IT training tacos authentic, festive flavorful

¡MUY DELICIOSO! , , , ,    ,   tacos T:A Lara Ferroni is a Seattle-based photographer who has contributed images to Epicurious.com, Gourmet.com, Seattle magazine, and Portland Monthly, among others She also blogs about food on Cook & Eat (www.cookandeat.com) and about food photography and styling on Still Life With (www.stilllifewith.com) Photographs by Lara Ferroni Book design by Rosebud Eustace Printed in China TACOS ,    ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:AT A:T Scott Wilson grew up eating hard shell ground beef tacos with orange cheese and iceberg lettuce until the taco trucks arrived in his hometown of Redwood City, CA When he’s not thinking about tacos, he’s writing, gardening, cooking, making beer, teaching classes on herbal brewing and food preservation, and spending time with his wife and two kids on their homestead in Oregon Wilson :ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA TA:ATA:ATA: TA A:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:A TA T :ATA :ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:AT ATA:ATA:ATA : ATA ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA AA Scott Wilson C O OK I N G $16.95 U.S The Recipes Are Simple The Variations Are Many The Results, DELICIOUS Take a corn or flour tortilla Add your choice of rice, beans, shredded cheese, pickled jalapeños, onions, you name it Now it’s time for the main filling—beef, pork, fish, or sautéed veggies are just a few options Pour on salsa, maybe some guacamole or sour cream, then fold it up In your hands, you have a taco—easy to prepare, made to your specifications, and oh-so-yummy This book shows how to make the best tacos you’ll ever eat Try out such variations as Beef Meatball Taco in Guajillo Sauce, Chorizo and Cactus Taco Dorado, and Garlic–Wild Mushroom Taco with Creamed Corn and Morita Salsa There’s even a Spicy Hot Fudge Taco recipe for dessert Also included: T Recipes for salsas, side dishes, and aguas frescas T Advice on how to create your own tortillas T Tips for throwing your own taco party U U :ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:AT ATA:ATA:ATA :ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA : A ATA ATA A TA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA TA:ATA:ATA: T TA A:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:A www.sasquatchbooks.com www.sasquatchbooks.com $16.95 U.S ISBN-10: 1-57061-612-4 ISBN-13: 978-1-57061-612-9 T Resources for finding specialized tools and ingredients : A A : A :ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:AT A:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:A tacos authentic, festive & flavorful Scott Wilson A:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:A :ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:AT A:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:A : A Copyright © 2009 by Scott Wilson All rights reserved No portion of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, without the prior written permission of the publisher Printed in China Published by Sasquatch Books Distributed by PGW/Perseus 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 987654321 Cover photographs: Lara Ferroni Cover design: Rosebud Eustace Interior design and composition: Rosebud Eustace Interior photographs: Lara Ferroni Textured patterns: Billy Alexander / www.sxc.hu Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wilson, Scott, 1965– Tacos : authentic, festive & flavorful / Scott Wilson p cm Includes bibliographical references ISBN-13: 978-1-57061-612-9 ISBN-10: 1-57061-612-4 Tacos Salsas (Cookery) Cookery, American Southwestern style I Title TX836.W45 2009 641.8’4 dc22 2009016940 Sasquatch Books 119 South Main Street, Suite 400 Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 467-4300 www.sasquatchbooks.com custserv@sasquatchbooks.com A : A :ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:AT A:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:A contents Introduction salsas and sIdes tacos drInks and desserts v 29 83 References and Resources 96 Index 98 A:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:A :ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:AT A:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:ATA:A IntroductIon The twenty-first century is destined to be the “Century of the Taco.” The 1900s were most definitely the Pizza Century, as that delicious invention that began modestly in Italy ended up being available in every town from Tierra del Fuego to the Arctic Circle I don’t believe that pizza is going away, or that it will be knocked from its mighty throne by the up-and-coming taco No, there’s room in this world for more than one superstar finger food Consider the rapidly growing Latino food and beverage market in the United States, with expected sales in 2011 of $8.4 billion, a 47 percent increase from 2006, as reported on American Public Media’s Marketplace Web site Consider that, according to the Tortilla Industry Association, as of 2002, tortillas were the second-most-popular bread product in the United States, with 32 percent of the market, trailing white bread by only percent It also estimates that Americans ate eighty-five billion tortillas in 2000! wanted: authentic tacos! Increasingly, travelers to Mexico and other Latin American destinations are wrapping a culinary cloak around their trips The expanding sophistication of globe-trotters’ palates means that they seek to immerse themselves in the gastronomic heritage of their host countries, not only observing authentic foodways, but egnaging in the food preparation as well When they return home, they seek to re-create these dishes Observe magazines such as Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Saveur, and others to notice that their recipes increasingly call for ingredients that were mostly unknown a short time ago Huitlacoche, anyone? Fueling this trend are moves by top cooking schools in the United States to focus on Latin American cuisine The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is building a new facility on its Hyde Park, New York, campus featuring a traditional Mexican kitchen and a Yucatán-style underground oven for making cochinita pibil (pit-roasted pork) and other authentic dishes Also, in conjunction with billionaire philanthropist Christopher Goldsbury, the CIA is opening the Center for Foods of the Americas in San Antonio, Texas As newly trained chefs emerge from programs such as these, we can expect to see even more authentic, delicious, and innovative creations on menus across the country v And believe me, these creations will be filling tacos as fast as we can eat them Already, chefs across the country and beyond are serving up tacos that give a nod to the true essence of the dish: fresh, local ingredients prepared on the spot and served right away, devoured immediately in all their juicy goodness The taco is the heart and soul of Mexico; it is the root manifestation of the mother food Not bad for a food that’s classified as an antojito, or little whim, in Mexican cuisine the global rise of the taco Yet the rise of the taco into the global consciousness is quite recent The first comprehensive Mexican cookbook, Mariano Galván Rivera’s Diccionario de cocina, published in 1845, ran over a thousand pages but didn’t include tacos Though the histories of Mexico and the western United States are intertwined, the Anglo population of the United States didn’t become interested in eating Mexican foods until the early twentieth century By the late nineteenth century, American cookbooks began publishing recipes for “Mexican” dishes such as tamale pie and enchiladas, but it wasn’t until 1914 that the first taco recipe appeared in print By the 1930s, specific taco recipes began to appear, such as Tacos de San Luis in Blanche and Edna McNeill’s First Foods of America Tacos really began to sear themselves into the consciousness of Americans in the 1940s with the advent of the Bracero Program, under which more than over four million Mexican farm workers came to the United States to work, mainly in agricultural jobs Tacos entered the world of American fast food with the opening of taco stands in Southern California in the 1950s, such as Taco Tiq, El Tacos, and Taco Bell But it was Juvencio Maldonado who, in 1950, patented the form for deepfrying tortillas into U-shaped shells, and the hard-shell taco was born In this book you will find recipes that range from authentic to eclectic Having spent a large part of my taco life in my hometown of Redwood City, in the San Francisco area, I’ve been to countless taquerías and taco trucks In fact, I invented the “Taco Triple Crown” over twenty years ago in order to justify eating tacos for every meal, raising the bar on the extreme taco crawl concept My patrón is San Vicente, “El Taquero Celestial.” So I don’t take messing around with tacos lightly Herein, you will find are recipes that seek to honor vi Introduction the ingredients by using cooking and preparation methods that coax out the best they have to offer Most of the recipes are fairly simple A couple of them involve several steps but are not complicated Nearly all of the ingredients are widely available in the United States, especially if you have access to a Mexican or Latin American market And I’ve offered substitutes for ingredients that may be hard to find Be assured, though, that you can make most of the recipes with ingredients purchased at a well-stocked supermarket If you live far from town and/or a Mexican or Latin American market, you may want to check out the mail-order sources at the end of the book for ingredients There are, in my estimation, three critical elements in a successful taco session The first is serving the tacos hot, hot, hot, especially when grilling Most of the meat is cut thin in order to facilitate fast cooking and retention of juices The meat heats up fast and cools down fast, too, so make sure the hungry mouths of friends and family are nearby This is easy to if you, as grill master, keep the cooler of beer and aguas frescas nearby It’s even easier once your guests smell the marinated meats and onions as they hit the grill As an added bonus, use fresh seasonal and local ingredients when possible The flavor and quality are generally superb, and it makes sense to support your local businesses The second element is a basket of hot soft tortillas, be they corn or flour To this end, it is best to have a tortilla master who is in tune with the grill master and can heat the tortillas just before the fillings are ready If you’re serving buffet style, you can heat a whole bunch of tortillas and nestle them inside a kitchen towel inside a tortilla warmer If you’re serving la carte, taco truck style, then have your tortilla person start heating tortillas a couple of minutes before the grilled food is ready The third element is family, and that includes good friends After all, the culture from which tacos emerged is deeply oriented toward family Over the years, I’ve found that I only really need a few things in life: good food, good family, and good friends I believe, by the grace of God, that I have all three I extend to you, dear reader, what I hope you find to be a gift of good tacos to add to your repertoire Introduction vii a short history of tortillas Before the tortilla there was nothing After the tortilla there was the taco The most profound truths are often based on simplicity So it is with the tortilla, made from nothing more than corn, mineral lime, and water From these ingredients, ancient farmers of Mexico and Central America created a flatbread that over five thousand years later is sweeping the globe Fillings for tacos number in the hundreds, yet the tortilla remains the same Some factories add chemicals to their tortillas, and flour tortillas joined corn tortillas after the Spanish Conquest, but by and large the tortilla of today is the tortilla of 3400 BC Before corn there was teosinte (Zea mexicana), which is widely believed by scientists to be the plant that Mesoamericans developed over thousands of years into what we know as corn (Zea mays) Unlike other grains, including teosinte, corn cannot distribute its mature seed, which is bound securely inside the husk It needs human intervention for dispersal The oldest corn specimens yet found, in the Guilá Naquitz cave in Oaxaca, Mexico, are 5,400 years old! Not surprisingly, corn figures prominently in the creation stories of Mesoamerican peoples Within the Mayan cosmology, Yum Kaax is the deity responsible for agriculture in general and corn specifically He is always depicted holding ears of corn and wearing a corn headdress In Popol Vuh: The Sacred Book of the Maya, the translation of the Mayan creation story, the emergence of humanity is intricately linked with the discovery of corn It describes the fifth creation of earth as when humanity appeared: This, then, is the beginning [literally, “planting” in the Quiché language] of the conception of humanity, when that which would become the flesh of mankind was sought Then spoke they who are called She Who Has Borne Children and He Who Has Begotten Sons, The Framer and the Shaper, Sovereign and Quetzal Serpent “The dawn approaches, and our work is not successfully completed A provider and a sustainer have yet to appear—a child of light, a son of light Humanity has yet to appear to populate the face of the earth,” they said Thus they gathered together and joined their thoughts in the darkness, in the night They searched and they sifted Here they viii Introduction sPIcy cherry aGua Fresca Agua Fresca Picosa de Cereza This slightly fiery agua fresca will keep you alert while you eat your tacos From Nikki R Cohen of The Hungry Cat restaurants in Hollywood and Santa Barbara, California, it dances intriguingly between tangy sweetness and invigorating spiciness If Pancho Villa had been born a hundred years later, he’d be cooling his chops with this baby makes about quarts 11½ cups water, divided 2½ cups sugar, plus more for coating chiles to Fresno chiles, stems and seeds intact, cut into strips each to pounds Bing cherries, pitted Juice of lemons (approximately 1½ cups) First, make a Fresno simple syrup by bringing 2½ cups of the water, the sugar, and the Fresno strips to a boil in a medium-size saucepan Simmer for 15 minutes and remove from heat With a slotted spoon, transfer the Fresno strips to an oven rack and let them dry Let the syrup cool, then strain it through a fine mesh sieve and set it aside When the Fresno strips are dry, dip them in sugar, lay them on a plate, and set aside In a juicer, juice the cherries to get cups of juice Alternatively, put the cherries in a blender with some of the water and blend Set a sieve over a large bowl and pour in the cherry mixture Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, press and stir the mixture to strain out the liquid Add the remaining water, the lemon juice, and the Fresno simple syrup to taste Pour into a 1-gallon glass jar and refrigerate Stir well before serving Serve over ice and garnish with some of the reserved candied Fresno strips The agua fresca will keep in the refrigerator for a week 86 TACOS mIchelada Michelada Mi chelada means “my chelada” in Spanish Yes, it is—yours to make and drink while relaxing in the shade on a hot day Maggi, a popular brand of sauce in Mexico, is available at Latin American and Chinese markets and online Look for the little bottles of liquid sauce, not the Maggi bouillon products makes michelada Coarse salt Lime wedge Juice of ½ lime (approximately tablespoon) dashes Worcestershire sauce dash Tabasco, or other hot sauce such as Tapatío or Huichol pinch freshly ground pepper dash Maggi Seasoning Sauce dash soy sauce (optional) One 12-ounce bottle Mexican beer Cover the surface of a small plate or bowl with salt Rub the rim of a tall glass with a lime wedge and press the rim into the salt to coat Fill the glass with ice and add the lime juice, Worcestershire, Tabasco, pepper, Maggi, and soy sauce, if using Stir with a long spoon Pour in the beer and stir again Garnish with the lime wedge Drinks and Desserts 87 ryan’s blackberry marGarIta Margarita de Moras de Ryan In the heat of summer, with an abundance of sweet, fresh blackberries everywhere, this margarita shines In fact, it’s one of master mixologist Ryan Magarian’s “go-to summer-thyme refreshers” at backyard dinner parties (or a taquiza, perhaps!) Here, the technique called muddling, which is the bruising of herbs and the light crushing of fruit, releases the essential oils contained in the thyme and mixes it with the blackberries Cheers to Ryan for sharing his recipe Note: A muddler is essentially a wooden handle used to crush herbs and spices directly in a cocktail shaker or glass It can be found in houseware stores A decent substitute is any household utensil that has a wooden handle with a blunt end Use a muddler much like a pestle, smashing the ingredients to release their essences makes cocktails Simple Syrup cups water cups granulated sugar Margarita teaspoon vodka to limes (to make 1½ ounces lime juice) 14 fresh blackberries sprigs fresh thyme, plus sprigs for garnish ½ ounce Cointreau ounces El Tesoro Platinum tequila Ice (about to cubes home freezer size) ounces brut champagne To make the simple syrup, combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until sugar is dissolved Allow to cool, then add the teaspoon vodka as a preservative Refrigerate until ready to use Using a citrus juicer or lime expresser, juice the limes and set aside 88 TACOS In a shaker or jar, add the blackberries and two sprigs of thyme and muddle until the berries are fairly well crushed, about to 10 presses with the flat side of the muddler Add the Cointreau, tequila, lime juice, and 1½ ounces simple syrup to the muddled mixture Add several pieces of ice to the shaker or jar, leaving some room at the top Then place the lid on the shaker and shake vigorously for seconds Remove lid and strain contents into two chilled cocktail glasses Top each margarita with ounce brut champagne, then lay a sprig of thyme across the top and serve FruIt GranItas Agua Fresca Helada This recipe is tasty, refreshing, and very easy Simply make any of the aguas frescas (see pages 85 and 86) and follow these directions makes cups quarts agua fresca, any variety Pour the agua fresca into a 9- by 13-inch baking dish, or another dish that is wide and shallow Put the dish in the freezer About once an hour, remove the dish from the freezer and stir with a spoon, breaking up the ice that forms along the edge of the dish with the edge of the spoon This will give the drink a nice, grainy texture Allow to hours for the entire process When the agua fresca is completely frozen into grainy ice, scoop it into individual ice cream cups and return them to the freezer until ready to serve Drinks and Desserts 89 blackberry corn drInk Atole de Moras I love atole, the ancient Mesoamerican corn-based drink, and I love blackberries, which grow in profusion around my Pacific Northwest home This is an ideal warm dessert after a cool-weather taco meal—tasty and nutritious It’s also a great drink to start the day Kids love to dip cinnamon sticks in the atole and slurp it off Atole’s base ingredient, a special cornmeallike flour called masa harina, is available at Latin American markets, many supermarkets, and online Note: To break up cones of piloncillo, the Mexican brown sugar, use the thick edge of a cleaver or a hammer makes about cups cups blackberries, fresh or frozen 2½ cups water tablespoons piloncillo or dark brown sugar ⅓ cup masa harina 2-inch cinnamon sticks, for garnish In a medium-size pot over medium-low heat, combine the blackberries and water and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes, or until the berries are very soft, stirring occasionally Remove from heat, let cool, and transfer to a food processor or blender Blend until smooth, about minute Set a sieve over a medium-size bowl and pour in the blackberry purée Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, press and stir the mixture to strain out as much liquid as possible Return the strained mixture to the pot, add the piloncillo, and warm over low heat until the piloncillo is dissolved Whisk in the masa and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, until the atole has thickened to a gravylike consistency If the mixture seems too thick, add a little water Serve hot in mugs garnished with a cinnamon stick 90 TACOS caFé de olla Café de Olla Traditionally made in a cazuela, or earthenware pot, and served in earthenware mugs, Café de Olla, a Mexican-style coffee, is brewed with cinnamon and served with piloncillo, Mexican brown sugar It’s a satisfying way to end a meal Note: To break up piloncillo cones, use the thick edge of a cleaver or a hammer makes about cups cups water ¾ to cup coarsely ground medium-dark roast coffee 2-inch cinnamon stick ounces piloncillo, broken into small pieces, for serving Put the water in a medium-size pot and bring to a boil Add the coffee and cinnamon and bring to a boil again Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let steep for minutes Set a sieve over a serving pot and pour in the mixture Serve with the piloncillo pieces on the side TACO TIp Consider buying fair trade Mexican coffee for your Café de Olla Some sources include www.equalexchange.coop, www.peacecoffee com, deansbeans.com, and cafecampesino.com Drinks and Desserts 91 92 TACOS sPIcy hot FudGe tacos Taco de Salsa Picante de Chocolate The Aztecs drank xocolatl, an elixir made of freshly ground cacao beans and hot chiles A nod to xocolatl, this fudge sauce is a bit spicy, with just a touch of cayenne and ancho chile powder Pour it over crepes and vanilla ice cream and you have a dessert taco like no other Don’t let the long recipe scare you— all the steps are simple This recipe makes about cups of hot fudge sauce Leftover sauce can be refrigerated for up to two weeks and drizzled on ice cream, blended into milkshakes, or stirred into hot coffee for an interesting mocha makes servings Crepe Tortillas eggs ¾ cup milk ẳ cup water ắ pastry or all-purpose flour ¼ cup fine corn flour ⅜ teaspoon salt tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Spicy Hot Fudge Sauce 10 ounces semisweet chocolate (at least 70 percent cacao content) ⅓ cup Dutch cocoa powder ẳ teaspoon cayenne ẵ teaspoon ancho chile powder ¾ cup light corn syrup ⅓ cup sugar ⅓ cup heavy cream ⅓ cup water Pinch of salt tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces teaspoon vanilla extract ½ gallon vanilla ice cream ¼ cup toasted almonds, finely chopped Drinks and Desserts 93 For the Crepe Tortillas, put the egg, milk, and water in a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth, about seconds Add the pastry flour, corn flour, and salt, and blend for more seconds With a spatula, scrape down the sides of the container, and blend for more seconds Pour the batter into a medium-size bowl, cover, and put in the refrigerator to rest, at least hours, but ideally overnight Over medium heat, warm a 7-inch crepe pan or other seasoned pan with sloped sides When the pan is hot, brush the surface with a little of the butter Add tablespoons of the batter to the pan and tilt the pan so that the batter coats the entire bottom (If the batter is too thick to pour and spread out in the pan quickly, add a little water or milk to it in the bowl while whisking If the crepe sets before it covers the pan, discard the crepe—or finish cooking and eat it—lower the heat slightly, and wave the pan in the air for about 15 seconds to cool it off Begin a new crepe.) Cook until the edges of the crepe begin to dry and pull away from the pan, about minute Slide a spatula or knife under the edge to loosen the crepe and flip it over, cooking the second side just until set, about 30 seconds Transfer to a plate Repeat with the rest of the crepe batter, adding additional butter to the pan as needed, until you have used all of the batter You should have or 10 crepes When the crepes are all cooked, cover them and refrigerate until ready to use For the Spicy Hot Fudge Sauce, in a double boiler, melt the chocolate, whisking often, until smooth, about to minutes Alternatively, melt the chocolate in a medium-size glass bowl in the microwave on high, stirring every minute Once the chocolate is melted, whisk in the cocoa powder, cayenne, and ancho powder until dissolved In a medium-size saucepan, simmer the corn syrup, sugar, cream, water, and salt over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened, about minutes Remove the saucepan from the stove and whisk in the butter and vanilla Let the mixture cool for minutes, then whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth, about minute 94 TACOS To assemble, work quickly so the ice cream doesn’t melt Place a cold crepe on a cold plate With a small ice cream scoop or a spoon, put to scoops of vanilla ice cream near the edge of the crepe closest to you Flip the edge of the crepe over the ice cream and roll it up Place the rolled crepe, seamside down, on the plate Repeat with the remaining crepes For each serving, include rolled crepes Pour to tablespoons of warmed Spicy Hot Fudge Sauce over the crepes, sprinkle with the toasted almonds, and serve Drinks and Desserts 95 reFerences and resources selected bibliography Alters Jamison, Cheryl, and Bill Jamison The Rancho de Chimayó Cookbook: The Traditional Cooking of New Mexico The Harvard Common Press: Boston, 1991 Ávila Hernández, Dolores, et al Atlas cultural de mexico: Gastronomía Grupo Editorial Planeta: Mexico, 1988 Bayless, Rick Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico William Morrow and Company, New York, 1987 Brennan, Kira, Ed Secrets of Salsa: A Bilingual Cookbook by the Mexican Women of Anderson Valley Chelsea Green Publishing: Vermont, 2001 Castelló Yturbide Teresa Presencia de la comida prehispanica Banamex: Mexico City, 1987 Christenson, Allen J Popol Vuh: The Sacred Book of the Maya University of Oklahoma Press, 2007 DeWitt, Dave and Chuck Evans The Hot Sauce Bible The Crossing Press: California, 1996 Facciola, Stephen Cornucopia: A Source Book of Edible Plants Kampong Publications: California, 1998 Gironella De’Angeli, Alicia and Jorge De’Angeli Epazote y molcajete: Productos y técnicas de la cocina mexicana Larousse: Mexico City, 1993 Kennedy, Diana The Cuisines of Mexico Harper and Row: New York, 1972 —— The Art of Mexican Cooking: Traditional Mexican Cooking for Aficionados Bantam Books: New York, 1989 96 References and Resources —— From My Mexican Kitchen: Techniques and Ingredients Clarkson Potter: New York, 2003 Madison, Deborah Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone Broadway Books: New York, 1997 Martínez, Zarela The Food and Life of Oaxaca: Traditional Recipes from Mexico’s Heart Macmillan: New York, 1997 Midgley, John The Goodness of Peppers Random House: New York, 1993 Naj, Amal Peppers: A Story of Hot Pursuits Vintage Books: New York, 1992 Quintana, Patricia Puebla: La cocina de Los Angeles Promotores Voluntarios Del Hospital Para El Niño Poblano: Mexico City, 1992 Szwarc, Sandy Real New Mexico Chile: An Insider’s Guide to Cooking with Chile Golden West Publishers: Arizona, 1996 further reading American Public Media, Marketplace Latino markets growing in the U.S August 26, 2008 http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/ web/2008/08/26/el_super Andrews, Colman Carolina Cocina: A wave of Mexican immigration is changing the definition of Southern cooking Gourmet, September 2007 Baños, Tomás Asisten cinco mil comensales a Feria Nacional del Taco de Canasta El Sol de Tlaxcala, December 4, 2007 http://www.oem com.mx/elsoldetlaxcala/notas/n512540.htm Corona Páez, Sergio Antonio Esas medias hermanas mexicanas llamadas “tortillas.” February 2008 http://www.historiacocina.com/paises/ articulos/mexico/tortillas.htm Dorf, John Jesus at the taco stand http://www jondorf.com/jesusexcerpt.html Fitch, Roxana, Jergas de Habla Hispana http://www.jergasdehablahispana.org Henderson, Bobby Fine Art Taco Photography http://henderob.com Sharpe, Patricia, The School That Salsa Built Gourmet, September 2007 Smith, Andrew F “Tacos, Enchiladas and Refried Beans: The Invention of MexicanAmerican Cookery,” presented at the Symposium at Oregon State University, 1999 http://food.oregonstate.edu/ref/culture/ mexico_smith.html Tortilla Industry Association New study finds tortillas are the second most popular bread type in America http://www.tortilla-info.com/ media_room/press/prrevenue03.htm —— Tortilla talk: nutritional information http://www.tortilla-info.com/consumers/ tortilla_talk/tortilla_talk.htm#facts Tragón, Javón, 37 taquerías que debes conocer August 26, 2008, Chilango.com http://www.chilango.com/restaurantes/ especiales/37-taquerias-que-debes-conocer Mother Jones, A year without a Mexican July/ August 2000 http://www.motherjones.com/ news/feature/2000/07/diaspora.html St Theresa Catholic Church Early bird tacos http://www.sttaustin.org/index cfm?load=page&page=159 sources for cookware and ingredients Frontera Foods www.fronterakitchens.com/shopping (800) 509-4441, ext 120 info@fronterafoods.com Frontera Foods is Mexican cookbook author and TV show host Rick Bayless’s store Mesa Mexican Foods www.mesamexicanfoods.com P.O Box 40663 Mesa, AZ 85274-0663 webmaster@mesamexicanfoods.com They have a nice selection of ingredients, including dried chipotle and morita chiles MexGrocer.com www.mexgrocer.com 4060 Morena Blvd., Suite C San Diego, CA 92117 (877) 463-9476 info@mexgrocer.com They carry a vast selection of ingredients and cookware, including lead-free ceramic cookware, stone molcajetes, a cactus knife set, and Mexican dishes They also have dried epazote TortillaCocina www.tortillacocina.com P.O Box 16113 Chapel Hill, NC 27516-6113 info@tortillacocina.com This site carries presses and makers for both corn and flour tortillas, comals, griddles, lime squeezers, and big glass jars References and Resources 97 Index agua fresca, 85–86 bacon, 19 beef Beef Tongue Taco, 35 Coffee and Chile–Braised Beef, 33 Grilled Beef Flap Steak Taco, 57 Meatball Taco in Guajillo Sauce, 37 beer, 65, 85, 87 carrots, 23 cebolleta, Chard, Braised, and Cheese Taco, 48 chicken Grilled Chicken Breast Taco, 60 La Esquina’s Chicken in Tomato and Chipotle Sauce, 42 Spice-Rubbed Chicken Thigh Taco, 46 chile-based salsas, 5–9 Chipotle Salsa Ranchera, 35 chorizo Chorizo and Cactus Taco Dorado, 77 Potato and Chorizo Taco, 32 coleslaw, 17 Crema, Mexican, 10, 47, 50 crepes, 93 desserts, 92–95 98 Index drinks Blackberry Corn Drink, 90 Café de Olla, 91 Fruit Granitas, 89 Horchata, 84 Michelada, 87 Ryan’s Blackberry Margarita, 88 Spicy Cherry Agua Fresca, 86 Tamarind Agua Fresca, 85 Duck Breast Taco in Pumpkin Seed Sauce, 53 Egg, Scrambled, Taco with Poblano Strips, 30 fish Baja Fish Taco, 65 Fish and Sofrito Taco Dorado, 80 Fudge Sauce, Spicy Hot, 93 Guacamole, Chunky, 14 Michelada, 87 Mushroom, Garlic–Wild, Taco with Creamed Corn and Morita Salsa, 73 nopales, 77 Oaxaca cheese, 48, 62, 75 onions, 18 orange juice, 39, 46, 57, 62 pork La Esquina’s Achiote and Citrus– Marinated Pork Taco, 39 Pork Loin in Chile Adobo with Grilled Pineapple, 55 Potato and Chorizo Taco, 32 pumpkin seeds, 53 rice, 20 salsas Avocado and Jalapeño Salsa, 15 chile-based salsas, 5–9 Chile de Árbol Salsa, Creamed Corn and Morita Salsa, 73 Don Felix Red Salsa, Fresh Tomatillo Salsa, 10 Fresh Tomato Salsa, green salsas, 10–13 La Esquina Taquería’s Green Salsa, 12 Poblano and Jalapo Salsa, Quick Tomato Salsa, Seven Chile Salsa, Sierra-Style Tomato Salsa, Tomatillo and Chile de Árbol Salsa, 13 tomato-based salsas, 2–4 shrimp Shrimp and Sofrito Taco, 68 Baja Coleslaw with Shrimp, 17 sides Baja Coleslaw with Shrimp, 17 Pickled Chipotles, 25 Pickled Jalapeños and Carrots, 23 Rice with Vegetables, 20 Roasted Poblano Chile Strips, 22 Whole Pinto Beans, 19 Spicy Hot Fudge Tacos, 93 Squash, Winter Taco with CorianderCumin Crema, 50 Taco El Perrón, 62 tacos al carbón, 57–64 de canasta, 30–32 de cazuela, 33–56 de sarten, 68–74 dorados, 75–81 Tamarind Agua Fresca, 85 tortilla history, viii–ix recipe, x Turkey Taco, Spiced Ground, 70 Zucchini and Cheese Taco Dorado, 75 Index 99 about the author Scott Wilson grew up eating hard shell ground beef tacos with orange cheese and iceberg lettuce until the taco trucks arrived in his hometown of Redwood City, California He now lives on his homestead in Oregon with his wife, two children, and animals When he’s not thinking about tacos, he’s writing, gardening, cooking, making beer, teaching classes on herbal brewing and food preservation, and spending time with his family acknowledGments Thank you to my family and friends for indulging my tacomania over the years, to the taco fanatics on the Chowhound forum, to the professionals who contributed recipes to this book (Jose Alvarado, Eric Williams, Patricio Herrera, Ryan Magarian, Nikki R Cohen), to the taquerías that provided direct inspiration and guidance, and the innumerable taqueros who ply their trade daily and spread the taco gospel across the planet And most importantly, a deep bow to the ancient farmers who made tacos possible by domesticating the venerable corn plant ... the United States to focus on Latin American cuisine The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is building a new facility on its Hyde Park, New York, campus featuring a traditional Mexican kitchen... flecked with bits of sun-ripened tomato, cilantro, and piquant white onion, guarantees this “guac” will be a hit makes 1½ cups large avocados, peeled and pitted tablespoons finely chopped white onion... the emergence of humanity is intricately linked with the discovery of corn It describes the fifth creation of earth as when humanity appeared: This, then, is the beginning [literally, “planting”