Recently a twitter friend asked me if I had a good recipe for tacos. I realised that although I have done a lot of taco filling recipes for the blog, I hadn't really written a specific post on tacos, so no mystery as to what this post is all about: wonderful, versatile, delicious and ever simple tacos!
Tacos have been eaten in Mexico in some shape or form nearly for as long as there has been corn in the land (about 7000 b.c.). A taco is a generic term used to describe a corn tortilla with a filling of meat or vegetables and rolled or folded in a way that can be hold and eaten with one hand. A taco is always made with a tortilla, pretty much like a sandwich is always made with bread. You can have your taco with anything you want inside, there are some classic combinations, but after that, your imagination is the limit. Mexican Streets are full of taco stands everywhere, from 4 a.m. till about 12 noon and then from 6 p.m. till about 3 a.m. They are the perfect street food and at home they are ideal for getting rid of leftovers.
There are hundreds and thousands of taco recipes, the fillings vary from region to region but the base is always a good tortilla. In the north parts of Mexico, wheat tortillas have been gaining popularity to make tacos, although a taco made of wheat tortilla is usually refer to as a 'gringa' (probably because wheat tortillas are very white/pale in colour). In my opinion, tacos must be divided into soft tacos & fried tacos; they are traditionally eaten as breakfast, brunch or as an evening supper.
You can choose to make your own corn tortillas (see the recipe here), or you can buy good quality corn tortillas, either way make sure you have a couple of fillings ready to make them. I love having taquizas (Taco Fests) for parties, you just make sure the tortillas are hot and make two or three fillings of your choice with a side of refried beans and a good homemade salsa and you're ready to party! Everything can be made in advance so you only need to heat the tortillas and fillings before serving! The recipe here is a quick taco filling that we really love in our house, combining lovely Irish potatoes and chorizo. This recipe works with leftover boiled/steamed potatoes as well, just cut them into chunky squares and use them instead. I have gone back to all my recipes and add a label called 'tacos' for anything that can be used as a taco filling! Enjoy your taquiza!!
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan at medium heat and add the potatoes. Gently cook them for about 4 minutes stirring ocasionally.
Add the chorizo and mix well. Cook the potatoes with the chorizo until the chorizo is crispy and it has released all its ruby juices into the potatoes, this should take about 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the onions and chili and mix well cooking them until the onions have soften a little. Add the tomato and season to taste. Keep cooking and stirring occasionally for a further 5 minutes or until everything is cooked fully. Transfer to a serving bowl and keep warm while you heat some refried beans and your corn tortillas.
You are now ready to assemble your papas con chorizo tacos! Put the salsa, warm refried beans and warm corn tortillas on the table, give everybody a plate, plenty of servillets and let them loose in this quick and delicious dinner! To make your taco, take a warm corn tortilla, spoon some of the chorizo and tato filling and some refried beans and top it up with some salsa. Fold your taco and eat it; delicious and quick!
