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!

So this was the newest batch of crap to come out of Bernie’s factory.  The crew went to Fiesta to get ingredients to make our sauces and salsas for Joby’s 3rd Annual Hot Sauce Contest (big props to TacoBlob for actually funding this project because i couldn’t, but whats new?). I didn’t really like the selection at Fiesta.  Furthermore, I wanted this sauce to be organic so we went over to Central Market and spent twice what we would have at Fiesta.  Buttfuckit, it was worth it.  The habaneros at CM were HUGE and pretty much the best looking ones ive ever seen.  They were from Holland….it was destiny.

After grabbing all this shit i went and got some tequila from the liquor store which was fun to use and shoot at the same time.  However, i needed more liquid in this sauce so i had to use almost the entire pint of tequila. Plus, I wanted to use it as a preservative for all the fruit and stuff in the sauce.  I usually use white vinegar but wanted to steer clear of it this time- cuz vinegar adds a totally different taste.

Ladies: meet me at Benders

After tons of blending and much deliberation on the sweetness and heat, Bernie’s Agent Orange Sauce was done…until Cabeza de Taco informed me that it needed salt…good thing, because i meant to put that in there and totally failed.  So, I added quite a bit of sea salt and it was much better.  Still, as i figured, it was just too hot for the wusses casting the votes down at the contest.

I was really pleased with the overall taste of it, though.  Its very tropical right away.  As far as the heat is concerned- the habaneros really didn’t punch you in the face right away, which was nice.  However, they did hang out and party on your tongue for about half an hour after eating just a little bit.

Overall, i was stoked that it came out OK.  I liked the idea of sitting down and trying to think of everything that was orange that could go into this sauce, as that was my theme from the start.  Next time i will just take it down a notch on the habaneros for all the pussies out there.  I thought it was called a HOT SAUCE festival…

I often concoct rather interesting late-night/early-morning snacks after returning home from the bars: canned tuna and white rice remains my most notable failure. Last weekend, upon waking at 7:30 a.m. after a wedding to find all my usual breakfast taco haunts closed (who is open at 7:30 a.m. on a Sunday, anyway?), I once again took matters into my own hands, and ended up making the best damn gourmet breakfast taco I’ve ever had. Might this be a chance to turn my tendency toward the drunk munchies into a career?

Ingredients:

• Eggs
• Feta cheese
• Cracked pepper
• Portobello mushrooms
• Marinated artichoke hearts
• Roasted red bell peppers
• Pine nuts
• Olive oil tortilla wrap

Directions:

Sauté Portobello mushrooms in olive oil. Beat feta cheese and cracked pepper into eggs; scramble. Brown tortilla in pan. Wrap scrambled eggs, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, bell peppers, and pine nuts into tortilla.

While preparing food, bitch and moan about how no person in their right mind wakes up at 7:30 a.m. on a Sunday (after a wedding, at that); continue mumbling and grumbling that no taco stands are open that early (of course they’re not), that sometimes you just have to do it yourself if you want it done right. Upon completion, shut up and forget about the world of hangover hurt you’re about to enter as you enjoy ridiculous, unadulterated deliciousness. And then go back to sleep.

This is my favorite tropical salsa.. its a perfect compliment to an al pastor taco.. or try with coconut shrimp.. its got that sweet pineapple flavor followed by the signature slow burn from the grilled habby’s…a tantalizing experience for your taste buds.

What you need to get: I go to Fiesta and get a fresh Pineapple, fresh habanero peppers, cilantro, fresh serrano, and 1 can of guavas (make sure they’re in that sweet syrup!)..

Preparation: Throw pineapple slices and whole habaneros on the grill….i like to get the pineapples a little bit caramelized by a hot fire…the habby’s should be a little bit charred on the outside.. dont over-do it though.. you want some of that meat to remain.. i usually do about 4-7 habaneros, use your own discretion on that one (dont be scared!)..

The minced serrano peppers round out the heat factor since they hit you a little sooner than the habaneros.. you only need 3-4 small peppers for a medium heat. chopp up the cilantro and you are ready to get mixin.. Add all the ingredients into a blender, 2-3 of the guavas will do you good. Blend it briefly on low speed.. you dont want to make it too pasty.. Finally, add about 1/2 a cup of the syrup from the guava can to sweeten the deal. Chill and serve! Its best fresh, so make it eat it in the same day for best results..

Chappy’s Sweet Heat – Pineapple/Guava/Habanero Salsa
Ingredients:

• 1 ripe pineapple
• 5-8 fresh habanero peppers
• 3-4 fresh serrano peppers (sub fresh jalapeno if you must)
• 1 Can of Guava (in syrup, you’ll only need a small amount)
• 1 handful fresh cilantro

enjoy!
Chappy

OK…I’m combining 2 recipes I found online recently into one SUPER-recipe for the Holidays with a Mexi-twist…I’m a big fan of sweet potatoes, so I’m all over this recipe for Chile-Spiced Sweet Potato Tamales.

For the sauce, check out High Desert Foods out of Durango, CO…They brew up some absolutely delicious organic pasta sauces and fruit confitures, and they also have a bunch of great recipes on the site utilizing their products…so order a jar of their smoke-dried tomatoes and make this kick-ass recipe for tamale sauce.

Both recipes are listed after the break…

Smoked Dried Tamale Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup High Desert Smoke Dried Tomatoes , julienne
3 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
2 tsp olive oil from High Desert Smoke Dried Tomatoes
1 cup finely diced onion
1 small tomato, chopped
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
Salt

Preparation

Combine 1/2 cup of the High Desert Smoke Dried Tomatoes and the vegetable stock in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree for 1 minute.

Transfer to a clean saucepan and keep warm. In another saucepan, heat the olive oil until lightly smoking. Add the onion and sauté over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown. Add the chopped tomato and sauté for 1 minute. Add the smoke-dried tomato puree and remaining smoke-dried tomatoes. Bring mixture to a boil, add the herbs and season with salt to taste.

Sweet Potato Tamales

Ingredients

1/4 cup (1/8 lb.) butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 pounds garnet or jewel sweet potatoes, scrubbed and halved lengthwise
1/4 cup lard or additional butter
1 cup fat-skimmed chicken broth
1 1/4 cups dehydrated masa flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 canned chipotle chiles, drained and minced
Salt and fresh-ground pepper
20 dried corn husks, soaked (see notes)

 

Preparation

1. In a small bowl, mix butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Set sweet potato halves, cut side up, in a baking dish, and rub cut sides equally with butter mixture. Bake in a 350° oven until soft when pressed, about 1 hour.2. Scoop flesh from sweet potatoes (discard skins) into a bowl; mash with a fork until smooth.

3. In a 1- to 2-quart pan over low heat, melt lard. Pour in chicken broth and stir until warm. Add broth mixture to sweet potatoes; mix well. Gradually add masa flour, stirring until well blended. Stir in baking powder and chipotles and season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Tear 3 or 4 corn husks into long, thin strips. Lay a whole husk flat on a work surface, smooth side down, with one long edge closest to you. Spoon a scant 1/3 cup filling lengthwise down center of husk. Fold bottom edge over filling and roll up tamale. Tie each end with a thin strip of husk. Repeat until all filling is used.

5. In an 8- to 10-quart pan, position a rack at least 1 inch above 1 inch of water; bring to a boil over high heat. Set tamales on rack, lower heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and steam until filling is firm, about 1 hour, adding water to pan as needed to maintain 1-inch depth. Remove tamales and let stand at least 10 minutes before serving.

 

Yield

MAKES: 12 to 15 tamales

Sunset, NOVEMBER 2004

editors note: Please give a warm welcome to our newest Taco Town contributor, Jenny J. (She’ll get an official taco-related pseudonym pretty soon, but for now its just Jenny). In the coming months Jenny will offer a much needed female viewpoint to the Austin Taco Lifestyle, plus, she’s a vegetarian, so she’ll focus on all those green things that we dudes scrape off our meat-lovers’. Enjoy!

I know. You’ve been distracted at work lately, wracked with frustration as you strive to figure out the six degrees of separation between Taco Town and Kevin Bacon. Now, you can rest easy and get back to staving off boredom with other NSFW activities, because I have the answer:

I(1) just got back from India. Before leaving, I contacted Taco Town(2) about contributing to the blog, and had high hopes of finding some curried cousin of the taco out East to write home about. Unfortunately, I wasn’t eating too much street food, and found nothing of the sort. (Dal wrapped up in naan doesn’t count.) But, upon my return from India(3) , I randomly encountered the recipe for an Indian-style burrito(4) , posted below for your enjoyment. And as you well know, burritos and tacos(5) are closely related brood in the Tex-Mex family. So, even though I can’t write about some amazing taco I had in India, I can at least relate the trip to tacos via the Bollywood burrito.

Oh, and Kevin Bacon(6) . He sat in front of me(1) during a burlesque show at the old downtown Alamo Drafthouse a few months ago. So I guess there are only three degrees of separation between Taco Town and Kevin Bacon, with me in the middle. But had I revealed the direct connection, you wouldn’t have acquired this Delhicious recipe. Nor would you have realized that tacos could have a Hindi hermano.

But now you know. So, after all that useless information, here is the whole point of this post:

INDIAN-STYLE BLACK BEAN BURRITO RECIPE

9/11/2006: We live in a great dichotomy of pestulence and wealth..sickness and health…feast and famine..heaven and hell….(if you will). Thats kinda how I feel about hunting doves… sure its great to shoot a shotgun into the air and then have a bird fall outta the sky, but the why down the universal symbol of of peace..? why? for taco meat of course! If you dont know already, lemme tell you about dove meat.. you only get about 1/2 a taco’s worth of meat per bird, but it is tender dark meat, kinda like a hybrid between beef and chicken because its so damn dark..maybe a better comparison would be a kidney or something.. i dunno.. all i knows is that when prepared correctly, it makes badass muthufuhggen taco!

to celebrate our kill and to celebrate our country, monday night football, and uhhh … peace, we selected 9/11/2006 as the date to have our dove taco cookoff …

I used to not like mixing fruit with meat… I used to think it sacriligious.. but i guess my taste budz have matured..

we had a pineapple rice mix that Cabeza brewed up to accompany the tacos.. evan marinated the dove in terrireaki (sp?) and I watched football while the dinner was prepared.. damn. NFL is some boring ass shit!

i gotta give all the credit to the Cabeza de Taco on this one, they cooked it up right.. it was exotic and bold. the taste of the pineapple was key and the chappy’s elbo green sauce sat in the mix perfectly…it was heavenly..

heres the ingredients if you’re keeping score at home:

• fresh dove meat marinated in tarry yaki
• corn tortillas
• rice with safron, pineapple, yellow bell peppers
• carrots and cucumbers sliced into slivers
• grilled pablano peppers
• shredded cheddar cheese
• chappy’s elbo green sauce

bada bing!!

btw – dinner was ready right when GW Bush started live speech to the nation.. we drank every time he said RESOLVE..drunk in 5 min……nuke you lar!

and while Georgie was talking about wour, terrro, and more war, we were bringing the peace to our bellies! oh the dichotomy !!!

pulled this from the old forum, thanks sarah

In my opinion, food always tastes the best when it’s prepared with love, so first take a deep breath and relax. Think about someone/something you care about and makes you happy and get ready to have some delicious shrimp tacos!!

2 sm yellow onions
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 green pepper
2 Lawry’s spices & seasoning for fijitas (white package)
tad bit of olive oil
2 lb shrimp (per person)
**when adding spices, mix with water as directed on package

Cook vegetables in lg frying pan until tender. Remove from pan. Add spices & shrimp. (Shrimp should take approx 3 min) Add veggies and serve with:

warm tortillas
sour cream
4 cheese mix
guac or slices avacado
beans (black or refried w/ enchilada sauce & cheese spread on top-melted)

Enjoy with great friends!