak. Add salted steak to the marinade and stick in the fridge for 2 hours (take out 45 min before cooking).

Pickled Radishes and Red Onion
5 radishes sliced
1/2 red onion sliced
2 T vinegar (I used red wine because that's what I had)

Let the radishes and onions sit in the vinegar for as long as you can. Mine sat for about 2 hours and they were perfect. I love the crunch they add to the taco.

Refried Beans

1 can black beans rinsed (normally I would not use canned but this was a last minute meal so I didn't have time to let beans soak).
1 slab bacon
1 garlic clove chopped
1/2 yellow onion small dice
1/4 jalapeno, small dice (my jalapeno was huge so I used 1 and divided it between all my dishes).
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 T sour cream
Salt

Cut the piece of bacon into lardons and put them in the pot to release the fat.  I did not want to overcook the bacon because I was only using it for the fat. Then remove the bacon and throw in the onions, letting them cook until they are translucent (10 min). Then, add the garlic clove and the jalapeno and let those cook for 2 min. before adding the rinsed beans. Add the chicken stock and let the beans simmer for 15 min.  Pour off most of the stock and add the sour cream and, with a potato masher, mash the beans together. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

Salsa
1 1/2 tomatoes seeded and diced ( I used the other half for the avocados).
1/4 onion diced and rinsed
1/2 jalapeno
1 clove garlic
1/2 lime juiced
salt
pepper

Add chopped tomatoes and onions to a bowl. Finally, chop the jalapeno and garlic and add to the bowl along with the lime juice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and let sit for 30 minutes before serving. If I were making this for myself I would add cilantro, but Mike does not like it and neither does my best friend or my mother so I omit it.

Chopped Avocado
1 avocado large dice
1/2 tomato seeded and diced
1/4 jalapeno diced
1/2 lime juiced
salt
pepper

Instead of making guacamole I like to leave the avocado in big pieces, more like a chopped salad. I already have the refried beans which are mushy so I think the salad creates a nicer texture in the taco. Toss all the ingredients together in a bowl lightly, and if you are not eating it right away reserve the pit because it helps keep the avocados from turning brown.

When ready to cook the steak, pat it dry and add to a hot oiled grill pan.  Cook for 5 minutes per side and then add the jalapenos from marinade and put in a 425 degree oven for a few minutes. Take the steak out of the oven and let it rest for several minutes before slicing.

Warm the corn tortillas (which I did not make but next time I am going to try) in the oven or microwave for a couple of minutes and fix yourself a taco.

Enjoy!

 

New Beginnings

Many new things are happening in my life. The first being that I am starting to write regularly again and I am going to try to be better about sharing my food experiences with you. Just because I took a blogging hiatus for a while, in no way does that mean that I have stopped eating and cooking, cooking and eating. In fact it is the opposite. I have just graduated from Tante Marie Cooking School in San Francisco. I am so grateful to everybody that I learned from there. I learned more then I even knew I could about food, tasting, technique, my love for all things cooking, and so much more.

While I was in school I wanted to completely focus on what I was being taught, so I put the blog on hold. But now I am back! I have moved to Brooklyn where I am currently looking for work, but also enjoying the the new sites and new eats. My kitchen is now packed with all the stuff that I brought with me from San Francisco and I have begun to cook regularly again. I am trying to come up with my own recipes or at least change existing recipes to make them my own and be inspired by what is around me.

So, to start off, I was at the meat counter at Fairway and I noticed some beautiful veal scallopini; paper thin and rosy pink. I din't have much of a recipe in mind but I knew I had to have that veal. I looked in my cart to see what else I had already thrown in; mushrooms, cream, pancetta, orecchiette pasta, and I knew I could make something with what I had. Cheers to cooking and eating and I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Veal Scallopini with Mushrooms and Peas

Serving size: 2 people

1/2 lb. veal scallopini

1/4 inch slice pancetta

8 brown mushrooms

1/2 box orecchiette pasta

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 T butter

2 T EVOO

1 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup cream

3 sprigs thyme

The first thing to do is put a pasta pot on with salted water and bring up to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil I season the veal with salt and pepper on both sides.

I then slice the mushrooms and saute them in a little butter and olive oil seasoned with salt and pepper.

By now the pasta water should be almost to a boil. Dry sautee the sliced pancetta and remove when golden brown to a bowl. Pour off some of the fat but keep some for browning the veal in. Then flour the veal on both sides and get the frying pan screaming hot with EVOO and a little butter.

It is important to make sure the pan is very hot because you want the veal to brown, but because it is so thin it cooks very quickly. Begin cooking the veal, and once the veal has browned on both sides remove it from the pan and put on a warm plate. Pour the pasta into the boiling salted water and begin to make the sauce.

To make the sauce pour off any grease from the veal and add the white wine and sprigs of thyme. Let reduce till half (3-5 min) then add the chicken stock and let that reduce till half (5-10 min). Add a little of this broth to the cooked and strained pasta. When the wine and chicken broth is reduced, add the cream and peas let cook for 2 min then add the mushrooms, pancetta, and veal. Do not cook this for long just so it all mixes together. Place the pasta on a plate, then add the veal and pour the sauce over.

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