Posted by Robin Bellinger, May 2, 2008 at 1:30 PM
Since I was raised on wonderfully lardy, cheesy Tex-Mex, it took me a while to come around to the ungloppy goodness that is a fish taco. In the early 1990s fish tacos became something of a craze in Houston, if I remember correctly, but I was not on board. In my wisdom and maturity today, however, I embrace all foods Mexican or Mexican-ish, including tortillas (corn or flour) full of fish (fried or grilled) and slaw (or salsa, or avocados, or whatever feels right).
This is the sort of thing a competent and intuitive cook can put together with no recipe. I have made brilliant fish tacos off the top of my head, but I have also made some less satisfying ones, with poorly cooked fish or unbalanced flavors. When I can get it right every time, I will know that I have arrived as a home cook. Until then, I rely on recipes to reorient me when I get off track. This is my current favorite. It's fast and fairly healthy but always feels somehow celebratory to me.
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Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, March 7, 2008 at 4:00 PM
I had little chorizo leftover from Monday’s fantastic chorizo, egg and raisin meal, and instead of making that same meal for the third time, I figured I’d try to see what else I could find. Contrary to all rationale, I was still in a taco munching mood, and so I quickly went for the Mexican guide to all things quick and easy, Rick Bayless. This isn’t the first time.
I’ve made this before with just the chorizo and potato, but I decided to finally pony up and get the mushrooms too. For some reason they felt unnecessary before. The potato was already going to add body and the chorizo had all the goodness. The mushrooms certainly don’t lighten up the dish like the raisins did, but they do make things a little more savory and a tad less greasy. It’s odd that it works so well, but I guess that’s just Bayless you.
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Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, March 3, 2008 at 4:15 PM
I must have downed dozens of variations on this dish over the past couple years, and I’ve loved nearly everyone. Because chorizo is highly spiced and ready to go from the outset, it’s a no-fuss, quick-to-the-plate breakfast standard in my household. Some people like their breakfast dishes sweet and delicate, but not me. I’m as starved as a lumberjack before 10 a.m.—at least on the weekends—and the combination of eggs and chorizo never fails.
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Posted by Blake Royer, February 12, 2008 at 4:30 PM
As good, competitive vegetarian tacos go, options are pretty limited: there's beans, and then...there's beans. I love a bean taco, but I can only eat so many. And as a meat eater, I'm not going to fall for a tofu taco. Granted, it may be pretty tasty—but why eat a vegetarian dish full of proteins that are designed, in this case, to mimic meat? So as I was flipping through the book that I often turn to first when I'm jonesing for some Mexican—Rick Bayless's Mexican Everyday
—this recipe stood out. I'm always looking for new ways to prepare the countless bundles of winter greens that end up in my grocery cart every week—collard, kale, all colors of chard. The fact that this was a brilliant new idea for a meatless taco was even more incentive.
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Posted by Robin Bellinger, February 1, 2008 at 4:00 PM
I’m a little nervous about putting this recipe before this crowd, which probably includes more people with dearly-held opinions about barbecue and tacos than I could find anywhere else. Me, I like pulled pork, but I’m from Texas, so that’s not the brand of barbecue I was raised on; and again, I’m from Texas, so I’ll accept a crispy shell full of ground beef and orange cheese as a “taco” just as happily as I’ll eat carnitas wrapped in a fresh tortilla. In short, people with standards more exacting than mine might argue that this is not real pulled pork and these are not real pork tacos. But recently I fed them to a discerning friend who went back for seconds and thirds, and their excellence has made it hard for us to enjoy pork tacos at our former favorite places, so…I’m going to risk putting this out there.
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Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, November 28, 2007 at 5:00 PM
This Mexican-inspired dish comes by way of England, which seems a tad ridiculous. But my guide in the proceedings was Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, the star of the BBC series River Cottage. I’ve been devouring the three DVD box set The River Cottage Collection (which unfortunately doesn’t play on my American DVD player, but does on my computer). I’ve gotten to watch him slaughter some pigs, make black pudding, and drink a lot of locally made cider. And just recently, I came across an episode where he grew a bunch of peppers in his polytunnel and tried to find some good recipes for them. He wrapped some poblanos in a tortilla, fired it up with some salsa, and hawked it to Londoners at a farmer’s market for a pretty penny. After a week full of heavy meat dishes this sounded like a great break. It contained no meat, but still packed lots of flavor.
For little authenticity insurance, I also consulted Diana Kennedy’s The Essential Cuisines of Mexico. She convinced me to cook the peppers on top of the stove, and then cut it into strips. That seemed to work better with the excellent little corn tortillas I picked up at the local Mexican grocer. But the inspiration is all River Cottage. The pepper has a chocolate fullness with just a pinch of heat. I didn’t miss the meat at all. I also heaped on some hot salsa and sour cream to round out mine. But some refried beans would feel welcome as well.
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Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, July 16, 2007 at 4:30 PM
Today marks the debut of Nick Kindelsperger's column Dinner Tonight. Starting today, Nick will drop by on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with a quick meal that you should be able to get on the table in about 30 minutes. Regular readers of Serious Eats know that Nick is one half of the Paupered Chef duo that has done some writing for us. OK, we'll let Nick take it from here. —The Editors
Photograph by Nick Kindelsperger
Welcome to Dinner Tonight, a handy little guide to eating simply and quickly for weekday meals. I’ll run through an easy recipe that can be picked up, completed, and cleaned up before it’s time to hit the sack. I’ll pull from the latest celebrity chef’s photo-laden books as well as dusty old tomes I've picked up at yard sales. It’s all up for grabs, as long as it’s simple, quick, and delicious. If you have some perfect recipes for the column, please let me know.
First up, one my favorite quick meals from Everyday Mexican by Rick Bayless: Seafood Salad Tacos with Tomato, Radish and Habanero. It’s probably the easiest taco recipe this side of opening up a packet of “Mexican” seasoning, but it's healthier and tastier. Don’t skimp on the radishes; they provide a nice bitter crunch—a nice foil to the fresh shrimp. Use the habaneros, however, at your own discretion. Don’t be a hero. Jalapeños or even some hot sauce would work well, too.
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