How do you like your tacos?

[High Cheese]

Ok, we make tacos probobly 3 times a week for dinner, at least once on the weekend and I make them at work with leftover proteins. We don't make the 'ol ground beef and taco seasoning....stuff. Here's my faves starting with my most recent creation:

Pulled pork sauteed with a bit of hot sauce and cider vinegar on a flour tortilla with sliced pickled jalapenos and A taste of Thai Chille and Garlic sauce, squeeze of lime. I could eat 50 of those. I sautee the pork with the vinegar and sauce to taste, I make it a little loose using some pork fat and a little cooking oil.

Leftover pork or chicken tacos with sauteed onions, peppers and chiles. Topped with diced tomato and lettuce or...

Leftover pork or chicken tacos with sauteed jalapenos and onions, refried beans and lime.

Fish tacos with shredded cabbage and a spicy yogurt/mayo sauce with fresh cilantro and lime.

Sliced steak tacos with cabbage, fresh sliced jalapenos and hot sauce.

I can't even remember a quarter of the recipes I used. It basically comes down to what we have in the fridge, pantry or garden.

Edit: Oh, I forgot, weused to only use 6" corn tortillas but now were back to flour tortillas. The corn ones are great grilled but you have to eat them right away.

[lilbopeep]

We like the good ole ground beef tacos. Girls like hard or soft shells.

I like the crispy toasted corn flavor of the hard shell.

I like to build mine by putting a layer of shredded cheese in the shell first, seasoned meat, small amount of cheese again, hot sauce, salsa or taco sauce, green onions, black olives, chopped tomato, sour cream and shredded lettuce.

[Sass Muffin]

The traditional way normally.
Just recently made fish tacos and loved them.
I prefer the crunchy shell, but soft tacos using tortillas are ok too.
Crunchy baked bean tacos with bbq sauce, sour cream, jack cheese and caramelized onions.. whoa baby.. LOL

[Deelady]

The best in my house growing up was skirt steak seasoned with garlic powder and seared on the grill, then chopped up very small served in corn tortillas with minced onions and cilantro and lime wedges on the side! Simple but PACKED with flavor!
Missing skirt steak at my stores oh so much!!

[CaliforniaCook]

Pretty much anything that can go into a sandwich. Have you thought about, or tried, doing something different with tacos, i.e.

dessert - chocolate tacos filled w/ strawberries & cream, plantains or fruit of choice.

cinnamon/sugar baked taco chips with pumpkin dip

taco lasagna

taco pizza - there's a copycat recipe for taco bell's taco pizza

Have you tried making arepas (filled w/ chicken & avocado salad etc - some good recipes are on the web), i.e.:

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?sec...ine&id=7028986

A little departure from tacos, but in the same neighborhood - Tortillitas w/ shrimp (posted the link awhile back, but here it is again):

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/dining/01mini.html

[MexicoKaren]

Jeeks and CC have it right, as far as Mexican tacos are concerned. The taco is basically the Mexican equivalent of a sandwich, so you put anything in there that you've got handy and garnishes, the same. Although there ARE sandwiches here (tortas), and they are likely to include lots of delicious vegetables as well as meat and cheese. My favorite is a torta ahogada (drowned sandwich) that is similar to a french dip, but it is made with pork and the hot tomato/chile broth is spooned over the sandwich. Scrumptious!

In most of Mexico, they will use corn tortillas - the farther north you go, the more likely you are to see flour ones. Where we live, flour tortillas are used for quesadillas - that's about all. When a taco is served here, it is basically like the picture I've included...a hot corn tortilla with meat and maybe cheese (never yellow cheese). Crispy tacos like the ones we are used to in the states are called "tacos dorados" and are not widely available.

The picture I've used (these are made with carnitas/pork and cotija cheese) is how you will get tacos in a restaurant here, with lots of garnishes offered: sliced radishes (always), onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, slivered cabbage (never lettuce) and several kinds of salsas.

So now you've had your taco lesson for today. The important thing is not to worry about what is authentic, but to eat them whenever and however you like them, and ENJOY.

[Cooksie]

If I'm going the crispy route, I like to use a tostado shell instead of a taco shell. I like to get a little of everything in one bite, and the tostado seems to work better than a regular taco shell for that. One of my favorites is leftover chili topped with cheese, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.

For flour tortillas I like smoked chicken, pulled pork, or grilled flank steak served with pick and choose toppings. If I happen to have some leftover Ro-tel cheese dip, I like to put that on tacos too....crispy or soft, I love it on both.

[PanchoHambre]

I pretty much just like tacos any old way. I do love a crispy tex-mex cheezy beef taco but My favorite is probably al-pastor from a truck

[SilverSage]

Karen, what's the difference between a taco and a fajita?

I sliced up some grilled steak, sauteed onions and peppers, put it on a warm, soft tortilla just like your pic, and topped it with salsa & sour cream. We always call that a fajita. It seems to be the same concept as your pork taco.

Is there a difference, or is this just another American thing?

[MexicoKaren]

Originally Posted by Silver Sage

Karen, what's the difference between a taco and a fajita?

Hmmm. I think that tacos are served already "constructed", and fajitas, which always have grilled sliced onions and peppers, are assembled at the table. Most of the places I have been here give you a choice between flour and corn tortillas for fajitas, and most of them cook the meat and vegetables at tableside.

Yes, it sounds like you are making fajitas. The way I feel about it is that it doesn't matter so much what you call it as long as it tastes good.

[SilverSage]

Well, ours tasted good, and yours sure look good!

Thanks for the explanation.

[Keltin]

Originally Posted by SilverSage

Karen, what's the difference between a taco and a fajita?

I sliced up some grilled steak, sauteed onions and peppers, put it on a warm, soft tortilla just like your pic, and topped it with salsa & sour cream. We always call that a fajita. It seems to be the same concept as your pork taco.

Is there a difference, or is this just another American thing?

Cultural and Regional differences.

As my Italian friend explained, in Genoa Italy they have 3 red sauces:

Salsa - Tomatoes cooked down with garlic, onion, and herbs
Ragu - Salsa that has bits of meat added, it’s homogenous
Sugo - Hunk of meat braised in Salsa so that salsa takes meat flavor.

In Genoa, the Northwestern part of Italy, they do Lasagna without meat. They use only Sugo, béchamel, cheese, and noodles. The meat comes sliced from the first Sugo cook.

Go East in Italy, and Lasagna is meat included.

It’s cultural and regional.

My Dad was in prison with a guy named Julio, a Spaniard that got put in there over an incursion with a tourist theft. We used to get Sunday calls from Dad and Julio. Julio was a good friend, and told us the basics of Fajita really meant STEAK (cow’s ass as he put it - usually Flank, which is actually cow’s belly, but I’m not arguing with Julio!). Tacos were “other stuff” as he said.

But in the end, roll it or stuff it, and eat it.

[MexicoKaren]

Originally Posted by Keltin

But in the end, roll it or stuff it, and eat it.

That's exactly right, Keltin. Whatever you have to eat, if you wrap it up in a tortilla, it's called a taco. Lots of regional differences here, as well. The guys who built our upstairs would come to work in the morning with a kilo of fresh, warm tacos and a bottle of hot sauce (usually Valentino's). Maybe some limes. That was breakfast.

I wouldn't argue with Julio, either.

[Keltin]

Originally Posted by MexicoKaren

That's exactly right, Keltin. Whatever you have to eat, if you wrap it up in a tortilla, it's called a taco. Lots of regional differences here, as well. The guys who built our upstairs would come to work in the morning with a kilo of fresh, warm tacos and a bottle of hot sauce (usually Valentino's). Maybe some limes. That was breakfast.

I wouldn't argue with Julio, either.

Julio was a good guy. A veritable saint. So courteous. He was touring and a guy grabbed his wife's purse and camera. He stepped in to defend her. The guy pulled a knife. Julio took the knife away from the perp and stabbed him. The Perp died, and Julio went to prison. BS if you ask me, but such is the way.

[buckytom]

i prefer shredded chicken in a hard corn shell, topped with shredded romaine, diced tomatoes, oinons, and jalapenos, sour cream, shredded jack cheese or queso blanco, and a salsa picante.

[Mr. Green Jeans]

I never much cared for corn tortillas until I was introduced to a toasted one. Many of our workers carry a single burner Coleman stove to flame toast/roast tortillas. What a difference!

[High Cheese]

Originally Posted by Mr. Green Jeans

I never much cared for corn tortillas until I was introduced to a toasted one. Many of our workers carry a single burner Coleman stove to flame toast/roast tortillas. What a difference!

No doubt. I think the best way to eat those is standing next to a grill with a pack of corn tortillas, some sort of protein and a bottle of hot sauce.

[Mr. Green Jeans]

Originally Posted by High Cheese

No doubt. I think the best way to eat those is standing next to a grill with a pack of corn tortillas, some sort of protein and a bottle of hot sauce.

AMEN!

[FooD]

9 out of 10 times I prepare my tacos with either carnitas or carne asada, soft shell 4" tortillas, with chopped onions, cilantro, and hot salsa. I will consume them while standing at the counter while cooking them in my large stove top cast iron griddle with a bottle of brew. Only way to really enjoy them, imo.....until you get absolutely full.

[FooD]

IMO....the best tacos in L.A. come from the taco truck parked at the corner of Alvarado and Montana.

[Mr. Green Jeans]

The Mexican grocery stores out here sell tortilla presses. I was in a gotta get one of those moods. Let's just say fresh is best!

[Guts]

Originally Posted by FooD

9 out of 10 times I prepare my tacos with either carnitas or carne asada, soft shell 4" tortillas, with chopped onions, cilantro, and hot salsa. I will consume them while standing at the counter while cooking them in my large stove top cast iron griddle with a bottle of brew. Only way to really enjoy them, imo.....until you get absolutely full.

FooD
Same here

[larry_stewart]

Crispy taco shells. I like the ones with a flat bottom, so they are easy to fill without tipping over. i used to do the layering method. now, I just make a taco salad, consisting of the basics, lettuce, cheese, olives, onions, salsa, meat ( vegetarian in my case) , mix it all up, and just stuff the shells with the taco salad.

Also have had guacamole tacos which were very good too.

[Sass Muffin]

Originally Posted by Guts

FooD
Same here

Oh my Guts!
That first pic. Well, I know what I am having for lunch tomorrow.
Turns out I have some sliced steak left and the other ingredients in your pic.

[Guts]

Sass
This is what I use on flap meat, BBQ then chop up for tacos. As some of you know my brother (adopted) is from Mexico. He showed me how he makes a wet marinade, and I tried lots of combination's to get the Tijuana street style of flavor. Which came out good but, this is the closest thing I have found to the flavor of the Tijuana street venders.Just season the meat 2-4 hours before cooking and BBQ. Quick and easy, taste Great. IMO. Julian my brother likes it too. I buy it in bulk 5 Lbs.. at a time, and the cost comes down from the little bottles.


http://www.vianueva.net/carneasadami...4oz-p-236.html