taco for one

yesterday i noticed we had some kind of ground beef in the freezer, so i placed it in a bowl on the counter and left it, expecting it would turn into dinner one of these first nights.

tonight was the night, and as one of david’s students mentioned making tacos for a future trip, the idea was planted firmly in my head: tacos. beef. guacamole. something green.

beef taco

serves one, easily

beef, tortillas, chile powder, cabbage, cheese, avocado, salt, cilantro, onion, jalapeño (if tomatoes were in season, i would’ve added some).

1. brown the beef, adding chile powder. set aside in bowl when done.
2. place tortilla in the hot pan (on low) to thaw (i keep tortillas on hand in the freezer–they freeze and separate great). flip when sides get brownish, but not so long that the tortilla becomes stiff.
3. sprinkle cheese on one half to melt. add beef.
4. once cheese and meat are melted, turn off heat, and set aside to stop cooking.
5. quacamole: this is a larger discussion. i’ll add my fave recipe soon, and wax poetic about my molcajete.
6. chop cabbage or some other green. add to meat and cheese, along with the guac.
7. fold tortilla in half, and voila: dinner for one!

fish tacos: not bad

but not super dooper delicious, either.

one tidbit i remembered in the wee hours of the morn–funny how the brain works–is the spice i thought was chipolte or some such spicy chili, was actually sumac. sadly, they aren’t apt substitutes, and i imagine that mix-up was one factor in the less than delciousness of the dish. note to self: unmarked spices are not reliable.

however, i’m willing to try it again. this particular dish was easy to make, and easy to tinker with. here’s what i did:

the sauce

a creamy white sauce is key for fish tacos. this sauce had lime juice, minced spicy green pepper i picked up from a mexican market, mayo, plain yogurt, cayenne (mistake number one), cumin, oregano, and dill. i didn’t add the white pepper to taste–just forgot about that, too (mistake number two).

the fish

i used tilapia fillets i picked up at trader joe’s. still haven’t figured out where to buy fresh fish, and since i’m such a novice at fish cookery, it’s nice to get frozen stuff i can mull over. i used a batter i found online that included only flour, beer, and salt. i added more of what i thought was cayenne [read: sumac] (mistake number three), fresh ground pepper, and corn meal. the corn meal invites some crunch and flavor which i prefer over a plain tempura-ish batter. i fried it on high with some olive oil and butter. i never use as much oil as recipes call for–especially when frying. it worked out just fine with less grease and fewer searing splatters.

the presentation

i’m a big fan of DIY tacos and burritos, so i warmed the flour tortillas on our old-fashioned stovetop griddle, placed the fish on a warmed plate (again, the stovetop griddle!), and served with chopped cilantro, chopped purple cabbage, and the sauce.

next time i’ll serve with guacamole.