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Tex-Mex Tacos



Who doesn’t love a taco? Infinitely variable, you can make a taco all your own to suit your tastes best. Fish tacos, shrimp tacos, puffy tacos, corn tacos, flour tacos, hard shell tacos, soft shell tacos, breakfast tacos, taquitos, tacos sudados, tacos al pastor- to many variations to list here completely! I have even made a dessert taco; I shaped a waffle cone like a taco, filled it with ice cream and dusted it with chopped nuts (very much inspired by Choco-Tacos).

This taco pulls inspiration from so many places: taco bell for the taco shell, various youtube videos for the beer and the addition of pork, and my own childhood for all my favorite toppings. I really like the shell; the soft/ hard shell combination filled with gooey cheese is hard to beat. I like deep frying my own corn tortillas to make the hard taco shell; I find the hard tacos I buy at the store have very little flavor and shatter easily.

I love combining pork and beef together. The fatty pork mixed with meaty beef makes for a ground meat sauce that is to die for. The beer really adds a lovely depth of flavor here; if you prefer to avoid alcohol, feel free with swap it out with chicken stock. I hope you’ll try these out today- enjoy!

Ingredients:
Corn Tortillas
Oil
Soft flour tortillas
Taco cheese blend
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon Mexican chili powder
1 jalapeño, diced (seeded if desired)
pinch red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup of beer (I used Corona)
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 a sweet onion, diced
fresh oregano- about 1/2 tablespoon
black pepper
salt
To serve:
Shredded lettuce
Taco cheese blend
Sour cream
Taco sauce
Salsa
Guacamole

Method:
Preheat you deep fryer to 375 degrees F (either a deep-fry machine or a heavy bottom Dutch oven with deep fry thermometer affixed). Soften your corn tortillas by microwaving them wrapped in paper towel for 10 seconds. Using a deep fry tortilla shaper, clamp on of your softened corn tortillas and fry it until golden brown and crispy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Allow to drain on a paper towel lined plate.

In a dry skillet on low, add a soft flour tortilla and sprinkle it with cheese. Once the cheese starts to melt, carefully wrap the flour tortilla onto the fried corn tortilla, allowing the melted cheese to form a layer to glue the two tortillas together. Set aside.

Meanwhile, add a small amount of oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeño and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic, the cumin, coriander, chili powder, chili flakes and tomato paste and cook for a further minute, to wake out the spices and caramelize the tomato paste. Add the meats and beer. The liquid of the beer will enable you to break up the meat into fine crumbles, plus it adds a lovely dimension of flavor. Continue cooking and breaking up the meat, until the liquid has evaporated, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the oregano.


Assemble you tacos; fill with meat, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, taco sauce, salsa, guacamole- whatever your heart desires. Serve with some rice and refried beans, and you have a Tex Mex feast! Enjoy!



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