< Previousx TACO S A -Z V2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 10V2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 102/3/23 12:00 PM2/3/23 12:00 PMxi I N T RODUCT ION In this book I’ll show you how to build your own homemade puffy, bendy, delicious corn and flour tortillas with detailed instructions to guide you through the process and convince you that homemade tortillas are worth making from scratch. Then I’ll launch into the tacos themselves, the A to the Z: Dorito-coated Avocado Fry Tacos with Sriracha Mayo (page XX) to Za’atar Chicken Tacos (page XX), and so on. While a few tacos in this book have roots in Mexican or Mexican American dishes like Mole Chicken Tacos (page XX) and New Mexican Chile-Dipped Chicken Taquitos (page XX), most recipes will introduce you to taco ideas you’ve never heard of. Try the English Breakfast Tacos (page XX) for recovering from last night’s pub outing, or That ’70s Taco (page XX), a cheeky nos- talgic take on American crispy-shell ground meat tacos (page XX) complete with tater tots. And don’t forget dessert: there’s Chocolate-Dipped Ice Cream Tacos (page XX), which is the best thing to happen to ice cream since the sugar cone. Other recipes in this book are a nod to chefs and cultures that have taken the taco idea and run with it, like the K-Mex invention of Korean Kalbi Tacos (page XX), Hawaiian-style versions like Yellowtail Tacos with Mango-Avocado Salsa (page XX), or upscale restaurant interpretations like Duck Tacos with Orange Ginger Radish Salsa (page XX). For Meatless Monday there’s plant- based tacos like satisfying shiitake “bacon”-stuffed Umami Tacos (page XX) and Quinoa and Veg- gie Double Tacos layered with a crispy taco shelled tucked inside a soft guacamole-smeared flour tortilla—a taco that really delivers on the texture and the flavor front. Of course, there are tacos I developed simply because they are stuffed with the things I love to eat—crispy Cajun-flavored Oyster Tacos with Celery Root Remoulade (page XX) and umami-rich Hong Kong XO sauce–enhanced XO Shrimp and Cheese Toasty Tacos (page XX), for instance. I’ve slipped in a bunch of comfort food faves like crispy chicken strips in Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Homemade Ranch Dressing (page XX) and the Royale with Cheese (page XX), which is perfect for burger cravings. There are also spicy food fixes like Vindaloo Pork Tacos (page XX) and Jamaican-inspired Jerk Salmon Tacos (page XX). And because no one likes a naked taco, there’s oodles of cremas, salsas, pickled things, and beans in chapter 3 that will keep your tacos well dressed. There’s nothing like opening the fridge and finding a zesty homemade Cilantro Lime Crema to inspire your next taco. Ditto for a freezer full of savory black beans or rich bacon-y refried beans. The unifying factor in this crazy range of taco recipes? They’re all wrapped in one kind of tortilla or another and they’re written for modern kitchens and busy lives. Oh—and they’re all delicious! If you love tacos, this book is for you. I hope it will keep you engaged and help expand your taco repertoire in new and exciting ways. After all, variety is the spice of Taco Tuesday! V2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 11V2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 112/3/23 12:00 PM2/3/23 12:00 PMV2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 12V2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 122/3/23 12:00 PM2/3/23 12:00 PMC H AP T ER 1 FOUNDATIONS No taco book (even an inauthentic one) can begin without including recipes for DIY tortillas. Yes, you can buy them in the store. Sometimes I still do, especially since there’s been a recent explosion of great, artisan-style tortillas available at markets. (Shout out to Three Sisters Nix- tamal in Portland, Oregon!) That said, making your own anything is rewarding, and everything tastes better from scratch. Homemade tortillas are soft, fresh, and taste so much better than the packaged kind. Although making your own may feel intimidating, it’s really very easy. I’ve taught countless children in cooking camps how to make homemade tortillas, and if those crazy kids can do it, you can too! As one eager eight-year-old once pointed out to me, it’s just like playing with Play-Doh, except it tastes much better. I’ve suggested which type of tortilla to use for specific taco recipes, but you do you. There really aren’t any bad matches provided everything is homemade! Homemade Corn Tort i l las . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xx Ha lf and Ha lf Tort i l las . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xx Homemade F lou r Tort i l las . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xx A Note a bout Crispy Taco Shel ls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xx V2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 1V2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 12/3/23 12:00 PM2/3/23 12:00 PMV2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 2V2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 22/3/23 12:00 PM2/3/23 12:00 PM3 Homemade Corn Tortillas m a k e s 1 2 ( 6 - i n c h ) t o r t i l l a s To prevent the raw dough from sticking when pressing it into a round, I sandwich the ball of dough in between two sheets of stiff zip-top freezer bag. The plastic also serves as a handy device to flip the somewhat delicate tortilla onto your palm and then onto a hot pan. The plastic sheets can be washed and reused multiple times. Corn tortillas are often made from fresh masa (available at some Latinx markets) made from corn that has been nixtamalized—treated with a base solution to make the corn more digestible, ground, and mixed with liquid to create a soft dough. Fresh masa is highly perishable though, so it’s more practical for home cooks to make tortillas from masa flour (masa harina in Spanish). There are different grinds of masa flour; some are coarser and are made for tamale making, while the masa made for tortillas will clearly state “for tortillas” on the label. I like both Maseca and Bob’s Red Mill brand. Since the flour is a magnet for pests, I recommend storing the flour in a zip-top bag in the freezer. To press homemade corn tortillas, you’ll need to pick up an inexpensive tortilla press at a kitchen store, Latinx market, or online. My press is a cast-iron one that has lasted me thirty years so far, but you can also pick up a lighter model made of wood. In a pinch, you can use a glass pie plate, if you don’t mind using a little elbow grease to exert pressure on the dough to press it down into the desired thickness. I learned to make tortillas on a flat-top restaurant grill, but at home I use a two-burner griddle or my big cast-iron pan to create a cooking surface that has a hot zone and a cooler zone. Once the tortillas are cooked, they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to about five days, so I usually make a big batch and use them throughout the week. There are reheating instructions at the end of the recipe. INGREDIENTS 1½ cups (6½ ounces) masa harina (spoon into the measuring cup and level with a knife) 1 cup plus about 2 tablespoons warm water, divided V2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 3V2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 32/3/23 12:00 PM2/3/23 12:00 PM4 TACO S A -Z INSTRUCTIONS 1.Combine the masa harina and 1 cup of water in a large bowl. Mix and knead with your hands until the mixture comes together into a soft, pliable, Play-Doh-like dough. It will go from very moist to crumbly as the masa absorbs the water. 2.Test the dough by breaking off a walnut-sized piece and pressing it between your fingers into a 2-inch disk. If it cracks around the edges, it’s still too dry. Return the small wad of dough to the rest of the dough, dip your hand into a bowl of water, and keep kneading and dipping your hand in water until the dough texture is smooth and just a tiny bit sticky, with no cracks when pressed into a disk. 3.Heat a 2-burner griddle on the stove and set one burner to medium-high heat and the other to medium-low heat. Alternatively, heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with part of the pan set off center from the heat to create a 2-zone cooking area. Place a clean dish towel or cloth napkin near the stove to hold the tortillas. 4.Cut a zip-top freezer bag apart to create 2 separate pieces. Pinch off a golf ball–sized piece of dough and put it in between the sheets of the plastic bag and put the plastic-sandwiched dough in the center of a tortilla press (or under a glass pie plate; see headnote). Close the press and push down to flatten the dough into a round. Rotate the tortilla bag setup 90 degrees, close the press again, and press down once more. Don’t lean into it; the dough will become too thin, and it will be difficult to peel off the plastic. 5.Open the press, remove the top sheet of plastic, and flip the tortilla onto your fingers with about half the tortilla hanging off the ends of your fingers. Gently peel the plastic off the second side of the tortilla. Lay the tortilla on the cool side of the preheated pan. Cook until the tortilla looks dry around the edges, about 1 minute. Flip the tortilla onto the hot side of the pan and cook on the second side until it looks dry around the edges, 20 seconds. Flip again back to the first side and cook on the hot side of the griddle/pan, pressing down gently with a spatula or wadded up napkin to encourage brown spots on the bottom. 6.If the dough has the right amount of moisture, the tortilla will puff up a bit as it fills with steam. If the tortilla doesn’t puff, moisten your hand and squish the dough to add a bit more moisture. Wrap the cooked tortilla in the waiting towel or napkin. The trapped V2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 4V2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 42/3/23 12:00 PM2/3/23 12:00 PM5 F OU N DAT ION S steam will continue to cook the tortilla as it rests. Repeat with the remaining dough to make 12 tortillas. Once you get a rhythm going, you’ll be able to pick up the pace. With a little practice, you’ll be able to press a tortilla while cooking another one, creating an assembly line. 7.Once you’re done pressing and cooking the tortillas, let them stand in the napkin for about 10 minutes. Serve the tortillas immediately, or cool completely and store them in an airtight bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. TACO TIPS Reheat the tortillas in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until warm and pliable, about 30 seconds per side. Older tortillas are best reheated in the microwave in a plastic bag with a wadded up moist paper towel on high heat for 1 minute or so. You can also reheat the tortillas over a stovetop steamer pan, wrapped in a clean dish towel until warmed through, 5 minutes. V2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 5V2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 52/3/23 12:00 PM2/3/23 12:00 PMV2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 6V2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 62/3/23 12:00 PM2/3/23 12:00 PM7 Half and Half Tortillas m a k e s 1 2 ( 6 - i n c h ) t o r t i l l a s The masa harina in this recipe gives these tortillas a buttery corn flavor while the gluten in the all-purpose flour gives them a lovely pliability and ease of handling, making them an ideal recipe if you’re new to making your own tortillas. You can press the tortillas in a tortilla maker (see page XX, corn tortillas) or roll out the tortillas between 2 stiff pieces of plastic (such as sheets of zip-top freezer bag) with a rolling pin or press them between sheets of plastic under a glass pie plate; the choice is yours. These tortillas store well; just stash the leftovers in the fridge and they’ll go fast. I’ve included reheating instruc- tions below. INGREDIENTS: 1 cup (4.25 ounces) all-purpose flour (spoon and level) 1 cup (4.25 ounces) masa harina for tortillas (spoon and level) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, lard, bacon drippings, coconut oil, shortening, or room temperature butter ½ teaspoon salt ⅔ cup warm water, plus more for adjusting INSTRUCTIONS: 1.Put the flour, masa flour, fat, and salt in a medium bowl and stir with your fingers until the fat is well rubbed into the flour, and the mixture looks sandy. Add the water and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together. Knead in the bowl until smooth, 30 seconds. If the dough feels crumbly, dip your hand in water and continue to knead. The dough should feel like Play-Doh, moist, but with just a hint of stickiness. Divide the dough into 12 golf ball–sized pieces, roll them into balls, and cover loosely with plastic. V2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 7V2_TacosAZ_MS6_020323.indd 72/3/23 12:00 PM2/3/23 12:00 PMNext >