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Campechano Tacos
Campechano Tacos
This might be the most ultimate taco ever. Carne asada, chorizo or longaniza sausage, and chicharron are the meats that make up tacos campechano. Yes. 3 meats in this taco. The tacos are topped with onions, cilantro, and morita salsa; with lime wedges on the side. This taco is a sign that life is good and not to take it for granted.There are a couple options that you can use for the beef. Top sirloin, flank steak, or skirt steak are all tender enough cuts. Everyone knows what chorizo is, but most don’t know about Mexican-style longaniza; not to be confused with Filipino longanisa. Longaniza’s main flavors are from achiote paste and orange juice, giving it a citrusy flavor. Both sausages contain enough fat once rendered out to cook and flavor the steak. The last minute of cooking, serranos and chicharron are added to the campechano, giving it heat and another textured layer of porkiness.
Ingredients
- 1 lb top sirloin, flank steak, or skirt steak cut into small cubes
- 1 lb chorizo or longaniza sausage
- 2 serrano peppers finely chopped
- 1 cup chicharron crushed
- salt and pepper to taste
Tacos
- corn tortillas
- white onion chopped
- cilantro chopped
- morita salsa
Instructions
- Crumble the sausage into a large sauté pan over medium high heat.
- Brown the sausage for 6 minutes.
- Add in the beef. Continue sautéing for 3 minutes.
- Add in the chopped serranos and crumbled chicharron. Cook for 1 more minute.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Morita Chilies Salsa
Morita peppers are dried jalapeños that have been slightly smoked. They have the spiciness similar to a chipotle pepper. What’s different about this salsa is that the dried peppers and garlic are fried in olive oil then soaked in hot water for 10 minutes to further hydrate them. Then they are purred with the water they were soaked in and the oil they were fried in. This salsa reminds me of the canned chipotle abodo sauce that chipotle peppers are packed in, but less smokey in flavor.
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 12 dried morita peppers
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 cup hot water
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat up olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Fry the morita peppers and garlic for 2-3 minutes. The peppers will puff up. That’s when you know that they’re done.
- Scoop out the peppers and garlic and let them soak in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes.
- Add the peppers, garlic, soaking water, and the oil they fried in to a blender. Purée until smooth. Season with salt to taste.
Fattoush Salad
Fattoush Salad
Fattoush is a Lebanese bread salad. The bread in question is pita bread that’s been brushed with a dressing of pomegranate molasses and sumac, then toasted in the oven. The toasted pita croutons are crumbled into a salad of romaine, cherry tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, green onions, fresh mint, and parsley. All of this is tossed in the pomegranate dressing. This salad can be eaten as a side and is even hearty enough as a main course.
Ingredients
- 1 head romaine lettuce washed and chopped
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
- 2 small Persian cucumbers thinly sliced
- 4 radishes thinly sliced
- 3 green onions chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh mint
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 large pita bread sliced in half
Dressing
- 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp sumac
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix together the dressing ingredients.
- Turn on your oven’s broiler. Brush the top side of the split pita bread with the dressing.
- Broil for 1-2 minutes.
- In a large bowl, toss the salad ingredients together with the lemon juice.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss again.
- Crumble the toasted pita into the salad and toss.
Irio
Irio
Irio is mashed sweet potatoes with peas and corn. That simple. Nothing less. Nothing more. But what really stands out in this starchy side dish is the use of Asian sweet potatoes. Instead of the orange ones that you’re used to seeing, these potatoes have a purplish skin with white flesh. When peeled, they look like a normal russet. Hey also have the same starchiness of a russet. But they are as sweet as can be. I actually like them better than the orange sweet potato. With the peas and corn mixed in with a wedge of butter, irio is one of the best potato side dishes I’ve eaten in a while.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs asian sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup corn
- 1/2 cup peas
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Simmer the potatoes for 10 minutes until fork tender. Drain the water.
- Add the butter to the bottom of the pot and allow to melt. Using a potato masher, roughly smash the potatoes. Season with salt and paprika.
- Mix in the corn, peas, and parsley.
