Beef n' Bean Tacos

Forget the Bell, the ones you can make at home taste better and are much healthier than factory fast food.Tacos make a great meal-in-one, or you can serve along with chips and salsa, Spanish rice, or other Mexican and Latino favorites.

The heart of this taco is obviously the beef n' beans. Now you could just fry up some ground beef and fold in some canned beans. Small red or black beans would work best. However, I go to a bit more trouble on taco night, and whip up a big batch of my Southwest Beef to use as my primary taco filling, with enough leftovers to use other ways in the next few days. This stuff makes a slammin' taco filling. Just click on the link there to get that recipe.

Now we have to decide the taco shell. You could just go with the standard corn tortilla shell, store bought. You could go with soft tacos, made with flour tortilla wraps. Or you could do what I do, and step it up a notch by lightly frying some tortillas. There are usually 3 sizes to choose from. I go with the medium, makes a pretty big taco, but you could go gargantuan too if you prefer, or use the small ones for a standard size taco. The medium ones are usually the lowest cost per unit I have found.

Actually frying the tortilla is a bit of an art, and I don't have it down to a science yet. On one occasion I got some cheap tortillas at Walmart that really turned out bad for this and just fell apart. So start with a good tortilla. In a frying pan, pour in some canola oil and bring up the temp. Proper frying is supposed to be done at specific temperatures, but I don't have a temp setting on my burner, and since we are not actually deep frying, sticking in a cooking thermometer probably won't be much help. I just wait, and go by the shimmer of the oil, the smell coming up in the air, and then flick a few droplets of water in the pan to make sure is crackles real good. (Be very careful, water in hot oil explodes, and you will have hot oil all over the place if you aren't careful.)

Lay the tortilla in the pan, and fry until golden brown. The tortilla may puff up, not to worry. You can stick a fork in it if you really find that unnerving, or you are getting an uneven fry. Keeping an eye on the edges will help you gauge how done it is on the first side, but peeking will do no harm either. Be careful not to overcook. We are looking for it to be a little crispy, but not actually crunchy. Don't forget, we still have to fold this thing when it is done. Some people choose to only fry one side for this reason, but I go ahead and fry both sides, using a regular metal (not plastic) pancake turner to flip them. Now fold the tortilla over in half and lay it on a paper towel to cool and drain.

Repeat this process for the number of tacos you intend to make. You will likely need to add a bit more oil to the pan for every two or three tortillas. I also find that the tortillas tend to fry quicker as I get going along, but don't let the oil get too hot, or they will start to flashburn.

Now it's time to address the fixins. You can have them all ready ahead of time. I use the standard taco fixins, lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese and a schmear of sour cream. Since I am using my Southwest Beef mix, I won't need any salsa, but you might want to keep a bottle of hotsauce on hand for taco night.

Shredded or chopped lettuce, but don't do this too far ahead of time because it causes bruising. Some people have different tricks to stop lettuce from starting to brown on the edges, I just don't bother to shred too far ahead of time.

All different sort of tomatoes out there to choose from, but I usually go with some little cherry tomats. I slice them into little wheels to hold in all the juices and seeds. Of course, you can use a bigger tomato and chop it up nicely into little cubes, but I always hated wasting all the juices left on the cutting board, and it makes for a taco that is a little sloppy.

Even more than tomats, there are all sorts of cheeses out there. Of course we will want shredded cheese, but what kind? Cheddar would do fine, Monterey Jack, and there are all sorts of authentic Mexican cheeses too. I usually wind up getting a bag of the Mexican blend at the supermarket, or shredding my own Jack n Cheddar blend. I stay away from the taco blend in the bag though. It's just shredded cheese doused with salt nitrites and a factory season blend. Too much seasoning tends to clash and creates a muddled flavor profile. We want to keep the flavors fresh, and I like the cheese to taste like cheese.

Now finally, the assembly. First, lay in a heaping spoonful or two of your beef n' bean mix. Next give the inside of the shell a schmear of sour cream. As you are making the assembly, be gentle with the shell, so that it does not crack and split. Lay in some of the shredded cheese over the meat. It will get a little melty action too if the meat is hot enough. Top with shredded lettuce and your tomato wheels. Line up two or three on a plate, and you are all set to chow down.

At the grocery store you will need: All of the ingredients to make Southwest Beef, round flour tortillas, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheese (shredded blend perhaps), and canola oil if you have none in your pantry.