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Post by Kate * on Oct 17, 2014 14:50:34 GMT
I fry white corn tortillas with one of these: Tortilla utensilor brush both sides with olive oil, then bake until crispy to use as a tostada. I have a tray that makes 8 taco shells at a time that bakes in the oven, but DH doesn't like those shells as well. Along with most fillings already mentioned, sometimes I will sauté onions in a little butter and olive oil, then add a can of small white beans with its liquid, a jalapeno (pickled or fresh), then mash it in the pan and spread on the crisp tortilla, top with cheese, avocado and pico de gallo or chile sauce (salsa). But the family favoritist favorite is potato tacos, which can be very time consuming and messy. |
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Post by peasful1 on Oct 17, 2014 15:46:28 GMT
I kind of wing it, but the recipe from Bon Appetit is very close to what I make. We like it more crunchy & dry, than wet. cabbage & jicama slaw
Thank you!!!! |
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Post by SunnySmile on Oct 19, 2014 0:22:33 GMT
I think this is going on my must-have list! |
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Post by Kate * on Oct 19, 2014 2:51:33 GMT
I think this is going on my must-have list! Have to add that it works really except... I don't use a lot of oil to plunge the whole thing into, so after cooking one side, I use a small pair of tongs to turn the tortilla around and get the other side done. I wish there was a utensil with a swivel handle...maybe someday. On the bright side, the shells come out evenly cooked, don't fall apart and hold fillings really well!
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Oct 19, 2014 3:38:41 GMT
I had no idea you can fry your own shells.
I just saw a recipe using the small sweet peppers as a base for tacos. You just spilt them in two and top with your favorite toppings. They look like they are baked and then add green onions and peppers if you want. I'm going to try them this week.
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Post by Dreamsofnyssa on Oct 19, 2014 15:44:23 GMT
I do it the way my mom taught me how. I get ground turkey, mom used to use ground beef, and press it onto half of the thin corn tortilla (la suprema are the best) in a somewhat thin layer. After I do that to about 2 dozen or so I season with garlic salt and pepper. I get a large pan with about a quarter of an inch of oil nice and hot, and fold the tacos slowly in the oil so they won't cracked. Fry both sides, and them put them in a 13x9 pan with a paper towel to drain while I fry up the others. The only way to make a real Mexican taco. :-) |
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Post by femalebusiness on Oct 19, 2014 17:29:53 GMT
I like pork tacos. I put a big hunk of pork in a pot, cover with water and add salt and cumin. Boil it for two hours or until it is falling apart. Then take it out of the pot, put it in an open roasting pan and pull it all apart (fat and all but remove bones if there are any) so it is shredded/in chunks. Pour the left over water from boiling into the roasting pan and put it in the oven at about 350 or 400. Cook it until all of the water is gone and the meat is browned and crunchy around the edges.
I make soft tacos with pork, avocado and home made salsa. A great Mexican cook taught me this method and it is wonderful!
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Post by SunnySmile on Oct 19, 2014 20:30:44 GMT
@charliegirl, in your first example, are you putting the ground beef on the tortilla raw or precooked? The ground beef is raw SunnySmile@charliegirl So just to clarify, because I really want to try this, you put raw ground beef on half of the corn shell and season it. Do you put it in the oil flat or folded over the meat...like do I need to put picks in it or anything to hold it shut? I'm trying to picture getting the toppings in without breaking the shell after it's cooked until crisp. Does the meat get greasy? My guess is put it in flat, let it get pliable then hold the non meat side up, but open so it doesn't break when you put fillings in? Flip and cook other side? |
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Post by SunnySmile on Oct 19, 2014 20:32:10 GMT
I like pork tacos. I put a big hunk of pork in a pot, cover with water and add salt and cumin. Boil it for two hours or until it is falling apart. Then take it out of the pot, put it in an open roasting pan and pull it all apart (fat and all but remove bones if there are any) so it is shredded/in chunks. Pour the left over water from boiling into the roasting pan and put it in the oven at about 350 or 400. Cook it until all of the water is gone and the meat is browned and crunchy around the edges. I make soft tacos with pork, avocado and home made salsa. A great Mexican cook taught me this method and it is wonderful! This sounds soooo good! I love carnitas and this sounds perfect for that! I swear I could eat them every day! |
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Post by femalebusiness on Oct 19, 2014 21:29:52 GMT
I like pork tacos. I put a big hunk of pork in a pot, cover with water and add salt and cumin. Boil it for two hours or until it is falling apart. Then take it out of the pot, put it in an open roasting pan and pull it all apart (fat and all but remove bones if there are any) so it is shredded/in chunks. Pour the left over water from boiling into the roasting pan and put it in the oven at about 350 or 400. Cook it until all of the water is gone and the meat is browned and crunchy around the edges. I make soft tacos with pork, avocado and home made salsa. A great Mexican cook taught me this method and it is wonderful! This sounds soooo good! I love carnitas and this sounds perfect for that! I swear I could eat them every day! It really is that good and really easy. I make the meat the day before. It actually freezes well too. |
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Post by lostwithout2peas on Oct 21, 2014 1:47:06 GMT
@charliegirl So just to clarify, because I really want to try this, you put raw ground beef on half of the corn shell and season it. Do you put it in the oil flat or folded over the meat...like do I need to put picks in it or anything to hold it shut? I'm trying to picture getting the toppings in without breaking the shell after it's cooked until crisp. Does the meat get greasy? My guess is put it in flat, let it get pliable then hold the non meat side up, but open so it doesn't break when you put fillings in? Flip and cook other side? I had to really stop and think about how I make them cause its such a habit I don't pay attention to how I do it anymore! You Don't fold it and put it in cause the corn tortilla will break. You dip the side that doesn't have meat in the oil and get it warm, including where your gonna fold it and then lay the part with the meat on top of it. Fry one side and then flip till the other side is crispy. The key to crispy tacos is thin corn tortillas. If they are thick they will be chewy. Clear as mud? And yes they do break sometimes when you are stuffing them but you just hold the sides together! I put them in a 13x9 casserole dish with paper towels at the bottom to absorb the grease that drips off of them. Hope this helps, feel free to ask more questions!  |
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Post by papercrafteradvocate on Oct 21, 2014 7:22:26 GMT
The most awesome ones that we make are browning ground turkey, sauté with salsa verde and using the soft corn tortillas that we fry in oil to fold and crisp. White Monterey Jack cheese to top. YUM
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Post by SunnySmile on Oct 21, 2014 19:52:14 GMT
@charliegirl So just to clarify, because I really want to try this, you put raw ground beef on half of the corn shell and season it. Do you put it in the oil flat or folded over the meat...like do I need to put picks in it or anything to hold it shut? I'm trying to picture getting the toppings in without breaking the shell after it's cooked until crisp. Does the meat get greasy? My guess is put it in flat, let it get pliable then hold the non meat side up, but open so it doesn't break when you put fillings in? Flip and cook other side? I had to really stop and think about how I make them cause its such a habit I don't pay attention to how I do it anymore! You Don't fold it and put it in cause the corn tortilla will break. You dip the side that doesn't have meat in the oil and get it warm, including where your gonna fold it and then lay the part with the meat on top of it. Fry one side and then flip till the other side is crispy. The key to crispy tacos is thin corn tortillas. If they are thick they will be chewy. Clear as mud? And yes they do break sometimes when you are stuffing them but you just hold the sides together! I put them in a 13x9 casserole dish with paper towels at the bottom to absorb the grease that drips off of them. Hope this helps, feel free to ask more questions! Yes that does make sense. I'm just amazed that the raw meat would be done in just the time it takes to cook the tortilla. I think the thickness of the tortilla is probably why my corn tortillas are chewy instead of crisp, I will have to look for the thin ones. I don't think I've even seen them in the store...but then I wasn't looking for them either. I think my kids will love these! |
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Post by Dori~Mama~Bear on Oct 21, 2014 20:46:51 GMT
We do taco meat a couple different ways. We usually do 2 pans one with ground turkey (me and my daughters) and 1 ground beef (husbands) this is where we can do it 2 different ways. either with charizo or a taco seasoning pack. This depends on what mood we are in. but we usually always put pinto beans in the meat.
I like taco salad more than tacos so I will usually do a salad, but husband and daughter like tacos. They will some times use crunchy taco shells and warm them in the oven. Or they will use the soft flour shells. I usually cook them on the stove on a griddle pan with a little dab of corn oil. I will cook them until they have just a touch of crispiness to them but still having softness to them.
They don't like that many veggies so that part is usually lettuce shredded with green onions. but I love veggies and I like to add bell peppers and olives to my salad.
of course there is cheese.. can't have tacos anything without cheese.
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lucybelle
Shy Member
Posts: 44 
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Post by lucybelle on Oct 22, 2014 4:07:10 GMT
We use ground elk meat. :-) Sometimes we use chicken from a Costco roast chicken. My boys do not like exotic, so it's just your basic meat, tomato sauc e (only with the elk), spices, cheese. Oh, and homemade salsa. Chopping lettuce and tomatoes would be a waste of time with these dudes.  |
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Post by disneyjunkie on Oct 22, 2014 13:06:50 GMT
I just pulled a roast out of the freezer and I'm going to make Mexican Pot Roast tacos for dinner tonight (Tyler Florence recipe). This thread made me really hungry |
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Post by lostwithout2peas on Oct 22, 2014 19:18:46 GMT
I had to really stop and think about how I make them cause its such a habit I don't pay attention to how I do it anymore! You Don't fold it and put it in cause the corn tortilla will break. You dip the side that doesn't have meat in the oil and get it warm, including where your gonna fold it and then lay the part with the meat on top of it. Fry one side and then flip till the other side is crispy. The key to crispy tacos is thin corn tortillas. If they are thick they will be chewy. Clear as mud? And yes they do break sometimes when you are stuffing them but you just hold the sides together! I put them in a 13x9 casserole dish with paper towels at the bottom to absorb the grease that drips off of them. Hope this helps, feel free to ask more questions! Yes that does make sense. I'm just amazed that the raw meat would be done in just the time it takes to cook the tortilla. I think the thickness of the tortilla is probably why my corn tortillas are chewy instead of crisp, I will have to look for the thin ones. I don't think I've even seen them in the store...but then I wasn't looking for them either. I think my kids will love these! When I was 20 and had just moved out with my husband, I hadn't really learned how to cook yet. So when I was about to attempt cooking tacos for the 1st time I called my mom and asked her how did I know when the taco was done. She said when the shell is crispy. I scratched my head and thought to myself, my poor old mom doesn't understand what I'm asking. So I called my older sister and asked her the same thing. She laughed and said, when the shell is hard dummy.... but in my head I was like what if the meat cooked slower then the shell! Wouldn't you know it, I've never had a raw taco to date!! Lol! So ya, the taco is done when the shell is crispy on both sides! Lol! |
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Post by ametallichick on Oct 22, 2014 21:09:05 GMT
I fry my own corn tortillas.
I also use ground beef and a can of diced potatoes.
I know it sounds weird but it's awesome.
I sauté the potatoes first, remove them from the pan then I fry the ground beef.
Then add the potatoes back in the pan with the beef and stir it all together.
I don't use the taco seasoning packet anymore because I don't like the aftertaste.
Then we use cheese, sour cream, salsa, avocado, onions, etc for the toppings.
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Post by femalebusiness on Oct 22, 2014 21:46:21 GMT
I fry my own corn tortillas. I also use ground beef and a can of diced potatoes. I know it sounds weird but it's awesome. I sauté the potatoes first, remove them from the pan then I fry the ground beef. Then add the potatoes back in the pan with the beef and stir it all together. I don't use the taco seasoning packet anymore because I don't like the aftertaste. Then we use cheese, sour cream, salsa, avocado, onions, etc for the toppings. Potatoes do taste good in tacos. I had a friend that put mashed potatoes in place of the meat with cheese, green onions, tomatoes, lettuce and taco sauce. No meat and even though it doesn't sound good it actually was. |
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