It’s taco night, and we are making steak tacos. Here is the ingredient list.
• 1/2 lb skirt steak (or flank steak or whatever, as long as it is thin)
• Achiote paste (you can buy this at many stores, on the internet, or make it yourself (see my recipe in Episode 10))
• Corn tortillas (either store bought or see Part 2 for making them at home)
• Shredded Oaxaca cheese
• Thinly sliced cabbage (I prefer crunchy cabbage over lettuce)
• Diced tomato
• Diced honey (ataulfo) mango
• Oaxacan charred salsa (see my recipe in Episode 174, or use something else)
Rub the skirt steak with achiote paste. You just want a thin layer. This is a seasoning, not a marinade. Let it sit for 1-2 hours (you can leave it longer if you wish).
Heat up the oven to 325 degrees F. Heat up a flat heavy griddle or cast-iron skillet to very hot. You can also use carbon steel or stainless steel if that is what you have, but no non-stick since the temperature you want is not appropriate for non-stick coatings.
Salt the steak on both sides. Spray the surface of the griddle with high temperature cooking spray and immediately put the steak on. Sear on both sides - about 30-60 seconds per side, depending on how hot the griddle is. Put the steak on a roasting pan and finish cooking in the oven until the interior temperature is about 125 degrees F, then take it out and let it rest for five or so minutes.
If you bought tortillas in the store, you can warm them up in a pan while the steak if resting. If you made them yourself as shown in Part 2 they should already be warm and wrapped in a damp towel.
Now you are ready to assemble the tacos. The important think here is not to overfill them - you want them to be able to be closed around the filling. Once the steak is rested, slice thinly on the bias against the grain. Lay out your tortillas on a baking pan and add some meat and top with some cheese. It is a good idea to stick them back into the oven just long enough to melt the cheese, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. Then add some cabbage, tomato, and diced honey mango. Top with some salsa and fold them over.
Everything plays well in this. You have the juicy medium-rare steak with the melty cheese. The cabbage adds a great crunch. The tomato, mango, salsa combination brings some acidity, sweetness, and smokey heat to the party that balance each other out perfectly. And each bite is just a little bit different because you won’t always get the exact same mix of ingredients in each one. Party time…enjoy!
6 сен 2024
