Course: Main Course Cuisine: Mexican Prep Time: Cook Time: Servings: Makes 12 Tacos - Serves 4
Meat:
1 pound chili-ground pork shoulder, preferably locally grown or FFA or 4-H sponsored
One hour before cooking, season with:
1/4 teaspoon really good chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon Glorious Garlic Farm Everyday Seasoning (Available at Gather Restaurant, Carson City; Sierra Chef in Genoa; Butcher Boy Meats, Reno; The Flag Store, Sign & Banner, Sparks or on the web site at http://www.gloriousgarlicfarm.com.)
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh garlic
12 corn tortillas
24 pieces of arugula for garnish
Salsa:
1 cup cubed watermelon, cut in 1/2-inch squares
1 cob of fresh corn, uncooked, approximately 1/2 C.
2 tablespoons fine-chopped jalapeno, de-seeded
3/4 cup rough-chopped cilantro
1/4 cup cucumber, de-seeded and cut into 1/2-inch squares
6 large red radishes, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon local honey, available at Third & Curry St. Farmer’s Market or Dubois
Juice of 2 ripe limes
1/4 teaspoon salt to taste (I prefer Maldon’s, available at Raley’s)
Mix ingredients together gently and let sit.
Goat Yogurt Baja Sauce:
1/2 cup plain goat yogurt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili sauce, your preference (mine is Tapatio)
Pinch salt and pepper
When ready to cook pour 1 tablespoon olive oil into a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Gently, carefully place pork in the pan slowly stirring. Let simmer over medium heat, until done.
Of course, you need tortillas for this dish, and while some prefer flour, I prefer the taste and texture of corn for this recipe.
I cook my tortillas directly on the stove burner, which can be done on both gas and electric ranges. That said, it is especially easy to burn your fingers on an electric range, so I suggest using tongs. Simply place tortilla over heat and cook until it puffs a bit, then flip and repeat; not even a minute per tortilla.
As tortillas come off the range, place in a towel to keep warm. This will also allow them to steam and soften a bit.
For service, place three tortillas on each plate, adding pork down the center. Place a spoonful of salsa over the meat and garnish each taco with two pieces of arugula. Folks can add the Baja Creme themselves, to taste.
Notes:
A beer of your choice will go well with these. I suggest visiting Shoe Tree Brewing Co., at 1496 Old Hot Springs Road, for their recommendation. I enjoyed a Revision Specialty IPA, which is a bit funky and skunky.
Enjoy!
