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…

Read the rest of this entry »

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! Read the rest of this entry »

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!