Today's Dinner: Homemade Tacos

The earliest dish that I can remember making entirely on my own, after a childhood of baking and general curiosity in the kitchen, was Old El Paso tacos when I was twelve. I mastered that recipe to the point that I'd bring friends home for lunch from high school (which was about 90 seconds out my front door) and make it for them too. Being a "real" cook now, I was happy when Cook's Illustrated magazine provided me with a recipe to do my own tacos from scratch. What follows is my current scratch taco recipe:

2 tsp vegetable oil (your choice but don't waste olive oil here)

1 small-medium onion, chopped finely

3+ garlic cloves, chopped finely or minced

2 tbs chili powder (regular or ancho)

1 tsp cumin

1-2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt (I use sea salt or kosher salt when cooking)

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 cup tomato sauce (not pasta sauce, actual tomato sauce from the canned tomato aisle)

1/2 chicken broth (see previous blog entry?)

1 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp cider (or other dark) vinegar

Fresh ground black pepper

Small tortilla shells

1. Prep onion and garlic, keeping them separate. If time, combine all the spices in one bowl, and all the liquids in a measuring glass. HINT: Do NOT add the brown sugar to the liquids.

2. Using a large skilled or frying pan, heat the oil until it begins to shimmer.

3. Add the onion and cook until clear and softened, about 4-5 min. If chopped finely, the onion will "disappear" into the final mixture, so this is your chance to hide them in case anyone isn't overly fond of onions. Caramelizing them does not help anything with this recipe.

4. If not already done, combine the chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, cayenne, and salt.

5. Add the garlic to the skillet and stir until you can smell it's aroma, about 30 seconds.

6. Add the spice mixture to the skillet and combine until everything is evenly coated and you can smell the spices, about 60 seconds.

7. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon and working it into the onion/spice mixture. Stir occasionally until beef is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.

8. Combine wet ingredients if you haven't already done so. Do NOT add the brown sugar.

9. When the beef has browned, add the brown sugar directly to the skillet and then follow it immediately with the liquids. Stir to combine everything and simmer on medium high heat. The tacos are done when all of the liquid has disappeared and the meat mixture has reduced and thickened. On average, this takes me at least 15-20 minutes, although cooking time can vary widely based on several factors, including your actual quantity of meat.

10. This is a good time to prepare your garnishes, remembering to stir the taco mixture regularly. Garnishes can be rather personal, but I suggest: cheddar cheese, avocado, tomato, salsa, pico de gallo, mushrooms, radish, green onions, lettuce and/or sour cream.

11. If desired, warm tortilla shells as per package directions or simply stack on a microwaveable plate, cover with saran wrap, and nuke for 30-60 seconds.

This should feed 4-6 people.

Leftovers: Warm up your meat mixture and tortillas for more tacos, or use it in my personal favourite, taco salad!

Tonight's Variation: Just to be different, I chopped a Serrano pepper and added it to the onions while they were frying. (Out of deference to the rug rat and his palate, I disposed of the pith and about half of the seeds.) Not sure if I added it too early or if the Serrano just wasn't robust enough to combat the spices, but it added only a minor heat to the mixture and it's flavour wasn't distinguishable except for the odd bite.