Tacos

This is a really, really good taco.  Much better than the one I’ve been making all these years with ground beef and a jar of salsa!  I had most of the ingredients on hand and it went together quite simply.

The recipe calls for crisp taco shells but we had them with soft flour tortillas tonight.  Either way is great.

I also halved the recipe because we are a small family but you could make the whole amount and have plenty of leftovers for lunch. 🙂

For the filling, below are the halved amounts I used but I really followed the recipe exact (except for the chili powder, I reduced that a bit and the tomatoes.)  The only real difference was , the simmering times were less because of the smaller quantities.

The lime sour cream I followed exactly except I did not include the cilantro.  I am afraid I agree with Ina Garten, who does not like the herb at all.  But you must make the sour cream sauce, I think it makes the taco complete!  I cheated a little and only refrigerated it for a 1/2 hour but it was still excellent!

Tacos (from Bon Appetit, September 2013, Sloppy Tacos)

Lime Sour Cream

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest (from 2 limes)

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from the 2 limes above)

1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste

Filling

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

l pound of 85% ground beef

half of one small onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 of a 14.5  ounce can of Hunts Petite Diced Tomatoes

1/2 of a bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon of ancho chile powder, chipotle chile powder (which is what I used) or chili powder

1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1-1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1-1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

6 crisp taco shells or 6 flour tortillas, warmed

shredded cheddar cheese (I like Cracker Barrel brand), chopped tomatoes

Lime sour cream:  whisk all ingredients together in a medium glass bowl and refrigerate for at least a 1/2 hour or more.

Filling:  Heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.   Add ground beef and cook, breaking up meat, until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.  Transfer to a medium bowl.

If there is too much fat left after cooking the ground beef , throw it out.  Then reduce heat to medium and add 1/2 tablespoon of oil to skillet.  Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally for about 2-3 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Add tomatoes to skillet and cook until most of the juice has simmered away, about 5 minutes.  Add beef, chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, spices and brown sugar.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes.  Pour into an 8 or 9 inch square baking dish, sprayed with canola spray.  Bake for about 30 minutes until a crust forms.

Spoon filling onto warmed flour tortillas or crisp taco shells, sprinkle with cheese and tomatoes and drizzle with sour cream sauce.   Serve immediately.

sour cream sauce:

mis en place:

beef cooked and set aside,  cooking onions and garlic:

cooking tomatoes:

adding the rest of the ingredients and simmering:

into the baking dish:

after 30 minutes in the oven:

delicious!