Food editors and product developers talk among themselves about creating recipes suitable for the “memory cookbook.” That is, the type of recipe easily remembered and recreated without the need for a printed recipe. The ubiquitous green bean casserole made from tinned soup and fried onions typifies such a recipe.
Everyone benefits from having a repertoire of go-to recipes in their heads. Breakfast dishes such as scrambled eggs and French toast come to mind. As do peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Dinners can be more challenging simply because we expect more flavor, more people, more satisfaction.
Tacos, made from ground beef or turkey, prove a great starting chapter in everyone’s dinner memory cookbook. Especially relevant with Cinco de Mayo celebrations around the corner.
One pound of ground protein, a can of tomatoes, some onion, garlic, and chili powder can be on the weekly grocery list and subsequent dinner menu. The steps are easy: Brown the meat with the onion and garlic; add tomatoes and seasoning; simmer. Vary add-ins as the pantry and preferences dictate. I usually like to add any bits of random vegetables lurking in the crisper drawer, such as mushrooms, zucchini, and/or bell peppers. Adding canned beans boosts protein and the number of servings.
For serving, the cook has plenty of options: Pile the filling into warm tortillas. If using flour tortillas, completely enclose the filling with the tortilla, then crisp all sides in a hot, lightly oiled skillet. This crisping vastly improves the flour tortilla; top the crispy package with salsa if desired.
Tuck the filling into a warm pita pocket and add shredded lettuce or cabbage for a hand-held snack. Pile a small spoonful of the warm filling over a crisp tostada shell or a spear of Belgian endive and top with diced avocado and cilantro for a pass-around appetizer.
Make a taco salad by piling crumbled tortilla chips into a shallow bowl. Top with hot taco filling, then shredded cheese and plenty of shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, corn kernels, sliced pickled jalapenos, and chopped fresh cilantro.
Alternatively, serve the warm meat mixture over hot cooked rice. If transporting the meal for a hot lunch, heat in a covered microwave-safe dish, on full power, stirring once or twice, until hot, then top with shredded cheese. Crisp tortilla chips make a nice accompaniment.
The leftover taco mixture can be scrambled into eggs for a brunch dish. Crush the pulp of a ripe avocado into a cup of green salsa and serve over the eggs. Or, top a baked sweet or russet potato with some of the hot taco filling and garnish with shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream.
You get the idea: A pan full of taco filling offers myriad meal solutions totally worth the brain storage space.
For the Cinco de Mayo holiday, I suggest memorizing a basic margarita recipe! Mine is the 2, 1, 1 method: 2 parts silver tequila, 1 part fresh lime juice, and 1 part orange liqueur shaken with plenty of ice and served in a salted martini glass with a wedge of lime. Easy, peasy.
Smoky Beef and Mushroom Taco Filling
Makes about 4 cups, serving 6- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 large red onion, cut into wedges
- 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms, about 6 ounces
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
- 1 pound lean (85 percent) ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
- 3 tablespoons ketchup or barbecue sauce
- 3 tablespoons mild chili powder
- 1 teaspoon chipotle puree or 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder or smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained rinsed
- Salt to taste
2. Add beef to pan. Saute, breaking meat apart into small pieces, until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, ketchup, chili powder, chipotle, and cumin. Cook, stirring often, until thick, about 10 minutes.
Taco Rice Bowls
Makes 6 servings- 1 recipe Smoky Beef and Mushroom Taco Filling, see recipe
- 3 cups cooked brown or white rice
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 cups shredded chihuahua cheese
- Tortilla chips
2. To serve, pile 1/2 cup hot rice into an individual deep soup or salad serving bowl. Top with 1/6 of the taco filling. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Garnish with onion mixture. Crumble tortilla chips into the bowl as desired. Repeat to make six bowls. Serve hot.
