Crispy Taco Shells Food

CRISPY BEEF TACOS

Steps:

• For the marinade: Whisk the oil, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, chile powders, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, pepper, salt and thyme together in a large bowl. Add the beef, making sure every piece is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• For the machaca: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Drain the beef, pat it dry and then sear in batches until browned on all sides. Remove to a plate. Add the water, tomatoes, cumin, oregano, hot sauce and some salt and pepper to the pot and bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
• Return the beef to the pan and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until the meat is fork tender, about 2 hours.
• Remove from the heat and pull out the meat, shredding it with forks. Return the meat to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat, uncovered. Reduce the liquid until very thick, almost dry, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper.
• For the tacos: Take a warm tortilla and fill with 3 tablespoons of the machaca beef. Fold the tortilla over and close with two toothpicks along the sides. Continue with the remaining tortillas.
• Fill a large heavy-bottomed saucepan with enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 350 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer, a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.)
• Fry the tacos in batches until golden brown and the shell is hard, about 3 minutes on each side. Set aside on a tray lined with parchment paper. Remove the toothpicks and fill each taco with cheese, lettuce and tomato.

HARD TACO SHELLS

Steps:

• Heat about 1 inch of oil in a heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• Use tongs to place one tortilla at a time into the oil. It should start to sizzle right away. Cook for about 15 seconds, then flip over and fold the shell in half, holding in place with the tongs until crispy, about 15 seconds. You may need a little practice at first. Drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with salt while still hot. Use for tacos right away, or they may become chewy. Leftovers may be heated in the oven for crisping.

HOMEMADE CORN TORTILLAS

Steps:

• Stir masa harina, water and salt together in a medium bowl. Knead the dough in the bowl with your hands for 2 minutes. The dough should feel smooth and easily form a ball in your hand. If the mixture is dry and crumbly, add more water, a tablespoonful at a time. If it is sticky, add a bit more masa harina. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Keep the dough covered with a kitchen towel while you work. Roll 1 piece in your hands to form a ball. Place the ball between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and flatten with the palm of your hand. Use the palm of your hand or a rolling pin to flatten into a 5-inch disc. Alternatively, use a tortilla press to flatten the dough.
• Heat a small cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tortilla and cook until the edges start to curl and the bottom is browned in spots, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn over and cook until the underside is browned in spots, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium if the tortilla starts to burn. Shape and cook the remaining dough in the same manner. While a tortilla cooks, you can shape the next one. Stack the cooked tortillas and keep them wrapped in a clean kitchen towel to keep warm.

CRISPY FISH TACOS

Steps:

• Place the fish in a bowl and toss with 1/4 cup olive oil, the coriander, cumin and some salt and pepper. Toss in 1/4 cup cilantro and 1/4 cup parsley.
• Saute the onions, garlic and serranos in a medium sauce pot with 1/4 cup olive oil until the onions are soft. Add the black beans including their liquid and bring to a simmer for 2 or 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour into a food processor and pulse until fairly smooth. Add the remaining parsley and cilantro, pulse, and place in a bowl.
• Add the remaining oil to a saute pan over high heat and saute the marinated fish strips until opaque. Season with salt and pepper. Place a few spoonfuls of the black bean puree in the bottom crease of the shells, then add about 1 1/2 ounces of the cooked fish and 3 teaspoons pico de gallo to each shell. Serve with a lime wedge.

CLASSIC CRISPY TACOS

Steps:

• To make the filling, in a large skillet, heat the oil on medium-low heat and add the onion and jalapeño. While stirring occasionally, cook until the onions and jalapeño are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.
• Add to the skillet the ground beef, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, cayenne, tomatoes, and cilantro. Stir until everything is well combined then turn the heat down to low and simmer while stirring occasionally until the meat is browned, about 15 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and taste and adjust seasonings. Remove from the heat.
• To make the tacos, line a baking sheet with paper towels and heat 2 inches of oil to 350°F in a heavy skillet. Take a tortilla and fold it in half into a "U" shape, holding it with tongs in the center. Using the tongs, dip one half of the tortilla, lengthwise, into the hot oil, leaving the other half out of the oil. Fry the first side until crisp, about 10 seconds, and then repeat for the other side, holding the already-cooked side out of the oil. Drain the taco shell on a paper-towel-lined sheet and repeat until all the shells are fried.
• To assemble the tacos, take each shell and fill with ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese. Serve with salsa on the side, if desired

CRISPY CORN TACO SHELLS

Steps:

• To make U-shaped taco shells from 5 1/2-inch corn tortillas, a wire taco fry basket with slots that form multiple shells (anywhere from 4 to 8) at a time is the easiest way to shape and fry them. They're available at restaurant supply stores or online. Or, to create shells from 5 1/2-inch corn tortillas, or wonton skins or egg roll wrappers cut into 5 1/2-inch rounds, make a mold from a 5 1/2-inch diameter metal can lid. Remove the lid from the can (preferably with a can opener that leaves a rounded dull edge on the lid). Fold the lid over a slim dowel-like a sharpening steel for knives-creating a slightly rounded (not sharply pinched) fold and a 1 1/2-inch gap at the top.
• For frying, in a deep fryer or large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat about 5 inches of canola oil over medium heat until it reaches 350˚F on a deep-fat thermometer (monitor the temperature carefully; any hotter, and the shells will be too dark; any cooler, and they will be greasy).
• To fry shells using a taco basket: Place a tortilla in each slot and submerge the basket in hot oil. Fry until a light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from the hot oil and transfer to paper towels to drain.
• To fry shells using a handmade mold: Wrap a taco-sized (5 1/2-inch diameter) yellow corn tortilla, wonton skin, or egg roll wrapper around the outside of the mold, hold the mold with tongs, and submerge it into the hot oil. Fry the tortilla until a light golden brown, 1 minute. Fry a wonton skin or egg roll wrapper until it puffs up and turns light golden brown, 10 to 15 seconds for wonton skins and about 15 seconds for egg roll wrappers. Remove from the hot oil and transfer to paper towels to drain.