Adios Amigos (Carne Asada Tacos)

So here’s what happens when you announce that you are moving – the phone starts to ring and the email starts to fill up and you start seeing all the people you love. Usually for a meal.

Last night we had dinner with our friends, Jeff and Mary Weddle. Wonderful people. Amazing friends. We share many passions – like good wine, USC Football, and MEXICAN FOOD.

Oh yeah. The real deal MEXICAN FOOD, too. None of that foofy El Torito stuff. We head to Placentia and have it home-style.

Last night we hit a favorite Placentia spot, El Cantarito. Smaller than our other Placentia haunt, El Farolito, but a little more “local.” They’ve also got a great juke box that plays that wonderful polka-sounding Mexican music that gets the foot a tappin’.

El Cantarito also caters. Last year we put them to the test when they came over to our place and fed the Carroll College Fighting Saints Football Team, the night before their season opener at Azusa Pacific College. Carne Asada tacos, beans, rice, grilled jalapeños, multiple kinds of salsas. Those Montana boys never had it so good.

But you know… you don’t really have to buy out your Carne Asada…

With an assist from my brother Ed, we’ve got a recipe that will knock your socks off. It’s simple, simple, simple. As Ed reminds me, “they cook this stuff over a fire in a trash can down in TJ, so how tough can it be?” Another plus - this recipe scales easily – I’ve made it for as many as 75 people with excellent results.

Carne Asada Tacos

(Adapted from a recipe provided by my brother Ed Billings)

Ingredients

• 2 ½ pounds skirt steak
• ½ onion, sliced
• ½ onion, fine chopped
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 lime cut into 8ths
• 1 bunch cilantro, stems and all
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
• ½ to 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, stemmed and chopped fine (optional)
• 1 dozen corn corn tortillas (the tiny ones if you can get them)
• 2 cups sour cream
• ½ cup hot salsa (if you can find the dark kind made from roasted chilies, even better)

Method:

Put the following ingredients in a large plastic zip bag and Marinade for at least 2 hours but no more than 8:

• Skirt steak
• Sliced onion
• Lime juice
• Bunch of cilantro
• Cumin seeds
• Salt
• Pepper

Prepare meat for the grill

• Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry.

Cook/Chop the meat:

• Grill meat over gas or fire grill for 5 – 6 minutes per side
• Remove and cover with foil for 10 to 15 minutes
• Chop meat into bite-sized strips.
• Cover with foil to keep warm.

Prepare the garnish

• Combine the chopped cilantro, onion and jalapeño pepper (you be the judge of how much of the latter to use)

Prepare “Salsa Blanca”

• Mix the sour cream and salsa together in a bowl. Chill (you might reserve a bit for chip dippin' while you are grilling the meat. Yum)

Garnish the meat

• Toss the chopped meat with ½ of the garnish. Cover with foil to keep warm.

Warm the tortillas

• Sure you can use a microwave, but you’ve got the BBQ hot, so warm them on the grill and then place in foil to stay warm

Build your tacos

• Place a ¼ cup or so of the meat in a warm tortilla; top with extra garnish, and a squeeze of lime.

Enjoy.

I