March Tacos inspired by early Spring
Bluebonnets in bloom in mid-March was a good sign for local crops in the Texas Hill Country.
So I, as is often the case, was in the Texas Hill Country when the first day of spring. This year, the bluebonnets were just starting to bloom, meaning the local vegetable crops were coming in early.
The past two years Marches have been less kind to local vegetation down there thanks to prolonged drought. But two Marches ago, five daze beyond the Ides love was in bloom as Lori and I wed on hilltop courthouse by a judge who bore an eery resemblance to Col. Sanders.
So with the luck of an early crop spinach and the memory of my Lori’s love for mushrooms, I came up with the following recipe.
I don’t usually favor flour tortillas over corn, but Lori insisted they’d be better and since she’s the inspiration for the recipe (and she does all the laundry) I chose to go with her suggestion, which was the correct one. I will say, don’t steam the tortillas. Take the extra minute or two to heat them on a very hot griddle or cast iron skillet so they will be a little crisper. This filling would also translate beautifully into a quesadilla, adding a nice mix of sharp white vermont cheddar and Monterrey Jack cheese.
I bought the spinach at a Central Market in Austin, but Central Market bought the spinach from a farm in Oak Hill, which is less than 10 miles from the store. Here’s hoping that when Whole Foods finally arrives to Oklahoma City (the Chesapeake Campus to be exact), hopefully before the end of 2011, they too will provide the needed cashflow to allow our local producers to feed us more thoroughly.
Bacon-Infused Spinach Tacos with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 10 ounces fresh spinach
- 4 thick slices of bacon
- 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 red onion, in small slices
- 1 jalapeno or large serrano chile in small slices
- 1-2 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup quartered grape tomatoes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chile powder
- 1/2 cup fine-grated cotija cheese
Directions
- In a medium-heated skillet, fry bacon.
- When ample fat has been rendered, move bacon to papertowels to dry and cool.
- Heat small cast iron skillet until almost smoking.
- Add pumpkin seeds and shake 10 to 15 seconds.
- When seeds start to release oils, remove from heat and add chile powder, mixing well.
- Cover with another skillet, and let toast four minutes.
- Chop bacon into small pieces and to pumpkin seed mixture, mixing thoroughly, and set aside.
- Reheat bacon fat to medium high.
- Saute mushrooms until well coated and begin to release their liquid.
- Add onions and saute 1 minute, add garlic and saute another 45 seconds to a minute, mixing well.
- Add spinach, shake or stir until it begins to wilt.
- Stir in chiles until well coated.
- Add bacon-pumpkin seed mix and cook about one more minute.
- Add a splash of rice vinegar and stir.
- Add tomatoes, remove from heat and give the filling one last thorough toss.
- Serve in flour tortillas heated on a very hot griddle or cast iron skillet and grated cotija chese. Yucateco Habanero sauce works well with these.
Butter-Wilted Spinach and Mushroom Tacos
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh spinach
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 red onion in small slices
- 1 jalapeno or 2 serrano chiles in small s
- lices
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- 1/4 cup quartered grape tomatoes
- 1/2 cup fine-grated cotija cheese
Directions
- Heat small cast iron skillet until almost smoking.
- Add pumpkin seeds and shake 10 to 15 seconds.
- When seeds start to release oils, remove from heat and add chile powder, mixing well.
- Cover with another skillet, and let toast four minutes.
- In a medium-heated skillet, melt butter.
- Saute mushrooms until well coated and begin to release their liquid.
- Add onions and saute 1 minute, add garlic and saute another 45 seconds to a minute, mixing well.
- Add spinach, shake or stir until it begins to wilt.
- Stir in chiles until well coated.
- Add pumpkin seeds and cook about one more minute.
- Add a splash of rice vinegar and stir.
- Add tomatoes, remove from heat and give the filling one last thorough toss.
- Serve in flour tortillas heated on a very hot griddle or cast iron skillet.
- Sprinkle with cotija cheese. Yucateco Habenero sauce works well with these.
Source: Dave Cathey
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These were every bit as good as they look!