get real! (mexican)

One of the things I love about REAL mexican food is the freshness of each ingredient and the overall simplicity of each dish. Each individual ingredient compliments the other resulting in a meal that doesn't overwhelm your gut but totally refreshes and invigorates the senses. These folks had it right ... in a hot and unforgiving climate you crave citrus and spice, light but filling foods. This is not your Americanized Mexican, leaving you feeling heavy and bloated between the heavy starches, beans, creamy cheeses and salty sauces.

Last night I had an hankering for margaritas and some real, fresh food. I was inspired by the unforgettable food at Bud And Alley's Taco Bar in Seaside, Florida to create a simple but satisfying meal that all of us (picky Dakota included) would enjoy! Here is MY recipe for authentic Mexican tacos with charred corn salsa!

Tacos!
4 large chicken breasts w/ rib meat
1 or 2 lbs steak cut into strips
lime juice
fresh cilantro
chili powder
cumin seed
garlic
salt (garlic salt is good)
black pepper
cayenne pepper
oil
corn tortillas
avocado

Cook chicken in the oven until cooked through and juices run clear. With a sharp knife slice and dice your chicken into very small almost shredded pieces.
Heat oil in skillet (put 4 tbsp... you'll need to add more later to keep from sticking). Add your chicken to pan. Squeeze a good bit of lime juice onto chicken until very moist. Drizzle more oil... shake out a good bit of chili powder, pinch of cumin seed, 2 cloves garlic, a few shakes of cayenne, salt and pepper to taste. Stir and simmer over medium heat. Taste and add each individual seasoning (including lime) to taste. You want this to be tangy and flavorful... not bland! Once you get it how you like it, add a few pinches (or to your liking) of fresh cilantro. Stir in, put a lid on and drop heat to low.

Cook your steak in a skillet - I just throw on all my seasonings and cook the steak through, stirring to keep from sticking. When it's all done I chopped mine into smaller pieces. Cooking slower will yield a more tender meat. Would suggest marinating to tenderize before cooking, but I didn't really have time.

Charred Corn Salsa
1 bag frozen corn
2 small tomatoes (Roma are good), de-seeded and diced small
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno - diced small - DO THIS LAST AND ON A DIFFERENT CUTTING BOARD
cilantro
1/2 red onion, dieced
salt and pepper to taste
oil

Grease a big cookie sheet (BIG) or pizza pan. Spread corn, tomatoes, peppers, onion, cilantro on your pan. Turn on the broiler on HIGH. Season with salt and pepper. Put into the oven under the broiler. You want the corn "tips" to be charred... the charring brings out the sweetness of the corn. If it doesn't get charred you risk a bland salsa. Watch it while under the broiler... it may go fast or slower depending on how close your rack is to the heat.
When finished, dump your salsa into a serving dish. Should make up to two cups of salsa.

Put your tacos together by putting the meat in the center of the tortilla, topping with corn salsa, chunks of avocado and a pinch of cilantro. Serve with an ice cold margarita! YUMMY!