We celebrated Cinco de Mayo last week by having "assemble your own" tacos for dinner. As popular as tacos are for a family dinner (easy to make,quick and an inexpensive meal) a lot of us don't get very excited by the idea and I think it all has to do with what type of taco shell typically used.
I am not a fan of store-bought taco shells at all. Too me they taste like stale tortilla chips--yuck! The homemade version are 100x better with a nice crispness and fresh taste. They are also surprisingly easy to make. All you will need is small (6 inch) corn tortillas, a pan and some canola oil.
Here...I'll show you how:
In a pan, pour about a 1/2 inch of oil and heat until very hot. Then place a tortilla in the oil and cook on both sides, for 30 sec- 1 minute per side. You will see the tortilla bubble and that's when you turn it over.
Then fold it in half again and cook it on both sides until lightly browned. When you are ready to remove the tortilla shell, lift out with tongs and let the excess oil drip onto the pan.
Then place tortilla shells on a stack of paper towels to blot excess oil.
See, wasn't that easy? And trust me, once you have these you won't be going back to those Ortega shells.
The recipe for the taco meat is how I typically make it. Enjoy!!
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1-2 tbsp taco seasoning, depending on how much spiciness you like (store bought or homemade)
1/2 cup salsa
Directions:
Heat a nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add the ground beef and season with salt. Start breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. When the meat is about half way cooked add the onions and continue cooking. When the meat is fully browned and no longer pink, drain any excess fat. Return skillet to the heat and add the taco seasoning and salsa. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring often.
To serve, spoon taco meat into a tortilla shell and add your favorite toppings. We like cheddar and/or Colby-jack cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce and sour cream
Source: Chef Mommy
Taco night made me giddy growing up and it still does. We don't do taco night often so when I do decide on it I make sure to make plenty for lunches. My mom use to make the shells like you but I have resorted to boxed or plain ol' flour tortillas. Must try like you and my mama. Yummy!
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