tacos

...and we're back. with plenty of time on my hands as i continue the job search, seems like a good time to get a food blog up and running again. first up tacos from scratch. three basic recipes here.

first up carnitas. i followed a david lebovitz recipe for this one. it's simply browned chunks of pork shoulder braised in water with a stick of cinnamon, bay leaves, ancho chile powder and cumin for 3.5 hours in a 350 degree oven. relatively straight forward, but it sure does make the house smell delicious.

next we have queso fresco. you can buy this stuff at most supermarkets these days or just make your own. i scalded a gallon of whole milk and then stirred in 1/4 cup of cider vinegar, which curdles the milk. after 10 minutes, you scoop out the curds and strain them for a couple hours. i seasoned it with a bit of salt, but what you get is a nice crumbly fresh milk cheese perfect for tacos.

finally i made homemade corn tortillas. another relatively simple process. just mix 2 cups of masa harina (instant yellow corn flour) with between 1 1/4 and 1 1/3 cup of water. make little golf size balls of dough and press them in a basic tortilla press (~$15) between two layers of plastic wrap. cook each tortilla on a HOT cast iron skillet for 60 seconds per side. These should be made at the last minute.

so there ya go, carnitas, queso fresco and corn tortillas made from scratch. top it all off with come cilantro, onions, lime and a little mexican cream (or in this case yogurt and lime), serve with a mojito, and you're good to go. none of it is particularly time consuming or very hard - just need to get started on the carnitas a few hours before serving dinner (or even the night before). probably the most satisfying tacos i've ever had. delicious.