Back From Vaca Taco Meat...

So I get back from vacation - my car is still at the shop getting aligned and I need food. Taco meat. And yet I still don't check the fridge to see if I have everything (you'll see in the images below). I love taco meat - mostly because it's pretty versatile and you can incorporate it into a lot of recipes, like enchiladas, regular tacos, add it to tomato sauce for a mexican pasta dish, etc... We're poor so I come up with a lot of crazy meals.

Chop half an onion and some garlic. I had a really juicy onion. I wanted to eat it raw it was so juicy, but I didn't. I just chopped it.

And chopped it more.

Throw it into a medium sized pan with about a tablespoon of olive oil or butter over medium heat - but maybe use a larger pan if you're going to use more than half a pound of ground beef or turkey. Otherwise your meat will just steam and it won't taste very good.

These are the spices that I put into taco meat. I also use hot sauce too - today I didn't because I didn't want it too spicy. I wanted to make enchiladas tomorrown with the rest of the meat and also black beans. Use 1 tbsp of each except for the coriander - 2 tsps, and only 1 tsp black pepper. Don't forget to also season with salt - I forgot to add that to the picture too, just 1/2 tsp is fine!

After the onions sweat for about 5 minutes, that's when I throw all the spices, garlic and my half pound of ground turkey into the pan. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon or one of those cool spatula thingys - you know, the ones that are $3.99 and different colors at Target. Personally, I'm now getting more into the wooden spoons. Kroger had them on sale, buy one pack of utensils, get one free and I just couldn't resist.

I'm a messy cooker - no wonder why I am ALWAYS cleaning our ugly stove. Blech. Brown the meat for however long it takes you - normally 7 - 10 minutes.

Prep everything else you need while browning the meat. We don't have lettuce or tomatoes. It looks like my tacos will be pretty bare... oh, well. I like cheese anyway.

SECRET INGREDIENT: Worchestershire sauce. 3 squirts of it to be exact. If you don't like it, don't add it. Also - add 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup chicken stock and dump that into the pan with the meat - don't be shy. I'm a messy cooker, so if it splashes, that's what paper towels are for!

Grate your cheese, however much you want to use. I use a lot. Probably 2 -3 tbsp per taco. I mean, I really mound it on!

And then eat the butt end of the cheese. And enjoy it while the taco meat still simmers away.

Then build the taco. Mine is pretty bare. No lettuce, no tomatoes. It's not that I don't like them, it's just that I don't have them in stock in my kitchen right now. I'll go to the store later today.

Fold it like a burrito. The cheese will melt, the meat will warm the salsa and you'll be in heaven, except for the lettuce and tomatoes. Dang. Oh, well it was a pretty good lunch for not having much in the kitchen!

Taco Meat -

1/2 lb ground turkey

1 tbsp of the following:

paprika

chili powder

cumin

2 tsp coriander

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp to 1 tsp salt

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup chicken stock

3 squirts worchestershire sauce

Sweat the onions for 5 minutes in a medium sized pan over high heat with 1 - 2 tbsp olive oil or butter. Add the meat and all the spices, garlic. Brown meat for 7 - 10 minutes. Add chicken stock and worchestershire sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Then use for tacos, enchiladas (add black beans to the mixture), quesadillas, any sort of hot taco dip, mexican pasta dishes, etc...

PSH