Cuddle Up Food

Valentine's Day is coming soon.  I know everybody wants to write about chocolate on Valentine's Day, but a girl has got to EAT!  Now don't get me wrong, I don't know when I have had a day without chocolate.  But before chocolate, you need some real food. 

Here's a little something to make before the chocolate.  How about making a braised dish.  There are several nice things about braising.  Firstly, braises generally use cheaper cuts of meat.  (aka, you don't need to break the bank for Valentine's Day)  Secondly, braises are left alone, freeing you to do other things. (aka, cuddle or work on that chocolate desert.)  And finally, braises are usually better the next day, freeing you to do other things. (aka, cuddle or work on that chocolate desert.)

O, come on, it's Valentine's Day.  I have to work chocolate in this posting the best way I can.

Ok, back to braising! 

The best cuts of meat for braising are generally tougher and less costly.  These cuts are usually more flavorful and contain more collagen, which breaks down with heat and liquid. 

Cuts for Braising:

• Beef - Chuck roast, blade roast, short ribs, brisket, and oxtail
• Veal - Shanks, shoulder and breast
• Pork - Boston butt, shoulder, ribs, and belly
• Lamb - Shoulder, legs, shanks, and breast
• Poultry - Thighs and legs

Don't let the term, braise or braising, scare you.  Our mothers did it all the time.  Braising is slightly different from stewing.  Braising uses less liquid than stewing.  The food is not totally submerged in liquid, meaning the food cooks two ways, in liquid and by steaming.  To get started braising, you need a large pot, something like a  Dutch oven.  One with a heavy bottom and a tight fitting lid work best. 

Start by browning the meat in a small amount of fat, enough to cover the bottom of the pan.  Browning adds another layer of flavor and braising is all about flavor.  (For better browning, dry the meat first.)

Next, add aromatic ingredients, such as carrots, onion, celery, garlic and herbs, like thyme, bay leaves.  Because dried herbs release their flavors slowly, they are excellent in braises.  Ingredients like olives, capers, and chiles are good addition to braises.

Deglaze the pan with a liquid, such as broth or alcohol.  This will loosen the brown bits at the bottom of the pan.  Those browned bits contain lots of flavor.  Add meat and any other desired ingredient.  Cover with a tight fitting, simmer in an oven (275°F to 325°F) or stovetop.

Since I decided to braise this weekend, I decided to try something other than beef.

Southwestern Pork and Sweet Potatoes

Serves 8.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 garlic cloves
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
1 pickled jalapeño pepper, stemmed
Vegetable oil
2½ pounds boneless pork shoulder
1 bottle (12 ounce) dark Mexican beer
1 (4 inch) cinnamon stick
3 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes, about 1 pound
Chopped fresh cilantro, optional

Directions:
1.  Place chile powder, salt, cumin, garlic, onion and jalapeño in a food processor.  Process for 1 minute or until a thick paste forms.

2.  Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.  Add pork to pan and brown on all sides.  Remove pork from pan and set aside.  Add chile mixture to pan;  cook for about 2 minutes or until fragrant.  Deglaze pan with beer or broth.  Scrape bottom of pan to remove the bronwed pits.  Add pork and cinnamon stick; cover and bring to a simmer.  Continue to simmer for about 2 hours or until pork is tender.

3.  If desired, strain the liquid.  Allow fat to rise to the top; skim off the fat.

4.  Remove fat from pork.  With two forks, shred the pork. 

Note:  If you prefer not to use the beer, chicken stock will work.

This dish can be served as a stew.  However, once I had completed my dish, I decided this would make excellent tacos.  So, tacos, it was!

Taco Bell . . . What’s the Beef?

Recently there has been ‘noise’ in the food world regarding the components of the beef in tacos from Taco Bell. The company has responded by saying their meat is 88% premium USDA inspected ground beef. The remaining 12% is seasonings, spices, and water to provide taste, texture, moisture and quality. Okay, that’s fair enough.

I have a few problems with this whole issue. First of all, is the food at Taco Bell so great that we need to spend time worrying about how much beef is in the beef? I mean, do Americans really know what a ‘real taco’ is? The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that we would be better off if we would just cook. And finally, have you looked at the nutritional value of Taco Bell food? A crunchy taco contains 150 calories and 350 grams of sodium. But do you eat just one? A DOUBLE DECKER® Taco Supreme® contains 360 calories and 780 mg of sodium. Need I say more?

This issue got me to thinking about what tacos were originally. Tacos started as Mexican street food. They are eaten out of hand. From what I can determine, tacos are to Mexican culture what sandwiches are to American culture. In Mexico, tortillas are primarily made from corn. The most interesting information I have gathered from this project is that tacos can be filled with anything, beef, pork, seafood, mutton. Vegetables and salsa and a variety of toppings, such as avocadoes and onion are often added. Basically, anything that can be put into a tortilla can be made into a taco. My student, Rachel told me that her grandmother (better known as Nana) just uses whatever meat she has on hand. She often uses leftover roast. According to Rachel, in Mexico, there are hundreds of different tacos.

Rachel and I are off to the kitchen to make tacos, the right way. We are doing beef and fish tacos. I am including the recipes as Rachel taught them to me. Please feel free to add your own creative touches.  See also the video below about our taco making experience.

Shredded Beef Tacos

Ingredients:

 Meat:
2 pounds chuck roast, (you can also use top or bottom round)
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1 can (7 ounces) el pato sauce, not the jalapeno one

Tortillas:
16-20 corn tortillas (6 inches)
2-3 cups vegetable oil
toothpicks

Directions:

Meat:
1. Add meat, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and el pato sauce to a Dutch oven. Add water to cover, about ½ inch over the top of the meat and simmer covered for about 2 hours stirring occasionally. (Note: El pato is a type of Mexican tomato sauce. It can be purchased in the Mexican food section of most grocery stores. You may want to consider reducing the salt to no more than ½ tablespoon.)

2. Continue to boil uncovered until the liquid has evaporated and continue to shred the meat with the wooden spoon or spatula. The meat should be completely shredded after about 4 hours. Set aside and let cool to warm or room temperature.

Tortillas:
Heat oil in a cast iron skillet or frying pan. Never fill pan more than ½ full of oil, it may bubble over during cooking. Heat to 350°F. It is very important to reach 350°F or the tortillas will not cook properly. With a pair of tongs place 1 tortilla into the oil and fry for about 3-5 seconds, just long enough to make the tortillas pliable and easy to work with. Repeat process until all tortillas are cooked, stack them on a plate, flip the entire stack over and get ready for assembly.

Assembling Tacos:
Take about 2 to 3ounces of shredded beef and place on upper half of the tortilla. Fold the tortilla in half and insert 2 toothpicks to keep the two halves together. Repeat until all of the tacos are done. You might want to turn the heat down on the oil while doing this.

Cooking:
Take 2 to 3 tacos at a time and place in oil heated to 350°F. Cook for about 1 to 3 minutes a side, or until crispy. Remove tacos and let stand for 1 minute. Remove toothpicks, open and add shredded lettuce, cheese and diced tomatoes. You can add whatever toppings you like, such as pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, hot sauce, and salsa.

Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

1 pound white fish, such as flounder, cod, or tilapia
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Arrange fish in a baking dish; set aside. In a small bowl combine lime juice, olive oil, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder and salt. Pour over fish. Turn fish to coat with marinade. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

2. Grill or broil fish until the fish flakes.

3. Transfer fish to a cutting board. Cut or flake fish into 1-inch piece. Serve in warmed tortillas with desired toppings.


Fish Sauce:
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup plain yogurt

Stir to combine. Serve with fish tacos.

Salsa (Beef and Fish):
1 garlic clove, minced
6 ripe tomatoes, finely diced
1 small red onion, diced
2 Tablespoons cilantro, minced
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped finely
1½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients. Serve with tacos.

Toppings (Beef):
Cheese, queso fresco
Tomatoes, diced
Avocados, diced
Romaine lettuce

Toppings (Fish):
Red and Green Cabbage, shredded
Limes
Cilantro
Onion, diced