Editor’s note:
Please welcome our newest contributor to the friendly confines of TacoTown.  Pigpen has graciously opened his family’s culinary vaults to share this recipe for Chicken Enchiladas – you Texan readers may notice that he uses flour tortillas instead of corn- it yields a bigger enchilada- more akin to a smothered burrito…but tasty nonetheless…Onto the recipe >>

Ingredients:

• Your drink of choice! (for you, not the enchiladas)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 2 ½ cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon dried coriander
• 1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles
• 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese
• 4 boneless chicken breasts, trimmed and chopped
• ½ cup cilantro
• ½ tablespoon dried cumin
• 1 lime
• Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Light cream cheese
• 8 flour tortillas

Preparing the Chicken Marinade:
Use a marinade dish for the following items. Roll the lime on kitchen counter to soften; cut in half and squeeze on chicken. Sprinkle kosher salt, cumin, minced garlic, and black pepper over chicken breast (about ½ tablespoon each) and half of the cilantro. Repeat for other side. Cover and place in fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking.  I recommend cooking the chicken over charcoal as it gives the finished product a distinctive flavor that gas cannot duplicate.

Making the Sauce:
Melt butter in saucepan, stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add the chicken broth smoothing the sauce with a wire whisk as you pour and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes until thickened. Stir in coriander and half of the green chiles and simmer. Remember to stir the sauce frequently if you are not using it immediately.

Making the Enchiladas:
In a large mixing bowl combine the chopped chicken, Monterey Jack cheese and remaining green chiles. Spread a little cream cheese on a tortilla and spoon ¼ cup of the chicken mixture into the center of the tortilla. Roll and place seam side down in an ungreased baking dish, repeat until you’re out of chicken!! Pour the sauce over the rolled enchiladas. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese down the center of the enchiladas.

Bake, uncovered at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.  Remove from the oven, plate, and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and maybe a side of rice & beans, a salad, or tequila.  Enjoy!!

Longtime Houston food critic, author, and salsa pioneer, Robb Walsh, skips all the roasting and hard labor involved in some salsas and shows us how the taco trucks do it – quick and simple, with a few fresh ingredients thrown into the blender..

oh and by the way: Robb has a new book out called The Tex-Mex Grill and Backyard Barbacoa Cookbook.. Be sure to check it out!

I am a sucker for sweet potatoes .. or yams.. or what have u..

Note: we americans use the word “yam” to refer to a sweet, moist, orange-fleshed variety of sweet potato.   To everyone else in the world, a yam is what Americans call a tropical yam , a firm tuber with white flesh.  Varieties of American “yams” (sweet potatoes) include the garnet yam and the jewel yam.

whatever you call them, IMO they should replace the empty starch of white potatoes in our diet entirely.. theyre just the best.. they lend themselves to any dish – savory or sweet, or a little of both, you just can’t go wrong with them.. In particular – I like to use organic Garnet Yams, they have a velvety smooth texture and are a little sweeter than most..

So I have been searching for ways to incorporate them into tacos.. So i came up with this picadillo recipe with ground chicken serving as the meat and a hefty dose of heat thanks to fresh habanero peppers.. Its healthy, hearty, and delicious.  Here is the the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1lb ground chicken (i use thigh meat so it stays moist)
• 3 Medium sweet potatoes (about 1.5 lbs) cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 3 fresh habanero peppers – deseeded and finely minced
• 1/2 cup of diced yellow bell pepper
• 2 teaspoons of curry powder
• 1 teaspoon of corriander powder
• 1 packet of Nueva Cocina Picadillo seasoning
• 6oz. Tomato Sauce
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt

Directions:

In a medium skillet on med-high heat, cook your cubed sweet potatoes in olive oil until lightly browned on each side, adding in your curry and corriander along the way..

In a separate pan, begin cooking your ground chicken over medium heat.. When the chicken is white and starting to firm up, add your picadillo seasoning, tomato sauce, yellow peppers, habaneros, and the browned sweet potatoes.

Reduce heat, cover and let it all simmer for about 10 minutes..stir in the yogurt at the end to bring it all together. add salt and pepper to taste..

Serve with fresh avocado slices on a warm tortilla.. enjoy!

Ever wondered how to turn a Taco Bell Fail feast into a gourmet dish?  Fancy Fast Food shows you how to make a TacoBellini from a Burrito Supreme…Yes, its still liable to give you giardia, but doesn’t it look fancy?

After trying TacoDeli’s bison picadillo tacos, and becoming intrigued by this wonderful red meat.. I decided to try making my own version for dinner last night.

I had to start with a little research into traditional forms of Picadillo. With roots in Cuba and Puerto Rico, this meat hash can include olives, capers, tomatoes, raisins, and pototoes. The name comes from the spanish word “picar” which the means to mince or chop. Its often used as a stuffing for empanadas. [ the delicious history of picadillo ]

Nueva Cocina Picadillo Seasoning

I decided to take the quick route with my preparation and start with a pre-packaged picadillo seasoning.. I found an all-natural seasoning from Nueva Cocina at Central Market that worked out nicely.. It includes sun-dried raisins, olives, vinegar powder, garlic powder, etc..

But i couldnt just go with the store-bought flavors, i had to add my own twist.. So i sauteed some sweet potatoes and pickled carrots in olive oil to create a nice hash with a bold color..
next I browned my bison meat, making sure not to overcook it as bison meat cooks faster than other red meats.
then i combined the picadillo seasoning, the sweet potato hash, some fresh ground cloves, and a sprinkle of sharffen-berger cocoa powder (gotta rep chocotown.org dog) to bring it all together..I covered the picadillo and set the burner on low to let the flavors all meld together while I steamed some rice and heated up some fresh HEB flour tortillas.

the finished tacos were amazing. the taste was so savory and comforting. bison is a great meat to cook with because its quick, flavorful, and healthy. [Bison Health Benefits]

taco ring

The Taco Ring
Soccer moms across America herald the taco ring’s ability to “stuff little peety’s suck-hole just long enough to watch Y&R in peace.”
instructables recipe | another one |  Recipe Zaar |  ehow recipe

try it a la mode

Taco PIE!
No, not that taco pie!  I’m gonna try this one after Thanksgiving dinner.  Move over pumpkin…and pecan…and pumpkin roll…you can stay peach cobbler.
Blogger Recipe | Betty Crocker Recipe

el earl de torta

Baked Taco Sandwich
This looks tasty…the bread is baked under the toppings and its served open-face style…just like your mom.  | Recipe

eat this...now eat this...

Cooking for your date can get you laid (Unless you’re this douche).  Think about it- you’ve already got her “back to your place”.  Plus, its easier on the wallet and, thanks to the interwebs, finding decent recipes is not an issue. peep this:

www.cooktobang.com – simple, effective methods for of enjoying the two greatest pleasures, food and sex.

So, learn to cook…or get used to doggy bags & blue balls.  Cook to Bang has plenty of Taco Town friendly recipes that should also assist in panty droppin’.  see below >

• mo’ lays chicken mole
• oh god don’t stop! jalapeno poppers
• fishy pink tacos
  
• simple sexy salsa
• roasted tomatillos para mis amigos
  
• horizontal mambo mango salsa
• senorita lupita’s cactus fajitas
• break you off something burrito
• huevos grande rancheros

Carne guisada is one of my favorite dishes.. its a mexican beef stew with a spicy kick that goes great as taco and burrito filling or just in a bowl like chili.. I tried my hand at making it on superbowl sunday thanks to inspiration from a recipe post on the Homesick Texan (one of my favorite food blogs!).  Lisa’s recipe served as the jumping off point for my creation.. I went with an orange and yellow theme – yellow tomatoes, carrots (to give it more of the pot roast vibe),  no onions, a lot of garlic, and then I kicked it up the scoville units with the slow burn of habanero peppers! I let it stew in my crock pot for about 6 hours… bring in the taco cabana tortillas, avocado slices and fresh cilantro on special teams.. then turned the Chippys loose on my creation at the super 43 bowl party..

This news brought to You by The Happy Friday Taco Hottie, Lana Lopez

New from Salsa King Robb Walsh
(Loosely) inspired by this weekend’s Superbowl matchup between Arizona & Pittsburg, Robb whips up Fried Bologna Migas.  Then he grabs a Chorizo Breakfast at Cabeza’s favorite Houston Taco Trailer – then one behind Bubbles Carwash.

Cooking with Beer at St. Arnolds Brewery
Houston’s St. Arnold’s Brewery hosted its 2nd Annual One Pot Showdown this past weekend.  The rules were simple: Cook 1 pot full of food for 250 people – and feature one of St. Arny’s delicious microbrews in your recipe/  Several Mexi entries impressed the judges, including Lawnmower shrimp tacos dressed with cabbage, remoulade & strawberries; and the 3rd Place winner- Los Carnes’ TamALEs- traditional chicken tamales (with lard) steamed in Lawnmower beer- get all the winning recipes here/

Bernie's Agent Orange salsa with a twoeightnine twist: blood oranges.

Taco Town reader & New York resident twoeightnine decided to make his own batch of Bernie’s Agent Orange Salsa – with a twist – He substituted Blood Oranges for regular ones.  Nice call!  Dude said it was money on chicken taco.  “Very fruit forward,” he said…

Um…That’s good cuz we don’t do fruit backward around here.

here’s the updated recipe :

• 1/2 lb of Habanero Peppers (or less- be careful)
• 2 whole-peeled Blood Oranges
• 2 whole orange bell peppers
• 4 whole carrots
• 1 cup of chopped Mango
• 1 cup of chopped Papaya
• 1/3 cup of diced ginger
• 3-4 Tablespoons of salt
• 100% Agave Tequila – add to taste – we used Sauza Hornitos – get the 750ml and just pour it in until you get a nice consistency.
• Blend all ingredients and enjoy!