Sweet Potato Tacos

Last week I took my two monster sweet potatoes and recreated the sweet potato tacos I had at Santa Fe in Tivoli, New York.  This recipe is really warm and hearty, and consists of spicy roasted sweet potatoes, shelled pumpkin seeds, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, and hot sauce.  You can make the components in advance to save you time on dinner night too.

The Best Thing I Had In My Mouth - Ortega Taco Kit

I love Ortega's crunchy tacos, and their seasoning mix, and their taco sauce.  I don't care that they aren't soft, corn tortillas from the local bodega.  Long live the Ortega crunchy taco kit.  Best thing in my mouth this weekend.

Mexican Scrambled Egg Tacos

Last night I made these delicious scrambled egg tacos for dinner.  They are so simple to make, you are done in 30 minutes - promise.  The recipe is from Rick Bayless's Mexican Everyday (my favorite).  Rick's original recipe calls for 1 pound of ripe tomatoes, but when one is in the dead of winter I go for the can of fire-roasted tomatoes when I can find them.  And yes, I left out the cilantro because I hate it, but please add it if you like.

Ingredients for Mexican Scrambled Egg Tacos, adapted from Rick Bayless's Mexican Everyday, serves 4:

-3 garlic cloves, peeled
-Fresh hot chiles, 2 serranos or 1 jalapeno (I used jalapeno), stemmed, seeded (if you want), and each cut into 3 or 4 pieces
-1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
-2 tablespoons vegetable oil, olive oil, or fresh pork lard or bacon  or chorizo drippings (I used olive oil)
-1 pound ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/4-inch cubes, or one 14-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
-8 eggs
-Salt
-1/2 to 2/3 cup (loosely packed) chopped cilantro
-1 ripe avocado, pitted, flesh scooped from skin, and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
-12 warm corn tortillas, store-bought, click here for heating instructions
-3/4 cup roasted tomatillo salsa (click here for recipe), or bottled salsa or hot sauce for serving


Begin by dropping chiles and garlic cloves, one piece at a time into a food processor.  Let each piece get finely chopped before adding the next.  Then add the onion, and pulse into the pieces are no larger than 1/4 inch.

Heat oil in a very large (12-inch) skillet, preferably non-stick, over medium heat.  Add the chile-onion mixture, and stir regularly, until starting to brown, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Raise the heat to medium-high and add the tomatoes, or can of tomatoes (including juice) and cook.  Stir frequently, until all of the tomato liquid evaporates and oil separates out again, about 4 minutes with fresh tomatoes, 8-10 for canned tomatoes.

While tomatoes are cooking, crack the eggs in a bowl and season with 1 teaspoon salt and beat with a fork until eggs are roughly blended.  Chop avocado up and heat tortillas.

Pour eggs into skillet with tomatoes.  At first I thought this looked wrong and gross, but eventually the eggs cook up.  Slowly stir, scraping up the cooked eggs from the bottom of the skillet until the eggs are as done as you like.  I cook mine until everything looks almost dry.

Scoop eggs into two stacked tortillas, sprinkle with avocado, hot sauce, and cilantro.  Enjoy hot!

Cafe Habana

A couple weeks ago, I met up with friends in Soho after the Food Truck Festival fiasco.  We decided to eat dinner at Cafe Habana, a place my friends have been raving about for a while.  Because it was early evening, we didn't have to wait long and soon got seats at the bar - the best spot in the house to see all the action.

We ordered mojitos, micheladas, and just a plain old beer.  The mojitos were fresh with tons of mint, although a bit on the sweet side for my taste.  The michelada was good, but Caracas Arepa Bar's are much better.  All around though, it was a good start to the evening.

My friend insisted we start out with the corn, and I was not going to fight her on it.  I mean, she has been talking about Cafe Habana and its corn as if there was no other reason to go there, but for the corn.  It lived up to its reputation; it was to die to for.  The grilled corn comes on a skewer, and the corn is rolled in cotija cheese and chili powder.  Spicy, sweet, salty, and a little zip at the end from the splash of lime juice.

For dinner I got the Baja style fish tacos.  Although the fish was fried, it did not seem greasy, and the cabbage and tomatoes really brightened the whole dish up.  Seriously though, the best part of the meal was the soupy black beans.  I am guessing they were probably cooked in some animal fat, because they were so flavorful.  They were so good in fact, that I stopped feeling guilty for eating them after the second bite.

One of my friends got the Cuban sandwich, which was voted best NYC.  The pressed sandwich is filled with pork, ham, Swiss cheese, and pickles, and is served with a side of fries.  As a spectator, I thought the sandwich looked delicious, but my friend said it was a little underwhelming.  I snuck a few of his fries while he was in the bathroom, and they hit the spot.  They were slightly flimsy but still crisp, and were only enhanced with the soft and fluffy centers.

If you are in Soho and in the mood for a little Cuban fare, I would definitely recommend trying Cafe Habana.  The place is pretty small, so if you do not feel like waiting for a table, there is always the take-out joint next door.  You at least have to come and try the corn!  But if you cannot make it in, then you can always try the drippy Mexican corn, posted here.

Swiss Chard or Spinach Tacos with Caramelized Onions

Twice last week, I made wilted greens tacos, once with spinach and once with Swiss chard - both were delicious.  This recipe is taken from my favorite Mexican cookbook, Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless.  I didn't take a series of picture this round, but I still thought I would share the recipe.

Swiss Chard or Spinach Tacos with Caramelized Onions, by Rick Bayless from Mexican Everyday (serves 2 to 3):
-12 ounce bunch Swiss chard (or collard, mustard, or beet greens), thick lower stems cut off
OR 10 ounces spinach, about 10 cups
-1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
-1 large red or white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
-3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or crushed through a garlic press
-About 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
-1/2 chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water
-Salt to taste
-12 warm corn tortillas
-1 cup crumbled Mexican queso or other fresh cheese such as feta or goat cheese, for serving
-About 3/4 cup salsa or hot sauce

To begin, cut the chard crosswise into 1/2 inch slices (small spinach leaves can be left whole).  In a very large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, about 4-5 minutes, until golden-brown, but still crunchy.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir around until  fragrant.  Add the broth or water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the greens.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pan and cook until greens are almost tender, anywhere from 2 minutes for tender greens like spinach, or 5 minutes for Swiss chard.

Uncover the pan, and raise heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is nearly dry.  Taste and season with additional salt if necessary.

Serve with warm tortillas, crumbled cheese, and salsa.

To learn how to warm tortillas, click here.

Last year around this time I made strawberry-rhubarb crumb bars.  Click here for the recipe.