Taco* Night!

Now you would think that living in South America that we would be able to find some good simple Mexican food.  In Lima, we had Si, Senior which was decent, but very overpriced.  They did have to-go margaritas though which could cause some trouble.   

Here in Venezuela we've heard rumors of a decent Mexican restaurant an hour and a half away from us in Maracaibo.  But have yet to try and find it.

This week the stars aligned and it just so happens that we were able to find all the things we need to have a very nice little taco night.

*we only have flour tortillas available here, so technically this is burrito night

Now three things we always bring back from the states are taco seasoning, Velveeta, and canned Ro-tel Tomatoes.  The Velveeta and Ro-tel are always saved for special occasions to make Chile con Queso, a Tex-Mex staple.  We usually save the queso for parties and special occasions.  We found plain Doritos at the store the other day, so that is enough of a special occasion for us!

White Trash Queso

1 pound Velveeta

1 can Ro-Tell (chopped tomatoes with green chilies)

Process:

Chop the velveeta into cubes and place in a microwave safe dish, add the rotel tomatoes and place in the microwave.   Heat on high for 2 minutes, take it out stir.  Repeat this process until the queso is completely melted and smooth.

  

Now what would a Tex-Mex meal be without an ice cold margarita on the rocks.  As luck would have it Reada spotted some tequila at the local liquor store while on a quest for juice the other day.  While cheap rum, vodka, and beer are plentiful here, tequila seems to be one of the most elusive of spirits.  We’ve had a Tequila flavored liqueur made here in Venezuela but that made some of the worst margarita’s we’ve ever had.  Tonight we have the real deal a brand I’ve never heard of, but it is 100% agave, distilled in Jalisco and imported from Mexico. 

Orange Margaritas

2 Cups tequila

1 cup orange liquor (Cointreu, Triple Sec, Curacao)

1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1 cup orange juice

½ cup simple syrup (recipe follows)

Process:

Mix all ingredients in a pitcher, cover and put back in the refrigerator. 

Serve over ice.

Simple Syrup

½ cup water

1 cup sugar

Process:

Boil water on the stove, whisk in the sugar until it is completely dissolved.

Now I know that most people ignore the rice and beans on their plate when they go to a Tex-Mex restaurant.  You have already filled up on chips, salsa, and maybe even some chile con queso.  But in all reality you don’t really have a true Tex-Mex meal without a beans and rice.  Of course when we think of Tex-Mex we think of refried beans and and Spanish Rice.  

Sometimes refried beans are available here, but they often run about $8 a can.  After playing around with some recipes, I’ve found that these will do the trick.  Also your favorite bean can be used in place of the black beans.  Traditional refried beans at Ninfa's or Chuy’s are usually made from pinto beans, but once again, that is something that just isn’t that common here.

Frijoles Negras Refritos (Refried Black Beans)

1 kg dried black beans

4 slices of bacon cut into ½ inch pieces

1 medium yellow onion chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon cumin

Salt to taste

Process:

Rinse and clean the beans, then cover in water soak overnight in the refrigerator.

Discard the water and place the beans in a pot, completely cover in water. 

Bring beans to a boil bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 ½ hours or until the beans are tender.  Drain the beans but reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Place the bacon in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Cook thoroughly but not until crisp.  Once the bacon is about ½ way cooked add the onion and garlic.  This will help prevent the bacon from becoming too crisp.  Sauté for 2 minutes or until the onions become translucent.

Add all but 1 cup of the beans to the frying pan and cook for an additional 5 minutes.   

Using an immersion blender or potato masher begin to mash the beans until they make a thick paste.  Add some of the cooking liquid as needed until you have a creamy mixture of beans.  Add the cumin and salt.  Stir in the remaining whole beans.

*for vegetarian beans leave out the bacon and replace with 1 tsp shortening and 1 tsp corn oil

Spanish Rice

1 Onion finely chopped

4 Cloves Garlic minced

1 tsp corn oil

1 cup white rice

1 cup chicken stock (vegetable stock can be used if vegetarian)

1 cup water

8 ounce can of tomato sauce

1 teaspoon cumin

½  teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ tsp salt

½ cup chopped cilantro

Process:

Using a food processor, finely mince the onion, garlic.  Set to the side.

Heat oil in a sauce pan; add rice and sauté until puffed.

Add onion and garlic, sauté until most of the liquid is gone.  

Add the chicken stock, water, tomato sauce, and spices, bring to boil, cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes.  

Take off the heat, add the chopped cilantro.  Mix thoroughly and serve.

I’m not going to go into detail about the taco/burrito filling, just get some Old El Paso Taco Seasoning and follow the directions on the pack.  I usually add a chopped onion and garlic to the meat as it is browning just to give it a little extra happiness.

Put everything in separate bowls and there you have a nice little build your own taco/burrito dinner. 

Enjoy!