Since I love our Secret-Secret Geography Club where we get together with two other couples each month and cook authentic dishes from a particular country, I really wanted to participate in the blogging event called Regional Recipes. This month is Mexico hosted by Wandering Chopsticks. I'm reposting this recipe since this was our Secret-Secret country last month and these tacos were fantastic.
When my husband Steve was just a wee tike (okay he wasn't that wee...he was more like a "tween") he went to Mexico three times to work at an orphanage. I haven't heard him talk much about his experiences there except for the food. If he could eat only one food for the rest of his life Mexican would be it. When I first met him he talked a lot about authentic Mexican taco's.
"So they're just meat, onions, cilantro and guacamole?" I'd ask.
"Yep...but they're amazing"
He wasn't kidding. Something magical happens when those simple ingredients collide with a corn tortilla. But they can't just be any corn tortillas...you gotta make sure they are good ones. I know that in the U.S. they are available everywhere, but here in Canada they are harder to find. We've tried corn tortillas from Safeway and they were so awful the texture was like rubber and the taste wasn't much better than cardboard. The corn tortillas we used this time were from our Asian Supermarket that carries a lot of International foods. Corn tortillas have been redeemed for me.
Recipe by Meal Planning 101
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Serves 4
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| I used flour tortillas instead of corn in these pictures because that's what I had on hand. I think they taste better with corn (and more authentic too :) ) |
Grill seasoning (or salt and pepper)
2 limes, cut into wedges
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 bunch cilantro
12 corn tortillas
Guacamole
Pico de Gallo (optional)
Slice beef thinly across the grain. In a frying pan over high heat add a tbsp of oil. You want the pan hot so it sears the beef. Add 1/3 of the beef, seasoning well with grill seasoning (or salt and pepper. Authentic taco's are made just with salt, but the grill seasoning gives it an added "oomph" that is really great.) When the beef is browned remove from pan; this should only take a couple minutes. Continue to cook the rest of the beef in batches. When the beef comes out of the pan squeeze lime juice all over.
In a dry pan over medium heat, warm a corn tortilla. We like to heat them as we make them so we keep getting up and down from the table to heat up a tortilla and then assemble and eat. If you don't want to do this, just put a stack of them on a plate with a damp towel over top and microwave for a few seconds.
To assemble a taco, lay beef across the tortilla and sprinkle over onions. Squeeze a wedge of lime over. Scoop on some guacamole and finish with a few sprigs of cilantro (as seen in picture at top). I'm not a fan of raw onions, so I like to eat mine with beef, guacamole, pico de gallo and cilantro (as seen in second picture). Serve with a side of refried beans.
Click here for printable version of Authentic Mexican Tacos.
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THE RESULTS?
Heck yes, these were amazing! I had authentic taco's once at my hubby's favorite Mexican restaurant and I found them somewhat bland. But these are so not bland. The combination of the lime and grill seasoning on the beef as well as the pico de gallo and guacamole make these so freakin' delicious. We both scarfed down as many taco's as our stomachs would handle. According to Steve: "This is what Jesus will serve us when we get to heaven"
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