Mom’s Tasty Tacos

Growing up, we always loved Mom’s tacos.  Part of reason we would request them so often is she used a secret ingredient to make them extra tasty.  Well, maybe it isn’t so secret but it sure adds a lovely flavor to this very Americanized dish!  The secret ingredient…..Parmesan!

serves 4

8 corn tortilla shells

vegetable oil

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 package taco mix (or your own spices)

1 1/2 pound ground beef

generous amounts of grated Parmesan such as Kraft®

garnishes: chopped tomato, lettuce, cilantro, cheese, sour cream, and left over chimichurri sauce (see post: 8/23/2010 for sauce)

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a saute pan over medium-low heat.  Cook onion until soft.  Add packet of taco seasoning and stir until fragrant.  Add beef and cook until brown, drain fat.  Pour in a cup of water and stir to combine.  Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile in a non-stick skillet add enough oil to submerge tortillas, about an inch, over medium heat.  To determine your oil’s temperature, tear a small portion of an extra shell and place it in the heated oil.  The torn tortilla should instantly simmer and begin cooking.  When oil reaches temperature fry one tortilla at a time turning and folding into a taco shape.  Drain each tortilla on a plate lined with paper towels and shake Parmesan all over the outside of the shells.  Fill with beef and desired garnishes. ¡Sabrosos!

onions and spices

secret ingredient - parmesan!

garnishes

Upright & Outtasite Cornish Game Hen

'juiced' and ready to cook

Crispy on the Outside & Juicy on the Inside

Beer Can Chicken has been around for a while and is still very popular – the reason being it’s a fantastic way to prepare the humble bird or it’s relation the cornish game hen.  We use game hens when we cook for two.  The method is the same with only a few tweaks.  The most obvious one being the size of the can that the bird ‘sits’ on.  A normal beer or soda can is perfect for most chickens, but we found a smaller can such as an energy drink or cold coffee drink can works well with the smaller game hens.

serves 2

1 cornish game hen, cleaned inside and out

1 can sized to fit the bottom hole of the bird

2 tablespoons light olive oil

1 tablespoon herbs de provence

2 teaspoons coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350° or prepare grill with lid to 350°.  If using an oven, move the rack low enough to accommodate the upright (and Outtasite) bird on the can.  Drain the liquid from the can and rinse.  Fill the can only halfway with water, beer, or soda.  The flavor of the liquid is pretty much indiscernible after cooking.  Place the can on a small sheet pan. Dry the hen inside and out with paper towels and tuck the wingtips behind the back.  Rub oil on the outside and season with herbs and spices.  Carefully mount the bird on top of the half filled can.  For the oven, keep the bird on the sheet pan to cook.  For the grill, place the hen with the can directly on the BBQ grill and cover with a lid.

Roast or grill for approximately 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°.

Funky Blue Mac & Cheese

Who doesn’t like Mac n Cheese!  This recipe is a slightly modified Cook’s Illustrated version.  This particular mac n cheese has the distinct blue cheese flavor, so if you aren’t into blue, you may want to try something more traditional.

The history and origin of macaroni and cheese is convoluted, as are many foods we eat today.  From the varied resources I looked into, I suppose it would be safe to say the the dish was popularized in the U.S. by Thomas Jefferson during his presidency.  Jefferson had a keen interest in foods and the gadgets that helped make them, such as a pasta machine.  Jefferson came back from a trip to Italy with a pasta machine, which he then improved upon leading to plenty of mac n cheese making in his household.  Personally, I’m very glad he popularized this dish verses something like Gypsy moth soup…

CRUMB TOPPING:

4 slices white or ‘light’ wheat sandwich bread, torn in to small pieces

1/2  cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

PASTA AND CHEESE:

1 pound fusilli  pasta

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup grated Fontina or mixed bag Italian cheeses

4 ounces of blue cheese, crumbled

1 cup  grated Parmesan cheese

1 4.5 ounce can  fire roasted tomatoes, chopped and drained

4 ounces prosciutto, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups heavy cream

1.  FOR THE TOPPING:  In a food processor, pulse the bread slices and place in a bowl.  Stir in the Parmesan, salt and pepper.

2. FOR THE PASTA: Preheat oven to 500 degrees with the rack in the middle (more nearer the top) of the oven.

3. In a pot add enough water to cook the pasta and 1 tablespoon salt.  At a boil add pasta and stir to separate.  In a large bowl, mix all the remaining cheeses and chopped prosciutto.

4. While pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a small pot over low heat.  Stir in the flour and cook gently to remove floury taste, about 1 minute.  Do not let flour brown.  Slowly add heavy cream, fully incorporating it as you pour.  Increase heat slightly to bring the cream mixture to a very gentle simmer.  Gently add tomatoes and remove from heat.

5. Once pasta is al dente, drain quickly, then pour noodles into the cheese bowl. Immediately add the cream mixture over the top of the noodles and cover tightly with aluminum foil.  Let rest for 3 minutes.  A good time to rinse out sticky cheesy bowls, etc.  Remove foil and stir making sure the cheeses and noodels are fully incorporated.  Pour into a 9×13 baking dish.  Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top and pop it into the oven for about 7 minutes, making sure the topping is browned.  Serve on warmed plates.