I have acquired the most elusive ingredient*! I have the recipes at hand**. Tomorrow... I shall eat... Tacos***!
I'll let you know how that turns out.
*Soft shells, I couldn't find the hard ones.
**For both the filling and the salsa.
***Or the closest thing I can achieve. Some day I may get to try the originals and compare, but I'm not holding my breath.
Thanks to Amber for the recipes, and to everyone else who has offered me advice.
This is the recipe I'm going with:
TACOS
Ingredients
1-2/3 cups fresh or frozen corn, thawed
1 small zucchini, finely chopped (still haven't found it; if I can't get it by tomorrow I'm switching to cucumber).
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup salsa
8 flour tortillas (6 inches), warmed
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
In a large skillet, saute the corn, zucchini and onion in oil until tender.
Stir in beans and salsa. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
Spoon a heaping 1/3 cupful onto half of each tortilla; top with sour cream and cheese. Fold tortilla over filling. Yield: 4 servings.
------------------
SALSA
Ingredients
6 tomatoes, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 seeded and minced jalapenos, plus 2 roasted, skinned and chopped jalapenos - 3 Chinese chili peppers, finely chopped. Can't find jalapeños.
1 red bell pepper, fine dice - What's a bell pepper? I'm going with the nicest red pepper I could find.
1/2 red onion, fine chopped - I hope purple onion works. Are there really red ones?
2 dry ancho chiles, seeded, cut into short strips and snipped into pieces - I'm doing without these, I have no idea what an ancho chili is. I just know ancho means wide, but I don't know of any wide chili.
1 tablespoon oil
1 lime, juiced
Chili powder, salt, and pepper, to taste
Fresh scallions, cilantro or parsley, to taste - Going with parsley, which is the most easily obtainable and tastes good.
Directions
In a bowl, combine all ingredients. :D
if getting hard or soft shelled tortillas is that difficult, i have a simple recipe for a modified crepe batter which can make what amount to flour tortillas surprisingly well, and if you enjoy the sensation of 'i made this' then there is another ingredient to the whole you get to feel that about. they're also good with some fruit filling and whipped cream as a desert too, multitasking food is always worth having
my experiments with corn tortillas from scratch, did not end well...
also- the purple onion is a 'red' onion, and a 'bell' pepper typically reffers to a large pepper with no heat, the kind commonly stuffed with meat and rice based fillings as a dish although poblanos are having that done too now.
Your tacos sound nice, especially with the soft shells. I've always had trouble with the hard shells shattering and making a big mess of my nummy taco filling. :-(
Quote from: Gabi on July 02, 2012, 01:47:15 PM
2 seeded and minced jalapenos, plus 2 roasted, skinned and chopped jalapenos - 3 Chinese chili peppers, finely chopped. Can't find jalapeños.
Chinese peppers should work, though the flavor probably won't quite be the same. You could try canned jalapeños, I suppose. They wouldn't be as pretty, though since they're going to be part of the salsa, it may not matter. (I've made my own salsa with canned peppers, and it tasted good. It just wasn't as pretty as it would have been using fresh peppers.)
Quote from: Gabi on July 02, 2012, 01:47:15 PM
1 red bell pepper, fine dice - What's a bell pepper? I'm going with the nicest red pepper I could find.
Bell peppers are the mildest variety of capsicum pepper. They're roughly the size of my fist, and quite sweet and mild. They come in a variety of colors, from green to red, same as any other pepper. The red ones are the sweetest. I prefer them raw, or if cooked, just hot through. They're nice in a stir fry. (The flesh softens quickly when cooked, but the skin stays tough. Sort of like a tomato skin, only more so.)
Quote from: Gabi on July 02, 2012, 01:47:15 PM
1/2 red onion, fine chopped - I hope purple onion works. Are there really red ones?
The purple ones
are the red ones. :-) They're purplish-red, and normally called red onions, though sometimes they're called purple onions. They're just as good as the normal dry (yellow) onions; only the color has been changed.
Quote from: Gabi on July 02, 2012, 01:47:15 PM
2 dry ancho chiles, seeded, cut into short strips and snipped into pieces - I'm doing without these, I have no idea what an ancho chili is. I just know ancho means wide, but I don't know of any wide chili.
Anchos are dried poblano peppers. Poblanos are roughly 5 to 8 cm wide and 7 to 15 cm long. They are generally mildly warm, rather than hot, and are used for flavoring rather than heat. They have a Scoville rating of 1,000 to 1,500. (For comparison, jalapeños have Scoville rating from 2,500 to 10,000.)
As for the zucchini, you might try a small yellow summer squash. They're similar to zucchini, more so than cucumber, certainly. Oh, and if you can find it, try some Monterey Jack cheese along with, or in place of, the cheddar. Yummy. Very, very yummy.
Yeah, avoid cucumbers in this dish. You're better off with a mild squash (like the yellow summer squash, a recommended).
I like Serrano peppers over Jalapenos. Easy to get where I'm at (Indiana), but I dunno the ready supply down south. As a recommendation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_capsicum_cultivars
That might help you find something that is around the heat Mabby recommends, but also is available in your area.
i still remember back when you asked me to describe what 'taco bell' was, and i can only imagine what the face you made was
im imagining it was this face
http://www.myfacewhen.com/14/
(http://www.myfacewhen.com/14/)
Next year, we need to make sure to take Gabi for Tex Mex.
Hehe. OK, I got a zucchini and I think the red pepper I got may be a bell pepper after all. :) Thanks for the list, Darkmoon! I was unable to find a lime, though, even thoughh it's citrus season. So I'm using lemon instead. Quite different, I know, but I think it should work.
I can't find jalapeños, canned or otherwise, so the Chinese peppers will have to do.
The tacos will be done soon. ^_^
Edit: done! I don't really know if these are tacos, but I do know they're good! :D
(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g26/Gliynn/Tacos/P1180017.jpg)
I had to pour some water into the mix near the end so that it would finish cooking properly. Oh, and I mixed cream with lemon to make the sour cream. I don't know if that's the standard procedure, but I liked the outcome. :)
And the cheese wasn't cheddar because I couldn't find it, but it was close enough.
And here's a Photobucket album where I documented the process of taco making, step by step (http://s52.photobucket.com/albums/g26/Gliynn/Tacos/).
Oh, and Damaris, that would be really nice, thanks. :) (As long as it's not Taco Bell because I've heard much about it and none of it was good).
That looks delicious :)
And honestly, I love Taco Bell, in that "this is barely food but it's delicious" kind of way. I don't think it's necessarily the best for giving you a taste of tacos, though ;)
Thanks!
I gave some to my mom last night. She'd never tried a taco either, but when she did, her first reaction was to exclaim: "Mmmm! How delicious!" So I must say I'm really happy with the outcome. :D
And of course, I'm still looking forward to trying the original. :)
Your tacos look nice, Gabi. As for the substitutions, hey, if it tastes good, go for it! Who cares if it's Not Traditional? :) Enjoy!
you.... could not find cheddar?
i feel like i must take a long shower now because that statement makes me feel dirty, in the future see if queso blanco or queso fresca are on hand instead- im unsure of their labels in other languages, but its somewhat closer to what 'authentic' tacos would include even if it does not have that bite of cheddar. and i keep forgetting that double, five year, and triple sharp cheddars are typically not available outside my state so regular and three year are likely what everyone is the most familiar with...
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8014/7436872132_8d6bbc9ca7_z.jpg)
Send forth the dairy knights of war!
Quote from: Brunhidden on July 05, 2012, 11:22:32 PM
you.... could not find cheddar?
i feel like i must take a long shower now because that statement makes me feel dirty, in the future see if queso blanco or queso fresca are on hand instead- im unsure of their labels in other languages, but its somewhat closer to what 'authentic' tacos would include even if it does not have that bite of cheddar. and i keep forgetting that double, five year, and triple sharp cheddars are typically not available outside my state so regular and three year are likely what everyone is the most familiar with...
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8014/7436872132_8d6bbc9ca7_z.jpg)
Send forth the dairy knights of war!
I prefer a good Irish five-year reserve, myself.
I have queso blanco (white cheese, which is like cream cheese but with less cream and almost liquid; I didn't know it existed in your country). And "queso fresco" means "fresh cheese". Hard to get literally fresh cheese in the city, but what I used was close enough. I may use real cheddar in thew future, though. I just rushed things to get everything ready, but I'm sure I can find it if I look hard enough. Sometimes they have cheddar at the supermarket. And some nearby cheese shop may have it too.
Congrats on sampling the cuisine our wonderful world can provide. So what's next on your menu?
I don't know. I do try new recipes every now and then, but the thing with tacos was that everyone on these forums kept talking about them, so I decided I had to try them and see for myself (it took me months to get the tortillas, so once I found them, I knew the time had come). Right now, there is no other meal in that situation.
But I'm having home-made shui jiao (Chinese dumplings) tomorrow, if that's what you're asking. Another example of the fine cuisine our world has to offer. ^_^
Wait is that the one where you boil the dumplings in water and the skins covering them are white? Also are they meat or vegetable based?
I'm a vegetarian, so vegetable based. And yes, those are the ones.
Then be careful. If I remember correctly the recipe calls for chives in the filling and too much chives makes the dumpling bitter.
There are many different recipes. The ones I make have no chives in them. They have hakusai (nappa cabbage), carrots, texturized soy, 5 spice powder and shitake mushrooms. And salt, of course.
I've tried many other variants (some at restaurants, some bought from Chinese supermarkets). The best ones were served at a specialized restaurant in Xi'an, but I don't know what was in them (something spinach-green, something white and crunchy - garlic? -, something red and mildly hot, and spices I couldn't recognize). The worst ones had spinach and fried eggs inside... don't try that. A close second worst were the ones that had hakusai and nothing else inside. After trying those two, I stopped buying them at supermarkets because there was no telling what they would have inside.
Something white and crunchy? It might have been daikon radish. They're fairly common in east Asian cooking. I've stir-fried them, which leaves them on the crunchy side.
Daikon are a root vegetable, that looks sort of like a white carrot on steroids. The ones I've seen are have been about 5 to 6 cm across at the top, and at least 30 cm long. In fact, the store I usually shop at chops them up into 15 cm or so hunks. They do have a bit of a rind, so I always peel them. Raw, they have a texture like ordinary red radishes, though they are sweet and mild, not sharp like red radishes. Here's a Wikipedia link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daikon) that can tell you more.
Thanks for the tip. That may have been it. Not that I can reproduce the recipe, but it's a good thing to know anyway.
keep in mind virtually anything can be inside of an 'authentic' taco, so if mexico street vendors sell tacos filled with ground burro, cattle eyes, fried crickets, and so fourth really anything tasty you assemble into a tortilla shell is the correct way to make a taco
(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/c0.43.243.243/p403x403/389060_10150974976334654_1802976262_n.jpg)
except that, thats an incorrect taco
I'd eat it.
I've found jalapeños and limes in Chinatown! It's amazing, those people have just about everything! I might even find those "wide" peppers if I knew what they looked like. I bought the green jalapeños because they were the ones I saw in pictures the most (and because they looked fresher). There were red ones too. I hope I've made the right choice.
I've also found cheddar cheese at my local supermarket, so I'm going to try a version that's closer to the original later this week. The first tacos were good, I hope the new ones are too.
You'll be surprised at what the people of Asia will resort to eating in order to survive, the continent's history isn't a happy one and that often means famines. That said cuisine had to be raised to a high art. Oh what do you mean by "wide" peppers?
Ancho peppers. That's what the original recipe said. I have no idea what those are, "ancho" means "wide".
And yes, I know about what hunger can do. Not personally, thankfully, but my great-grandfather was from Russia and fought in the war against Japan... He had to go without any food for so long that he ended up eating the soles of his boots.
It's a type of chile pepper, according to Google.
http://www.food.com/library/ancho-chile-pepper-3
Interesting. Too bad they don't look like anything I've seen before, but my Chinese peppers are dried, chili and rather sweet, so they should be a suitable replacement.
A little nosing around the internet led me to some information - Ancho Chilies are actually dried Poblano peppers. So either should probably work. (somewhat like the prune/plum thing - same fruit, different names for different states)
Interesting. And it would be even more interesting if I had ever seen a poblano pepper. XD But maybe someday I will.
Yay! I'm really glad that you got to try some tacos and that they were enjoyable to eat! Those pics look delish! :3
I shall make it a point to bring along the crispy shells for you next AC so you too can experience the joy of opening the package to most all of them being broken. :U
.....man. Now I want tacos. :eager
You always want tacos.
Quote from: Mao on August 03, 2012, 07:40:06 AM
You always want tacos.
who doesn't always want tacos?
Tacos are good... I agree now that I have an idea of what they taste like.
Here's the new version!
(http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g26/Gliynn/Comidas/2012-08-0320Tacos.jpg) (http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g26/Gliynn/Comidas/2012-08-0320Tacos.jpg)
Now with lime, jalapeños and cheddar cheese.
Thanks again, Amber! :)
They're somewhat smaller than a bell pepper (pointier too), with a mildly spicy flavor. Maybe something in your area would be a good substitute.
savor the awesome experience that is cheddar
Er... thanks, but, while it wasn't bad, there are many cheeses I like better than cheddar. It makes an interesting combination with the tacos, though.
And I've tried better cheddars than this one too. >.>
all the more reason to keep experimenting- if cheddar isnt your thing try monaray jack, or muenster, or if you tried mild cheddar try sharp cheddar next time. if its the sause try mixing up the ingredients, find what seems to be missing. eventually you may have a taco that is your favorite, and share the recipe with others.
Quote from: Gabi on August 01, 2012, 02:54:56 PM
And yes, I know about what hunger can do. Not personally, thankfully, but my great-grandfather was from Russia and fought in the war against Japan... He had to go without any food for so long that he ended up eating the soles of his boots.
Were they leather or rubber? If the soles were leather you could go about eating it but if they were rubber... let's just say nutritional value is the least of your worries
Quote from: Brunhidden on August 04, 2012, 01:14:35 AM
savor the awesome experience that is cheddar
too orange to be proper cheddar.
note: australian and has access to "tasty" cheddars which are paler and sharper than what most folks may be used to. also melts pretty damn well.
Quote from: Turnsky on August 06, 2012, 03:10:24 AM
Quote from: Brunhidden on August 04, 2012, 01:14:35 AM
savor the awesome experience that is cheddar
too orange to be proper cheddar.
note: australian and has access to "tasty" cheddars which are paler and sharper than what most folks may be used to. also melts pretty damn well.
'proper' cheddar?
first off color has squat to do with anything. virtually all cheese on the market today is white, liquid colorants have to be added during the curdling process so they look more attractive- like when they dye your salmon pink so you think its healthier. in addition heating cheese often changes the color and chemical composition as well, note the waxy sheen on that cheese, it has been melted tastily
second off- im from wisconsin, our selection of cheese in all its non-french forms is staggering to the point of being humorously frivolous- i myself have sampled over twenty varieties of cheddar alone in addition to five types of meunster, twelve kinds of havardi, four styles of feta, seven types of jack, four varieties of colby, colbyjack does not count as a flavor, six kinds of ironic mexican cheeses that are produced here and then exported TO mexico, brie, brick, farm, neuftachel, fifteen different styles of potted cheese, and nine varieties of fresh curd. i believe its been pointed out before, but if you somehow think australia has superior cheese then i shall let you believe that while i wear my cheese shaped hat (they're real and even we think they're ridiculous) whilst enjoying finely crafted five year aged cheddar from a local curdsmith, extra brittle and a bite like a badger.
now im not trying to be elitist, i know every place has its own local specialties. however dont be claiming you have the best, especially with such shaky footing. even i don't claim wisconsin has 'the best' cheese, only that there's more varieties made by disturbingly dedicated craftsmen. there's likely many english villages proud of their local craft cheese, there's laws saying what can and cannot be called a gruyere as well as proper disposal of the wheels that do not pass inspection, and france has an abundance of raw milk soft cheeses that are actually smuggled over the black market as they are illegal in the states.
the french can claim they have 'the best' wine, but that is a legacy based on assumptions, california now dominates the market along with your very own australia and virtually every state with a water supply has its own local vintiers, any of which could carry a wine you personally could love better then Chateau Margaux. in fact john cleese did a documentary on why wine snobs are elitist pricks and the audience should just go try a variety of wines and see what they like, proving so by blindfolding celebrities and having them write their reactions to wine samples and invariably favoring cheap wines and labeling fancy ones as swill. on this assumption i cannot go up to someone living in another country and say 'you must love this cheese' or 'this brand of cheese is far superior to your lowly excuse for spoiled milk'. i can however say there is a variety, and suggest some i think they will enjoy. closer to topic i am glad that the taco experiments are going well, whereas i know many audiences would be up in arms that the taco recipe they are familiar with was not used and insist that if ingredient X was missing its not a real taco. much like john cleese and his quest for grape juice of happiness on DVD one cannot let preconceived notions of an item dictate what they do, and someday there could be a restaurant in Argentina that serves a 'taco ala gabrielle' as eventually concocted by our lovely host here.
id rather this not be some rant or attack, i have nothing against turny nor the koala kingdom (being from the land where the chief exports are toilets, horseradish, and cranberries i cant be putting anyone down unless they come from wyoming)- but this is a topic, or rather a variety of topics, close to my heart. cheese in particular, fine foods in general, letting public opinion dictate what you think is good or not, letting falsely placed pride make something look odd out of context. this is my soap box to stand on and say that good food is out there, enjoy it where you find it, and go out further to find something new. also that john cleese is awesome and has valid points to make even outside the cheese shop sketch from monty python. also i haven't slept in two days and i think the walls are spinning, could someone help me find a couch i want to lay down
Pardon the food pun, but:
I think you all just got served.
Quote from: Mao on August 06, 2012, 08:09:14 AM
Pardon the food pun, but:
I think you all just got served.
It's almost as if the topic ...
curdled :U
Quote from: Brunhidden on August 06, 2012, 05:31:52 AM
*snip*
well. you certainly put up a stink. :P
first off. 'proper' cheddar is characterised by its pale-yellow colouration, and crumbly texture depending on sharpness, akin to its originator from Cheddar in merry ol' England (seriously, look it up)
Second off, i'm from Tasmania, which is not only noted for its apples (it's called the "apple isle", even) we also have a myriad of cheese producers.
Thirdly? cheese in the photo looks processed. grated cheeses have a different appearance.
I think I've processed enough of these cheesy puns.
Guys guys
Seriously, let's all just calm down and pasteurize this like adults.
Quote from: Drathorin on August 06, 2012, 09:37:40 AM
Seriously, let's all just calm down and pasteurize this like adults.
No, just up to your chin.
Oh, and Brun? I find it interesting that you've counted the different flavours of cheese. I'm not sure what that says about you. Or me, for that matter, for noticing it. I'm not sure, but I think I might have tried nearly as many flavours of cheese myself... but, since I've been around a few places, this doesn't surprise me too much. Personally, I'd rather a nice edam to a cheddar, but it does depend on the application...
Argentina isn't big on cheddar cheese. We don't get many varieties of it, just different brands, some of which are orange, some are orangey yellow and most of which taste almost like plastic.
And the boots were leather, not rubber.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poblano :p
Quote from: Gabi on August 06, 2012, 12:24:52 PM
Argentina isn't big on cheddar cheese. We don't get many varieties of it, just different brands, some of which are orange, some are orangey yellow and most of which taste almost like plastic.
And the boots were leather, not rubber.
ideally any medium cheese that's
like cheddar would do the trick, but really? it'd be to your taste specifics, and honestly? like most things, your taco should be really to your specifications on what's local and available, and not just follow the recipe to the letter.
after doing some research, try using some of the cheeses available locally to you, "Sardo" looks like a reasonable choice for a taco.
Just don't get the stuff in store labelled "American Cheese" for it's brand/type. Seriously, I think whatever -that- brand is.. I think it's one chemical away from PVC piping.
Or that weird stuff that's labelled "Cheese Like Product"
But that cheese stuff you get in a can, that's good stuff right?
Quote from: Drathorin on August 07, 2012, 10:24:07 AM
Just don't get the stuff in store labelled "American Cheese" for it's brand/type. Seriously, I think whatever -that- brand is.. I think it's one chemical away from PVC piping.
You mean the Kraft Singles? Those orange-colored plastic slices individually wrapped in more plastic? Ewww. My mom bought that once when I was a kid. Only once. Neither of her children would eat it.
Quote from: Drathorin on August 07, 2012, 10:24:07 AM
Or that weird stuff that's labelled "Cheese Like Product"
Velveeta. *shudder* That may be worse than the Singles. I do know people who like it, though for the life of me, I can't see how they can. Then there's Cheeze Whiz -- a high quality (?) cheese-like substance that you spray from a can...
Me, I like to buy the local cheddar, aged 2 years. Yum.
Wonderful with apples (especially Granny Smiths). Now I've gotta go shopping... I'm out of cheddar... :-(
Quote from: Gabi on August 06, 2012, 12:24:52 PM
And the boots were leather, not rubber.
Then they were nothing more than cured cattle skin, though knowing how leather is treated in the traditional way and all those miles they were walked in, I salute the bravery and cast iron stomach of your grandfather.
Thanks, everyone.
OK, I've found another brand of cheddar. This one's not so orange, not that the color really says anything about the taste. But I hope this one tastes better.