Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The Ultimate Classic Tacos

When I was writing about the Taco Bell lawsuit a couple of days ago, I thought it would be handy to link to my own recipe for meaty, ground beef tacos. If you're craving tacos, you don't have to go out to eat or resort to one of those yawn-inducing taco seasoning packets. You can make them yourselves with my handy recipe! Um, just a second while I find that recipe. It must be crumpled and dog-eared at the bottom of my blog somewhere. Where is that darn recipe? It's not here. It never was. If a tree falls in the forest, or if a recipe is made but never written about on a blog, did it ever really exist? But hang on; we love tacos. We eat them all the time. Why weren't they here? What excuse could I have for this glaring omission? I think this is it: Sometimes I forget to share the everyday classics, maybe because they seem a little, well ordinary. But ordinary food is usually the favorite food, the food you return to again and again and find yourself making for dinner every Tuesday night. It's the food I like to make when people come to dinner because I know the grown-ups and the kids will both love it. There's nothing wildly exotic about these tacos. They're the ultimate classic with fried corn tortillas, chili and tomato flavored ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese and spicy and cooling pico de gallo. They'd be just as heavenly teetering on a plate on your lap while you watch the Super Bowl, as they would be around the dinnertable on a plain old weekday. So here they are, never to be lost forgotten or non-existent ever again. Long live ordinary, extraordinary tacos.
Ground Beef Tacos:
Estimated Cost for Ground Beef: $5.00-enough for 20 tacos
Notes: I love to double this recipe and freeze the leftovers.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef
2-4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder
pinch of cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce (If you like it spicy, use El Pato)
In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon. When the beef is almost cooked through, drain off the fat. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cayenne, and salt and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for five minutes.
Serve inside lightly fried corn tortillas with homemade pico de gallo, cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, and sour cream. I like to make refried beans in the crockpot to go along side; they're so easy, it won' take you but a moment.


Up Next: Chinese New Year favorites

10 comments:

Tightwad Mom said...

Prudy - If you lived closer to me I'd run right over and give you a big hug!!! I have been looking for a great recipe for Taco Meat for our Blue and Gold Banquet next week! Your recipe sounds delicious! I'm going to whip up a batch for dinner tonight! YOU ARE THE BEST!!! :D

Catherine said...

Tacos TAcos TACOS!!! I love tacos. I can't get enough of them. Did you know that my kids will not eat tacos? They are very happy to eat what goes in the taco shell, but they're deathly afraid of the taco shells. Silly little darlings. I can't wait to have tacos and I don't think there's anyway I'll last until Sunday. Or maybe I should have nachos. Decisions decisions.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Tacos have been my favorite comfort food since I was a little girl and first had them in CA. I LOVE them. DH enjoys them too.

I have the ingredients to make them this week for supper. I do not add tomato sauce to the meat though. We do use Tabasco on them.

This is making me hungry for them right now.

FlowerLady

Katie and Mark said...

My mouth is watering, and my stomach is growling! These look so good and easy enough for me to pull off. :) Theu seriously made me want to call off Kaden's Chuck-E-Cheese party so that I could stay home and eat these instead! I can't wait to make them.

The JR said...

That's the kind of tacos we like!

Leslie said...

These pictures are killing me.
There's nothing better to eat than a taco. A few tacos and then a big chocolate cookie.
These look delicious and so does the pico de gallo.
We just had these on Sunday, and eat them at least once a week. But, you already know that. I'd eat them everyday if my family wouldn't mind.
Wish Westy a Happy Birthday for us.
Did you make him a little football cake?
I still love that you did that for him and can picture him in his high chair enjoying it.

Jessica @ Barefoot by the Sea said...

Maybe I should try to hire you and your cooking services for next Superbowl! This looks DELISH!

Unknown said...

Prudelicious, I too love tacos, or did. You see, I grew up in the poorest part of Mexico. We were so poor, sometimes we had to substitute parts of a taco with whatever we could find. For instance, cardboard for corn tortillas, shredded newspaper for lettuce, and ketchup packets from the local carniceria, for salsa. It can be hard for me to see such lovely tacos sometimes. Did I forget to mention dirt clods for meat?

Seth and Julie said...

I guess it is a Southern California thing, because we all seem to LOVE tacos. I admit that I like burritos even better, and could eat them three times a day, but tacos are right up there, and I could certainly eat them twice a day. Tacos are one of my favortie quick and easy meals that make everyone happy. I will definitely be trying your seasoning recipe next time. Keep posting the ordinary recipes. I think the fact that you are willing to be ordinary is what makes you extraordinary. We are real people and we want real food. Thanks for giving it to us.

Anonymous said...

Oh, yum! We used to have tacos at home all the time, and then I moved out on my own and never seem to make them. My mom always just used the premixed taco seasoning packets, but I think I'll give your version a try this week.