June 2011

Nick is convinced that his stomach was Mexican in another life. And I’m pretty sure mine is the same.

On any given day, if you asked us to go to lunch or dinner, we would probably choose to go out for Mexican.

But not just any restaurant. Lately it’s been at our new favorite place: ChuChos.

ChuChos isn’t just another Mexican restaurant with greasy quesadillas, soggy chips, and bland rice.

This place is the real deal.

All of their tortillas (flour and corn) are made fresh daily.

They have a guacamole cart that they bring around to your table, where they crack open an avocado right in front of you, smash it around in a bowl, and add the mix-ins that YOU like in your guac – cilantro, onion, jalapeno, tomato, anything you want.

A cart. Just for guacamole. This place was made for me!

Our favorite dish right now is their lunchtime taco special, and the best one is called “al pastor” – a pork and pineapple filling, stuffed in fresh warm tortillas, and served with a side of an avocado crema dip and an insanely spicy hot salsa.

Completely addicting.

After finally getting my hands on some masa harina (from Bob’s Red Mill), I knew I had to try making my own corn tortillas.

We have a tortilla press from Honduras that has been sitting in the basement since we moved into this house – it was time to break it in. Turns out, corn tortillas are super easy to make!

You need 3 ingredients: masa, water, salt.

That’s it! And, even if you don’t have a real tortilla press, you could still just roll these out by hand and they’d be just as delicious.

For the rest of our tacos, we went pretty simple.

Local steak, marinated in lime juice, this incredible Nudo Olive Oil with Mandarin Oranges, salt, and pepper. Thinly sliced cabbage. Avocado + radish + scallion + cilantro + salt salsa.

No cheese, no sour cream – I wanted to be able to taste the fresh tortillas. It was a good move.

Sometimes, simple is better.

My Mexican mojo is in full swing!

 

Mojo Grilled Steak Tacos

Makes: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. sirloin steak
• 1/4 cup Nudo Mandarin Olive Oil (or regular olive oil plus a splash of orange juice)
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 small head of cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2 avocados
• 4-5 radishes, sliced
• 1/4 cup scallions, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp lime juice

Directions:

1. Place steak in a baking dish or resealable bag and add the olive oil, 1/4 cup lime juice, salt, and pepper.
2. Coat the steak in the marinade and let it sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes.
3. Dice avocados and add to a large bowl. Stir in sliced radishes, scallions, cilantro, salt, and lime juice. Let sit, covered, at room temperature until ready to serve.
4. Thinly slice the cabbage and set aside.
5. Heat grill to a medium-high heat. Grill steak 5-7 minutes per side for medium doneness, or grill to how you like it.
6. Once the steak is done, let it rest 5-10 minutes before slicing to let the juices redistribute.
7. Slice thinly, against the grain. Serve immediately topped with cabbage and the avocado salsa.

 

Fresh Corn Tortillas

Makes: 10-12 tortillas

Ingredients:

• 2 cups masa harina (or corn flour)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups hot water

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix the masa and salt.
2. Stir in the hot water until all the masa is wet and the mixture comes together. It should be a bit springy and not crumbly OR too wet/sticky.
3. Cover the bowl and let the dough sit for 30 minutes.
4. Roll into 2-3” size balls of dough.
5. Heat a skillet over medium heat.
6. Place one ball of dough in between 2 pieces of wax or parchment paper and flatten into a round, either with a tortilla press or with a rolling pin or your hands.
7. Remove the tortilla from the paper and place in the skillet.
8. Let it cook 2-3 minutes on the first side until golden. Flip and let cook 1-2 minutes on second side.
9. Remove from pan and keep warm in a tortilla warmer or covered with a clean dish towel until ready to serve.

 

*The Masa came in a package of free products from Bob’s Red Mill to try and review. As always, my opinions are my own.

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