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| Soft Tacos R: Mushroom, Maple, Lime with sour cream L: Grilled chicken, cilantro, queso fresco Both with roasted red and hatch peppers |
Last weekend I made a number of different soft taco fillings for a few dinners. One of the menus is here. Frankly, I don't think I'm going to be able to get all the variations into this blog in a timely fashion.....so here's what I'll do for you. A couple tips on basic chicken and beef, then two of the awesome recipes in detail. Email me if you want more details.
Awesome grilled chicken for tacos / fajitas: Marinate about 2.5-3 pounds of chicken breasts with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, a huge handful of cilantro, a 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1tablespoon of kosher salt and a generous grinding of fresh black pepper. Cook on medium-high grill about 4 minutes, THEN squeeze lime juice the uncooked side. Turn over, squeeze more lime juice on the cooked side. cook about 3 minutes. Timing depends on thickness, just don't cook until they chicken is dry. You can always put them back on the grill. Adding the lime juice at the end means it won't cook off. Not using it in the marinate means it won't precook the surface and lose the lime flavor.
Simple Skirt Steak / Flank Steak for Tacos / Fajitas: Put a generous amount of Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper on skirt or flank steak. Drizzle with olive oil and THIS TIME, squeeze lime juice on the steak and let it sit for 20 minutes at room temperature. This begins to breakdown the stringy proteins in the steak. Cook over medium high heat for 3 minutes per side. Remove to a platter and cover with foil. Let rest for 10-15 minutes. Slice into thin strips, or bite sized pieces (especially if you have pretty little kids around).
Some people (to remain nameless, even if one is 7 years old and the other is much older and they both live in this house and the both are female), like grated sharp cheddar cheese and sour cream on their tacos.
I prefer:
- Roasted Red Bell Peppers, Poblano Peppers and Hatch Peppers (regional specialty)
- Queso Fresco (easy to find in Texas and Hispanic markets)
- Toasted Pumpkin seeds
- Maybe a touch of guacamole and......sour cream.
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