What kind of tacos should I make?

January 23, 2020 5:13 AM

I have corn tortillas and would like to make tacos. There's ground beef and some pork loin in the freezer, and a ripe avocado on the counter. I'm a good cook, but need some inspiration.

I think in this case I'm looking for specific protein + veggie combinations, rather than garnishing at the table. And maybe a side in case we have a third person for dinner. Black beans maybe?

posted by serathen to Food & Drink (7 answers total)

Slow cooked pork tinga tacos with avocado and crunchy slices of radish. Tinga is one of those things where everyone's grandma has a different recipe for it. This one looks kinda like what I grew up with in San Antonio but we didn't do the chorizo. Little fresh salad on the side dressed with lime and crema. Beans are always welcome, or if you have the ingredients a warm salad of corn and peppers you've roasted under the broiler to get a bit of char can be wonderful.
posted by Mizu at 5:29 AM on January 23, 2020

Picadillo, something like this recipe is much tastier than plain ground beef fillings. It doesn't need much in the way of toppings but shredded lettuce and chopped tomato work well without blunting the flavor.
posted by Botanizer at 5:32 AM on January 23, 2020

Great protein choices!!

For the beef: any of the below veggies sliced and roasted in oven
Mushrooms (local and varied if you can get them)
Hot peppers
Onions

For the pork:
Roasted Pineapple or mango salsa
Sweet peppers
Onions

For a side:
My favorite bright and crunchy salad is finely chopped (into ribbons) curly kale with shredded carrot, apple and maybe a small beet tossed in fresh squeezed orange juice with a glug of olive oil and some minced garlic.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 5:41 AM on January 23, 2020 [2 favorites]

not tacos exactly but using all your corn tortillas and meats:

Pork guisado - i haven't used this recipe, but something along these lines. use your corn tortillas as dippers to get it to your mouth

flautas - cook your beef, combine with cooked cubed potatoes and onions, roll in softened corn tortillas and fry.
posted by domino at 6:29 AM on January 23, 2020

I wouldn't do tinga or anything slow-cooked with pork loin -- not fatty enough. Instead, I'd suggest making something along the lines of carne enchilada: thaw, slice thin, pound the slices flat, then marinate in a chile paste (here's a recipe that looks good, if a little involved). If you don't have access to good dried chiles or don't want to go to all that trouble, you could kludge a marinade together with bottled hot sauce, vinegar, oil, and spices. Maybe some sugar too. Then cook quickly in a really hot pan to get a nice char and chop. Top with chopped white onion mixed with cilantro, sliced radishes, and avocado.
posted by neroli at 6:34 AM on January 23, 2020 [4 favorites]

Best answer: I'd slice off some pork, season, saute quickly in a very hot pan with a bit of oil. Add avocado slices, radish, maybe some greens, and some variety of sauce(steak sauce?), and snarf a couple.
posted by theora55 at 8:51 AM on January 23, 2020

Response by poster: Lots of great suggestions! I went with theora55's last night, since it was perfect for a casual weeknight meal. But more taco dinners are definitely in our future.
posted by serathen at 4:46 AM on January 24, 2020 [1 favorite]