Ingredients:

mashed squash of 2 small avocados

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 chili pepper or green malagueta pepper

1 medium-sized onion, chopped

Preparation Method:

In a bowl, put the avocado pulp and add the tomatoes, lemon juice, pepper and onion. Mix until an even cream is formed. Fill the tortillas with the beans, meat, lettuce and sour cream. Roll them and serve.

Photo Credit: Casers Jean

Photo Credit: Stevendepolo

Ingredients:

Tortilla:

3 tablespoons fat

180ml (6.08 oz) warm water

600g (21.16 oz) cooked pork

1 teaspoon oil

2 medium-sized onions, chopped

3 medium slices bacon cut into small bits

2 medium tomatoes, chopped, no peel, no seeds

1 tablespoon canned beans

6 lettuce leaves, sliced

4 tablespoons cream

lemon juice

Preparation method:

Tortilla (yields 12 tortillas):

Sift 3 teacups of wheat flour and 1 teaspoon of salt. Toss 4 tablespoons of lard and 180ml (6.08 oz) of warm water. Put the dough on a flat surface and work it until it is soft and elastic. Cover it and let it rest for an hour.

Then divide it into 12 parts and flatten them into circles with 20cm (7.9 inches) in diameter. Warm up an iron skillet and lay one dough circle at a time. While the tortilla is baking, press it with a piece of folded cloth. Take it off as soon as it is slightly browned in both sides and wrap it in a cloth in order to keep it warm. They could also be filled with shredded chicken or other fillings of your choice.

Shred the meat using 2 forks and set aside. Warm the oil in a pan and cook the onions and the bacon. Add the meat, tomatoes and 4 tablespoons water. Add chili and cook over low heat, stirring eventually, until the meat is golden and there is no liquid left in the skillet. Set aside. Place the beans into another pan and cook, stirring vigorously until you get a paste. Set aside.

Toss the cream and a little lemon juice. Set aside.

Tips:

To make the chili powder, bake 4 chili peppers in high heat for 10 minutes. Remove the seeds and the handles and smash them until it’s a powder.

Photo Credit: Stevendepolo

Ingredients:

For the tortillas:

1 kg (2.2 lbs) dry corn kernels

1 tablespoon culinary quicklime

Hot water

For the filling:

3 slices bacon

1 kg (2.2 lbs) minced meat

4 tablespoons onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

150g (5.29 oz) smashed tomatoes

2 teacups water

4 tablespoons powder chili

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

Preparation method:

Tortillas:

Wash the corn kernels, place them on a pan, and add 4 liters (approx. 1.05 US gallons) of water to it. Add the quicklime and bake it for about one hour or until the corn husks come off. This may take a while. Let it cool and rub the corn kernels to eliminate the husks. Put the corn in a steaming pot and cook on the steam for over one hour. Use a pestle to crush the kernels adding enough hot water to produce a thick dough. A food processor may be used at this point, but in this case the texture will be different than the original. Heat an iron board, or the authentic Mexican “comal”. Mould the dough into balls the size of ping-pong balls. Place each ball between two plastic sheets and flatten them with a rolling pin in order to make tortillas measuring about 15 cm (5.9 inches) in diameter. Grill each side of the tortillas for about a minute. While they’re still warm, hang them over a broom stick so that they’ll be shaped like a shell.

Filling: chop finely the bacon slices and put them in a pan over low heat. Cook slowly so the fat will come out. Increase heat and brown the bacon, add the minced meat and braise until it is quite brown. If it appears to be too dry, add some oil. Add the chopped onion and garlic and braise for 2 minutes. Add the chili, the Worcestershire sauce and toss well; add salt and pepper to taste. Then add the mashed tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes. Lower the heat and add the water, cooking for about 20 minutes or until the liquid dries off completely. Make sure the amount of salt and pepper is fine.

Finishing: prepare the tortillas adding some meat and covering it with guacamole (check out the recipe here!)

Tips:

In case you can’t find the readymade chili, make it yourself by mixing 1 tablespoon of hot paprika, 2 tablespoons of sweet paprika, 1 teaspoon of cumin, and 1 teaspoon of oregano. Blend them. Use it in the recipe and keep the leftover in a hermetically closed jar.

Tacos

Ingredients:

2 medium tomatoes, without seeds
1 medium red chile pepper (Dedo-de-moça)
1/4 cup fresh coriander
1 medium avocado
Juice of a medium lemon
1 medium onion, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
Sal to taste

Serve with tortillas, tortilla chips or other chips

Preparation:

Cut the tomatoes in very small cubes. Cut the chile open (lengthwise), remove seeds and filaments, and chop finely. Chop the fresh coriander, also finely. Set aside.

Peel avocado, remove the pit and put the flesh in a deep bowl. Smash the pulp with a fork, leaving some small pieces. Sprinkle with lemon juice.

Add tomatoes, pepper, coriander, onion, olive oil and salt. Mix well and serve immediately.

Tips:

Serve the guacamole as soon as it’s done, so the avocado won’t get dark and bitter. In case you can’t serve it immediately, keep the guacamole in the fridge and place the avocado pit inside it (after rinsed and dried with a paper towel).

Time Required: 20 min
Servings: 6 Servings

Photo Credit: Casers Jean