Food My Grandmother Made: Meat and Potato Tacos

We haven't cooked in a while around here, have we?  I thought I'd share another recipe from my Grandma today.  We had a very thoughtful weekend.  Big decisions were discussed, mulled over, chewed on and finalized.

It's always a little exhausting making big decisions isn't it?  You are left feeling relieved, but also a bit drained.  You keep your hands busy with simple tasks like making bows for your little girl, so that you can focus on the stewing going on in your brain, say the prayers for strength and courage that need to be said.  You go for walks with your family and pick up your husband's skateboard for the first time in 10 years and impress your kids with your riding skills.  You curl your hair and put on some makeup.  Yes, simple tasks, but tasks nonetheless. 

So by Sunday night you want a nice home cooked meal with friends, but want it to be a meal that you know like the back of your hand, no recipe card needed.  A meal that reminds you of a woman you loved and cherished, a meal that reminds you of friends and family, and a meal that is both mouth-watering and heart-warming.  For me that meal will always be my Grandma's tacos.  And as is the case with all of my Grandma's recipes, they're not all sexy and complicated.  There is no braising, basting or flambeeing, although there is a little sauteeing. ;) 

I didn't take a lot of pictures of this recipe because these tacos are so simple to make and call for very few ingredients.  If you look back at this recipe, will see a pattern here with the meat and potatoes.  I can only assume my grandmother's generation must have used potatoes so much as a cost-saving tool.  It's a perfect meat filler, is hearty and satisfying, and is about 1/10th the cost of some ground meat.

My only other regret about the lack of pictures is that I didn't get a single one of our friend's enjoying this type of taco for the first time.  Truth be told by the time I sat down the guys had all but devoured their own tacos and were ready to go back up for seconds.  That always makes me so happy, watching people go back for seconds and thirds.  So how abut the recipe?

Grandma Tita's Tacos with Homemade Taco Shells:
2 lbs ground beef
5-6 large russet potatoes
1/2 onion
Salt & Pepper for seasoning
1 dozen corn tortillas
Shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and shredded cheese for tacos garnish

Sautee the potatoes and onion in a bit of vegetable oil for about 5 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper.  Add the ground beef and cook all the way through, about 10 - 15 minutes, occasionally turning meat and potatoes.

 In a separate frying pan, heat at least 3 tbsp of vegetable oil on high heat.  Add 1 corn tortilla at a time, cooking for about 30 seconds on one side, then 30 seconds on the other until the tortilla starts to firm up but is still soft enough to fold in half.  Fold in half and cook on one side for about 1 minute, or until tortilla starts to get a bit crispy.  Turn over and repeat.  Place on a paper towel lined plate to drain off excess oil before serving.

Scoop meat and potatoes into taco shell and garnish with lettuce, tomatoes and cheese, and salsa of course!  Beans and Grandma Tita's Spanish Rice are also the perfect side dish.  Look at how pretty those taco shells look! 

And of course if you'd like to offset the calorie consumption of this dish, you can always make some Skinny Girl Margaritas on the side ;)

I'm linking up to Serenity Now Girl's Family Friendly Recipe Link Up & Heather's Life Made Lovely Monday.

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Grandma Tita's Spanish Rice

{eating dinner off our laps because there's no room left at the table}

My mom asked me to make the Spanish rice this year to go along with our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of tamales, enchiladas and beans, and I thought it would be a perfect little recipe to share with you all.  It’s a side dish my Grandma Tita (short for Sistita) made just about every week, and now I make it quite often as well.  It reminds me of what I imagine to be a time when we were not all trying to be Martha Stewart in the kitchen, or fit all the fixings of a meal into one skillet.  A time when women were just trying to get a good meal on the table without breaking the bank. 

Subsequently, it also reminds me of how ethnically confused I was as a child.  I’m Irish by way of my dad, with the maiden name of Fogarty, and Spanish by way of my mom.  By way of a move to Los Angeles in her late twenties, my maternal Grandmother started cooking primarily Mexican food, and I can’t recall a single Spanish dish she ever made.  I grew up on tacos, enchiladas, cocido & pozole, and rice & beans.  Parties on my dad’s side of the family were subdued and only got the least bit rowdy when Aunt Glory would play hymns on the piano.  Parties on my mom’s side of the family, which included extended family who actually were Latino, were not complete without mariachis and maybe a cholo or two.  

My confusion was not helped by the fact that I grew up in Whittier, in the part of town with a large Latino population.  My best friends were Rachel Morales and Desiree Grajeda.  They would laugh and call me gringa when I would talk about being Mexican, because at that age I still didn’t understand the difference between a Spaniard and someone from Mexico; call me geographically challenged.  In Junior High, when most innocence was lost, other girls who were not so nice called me huera, which I did not appreciate.  I was sure that if they would just come to my house and have some of my Grandma Tita’s Spanish rice and pozole, I would gladly be accepted into the fold and racial divides would be conquered.  That’s how simply yummy I think this rice is.  By High School things settled down and I found my niche.  While I was no longer geographically challenged, I was completely baffled that my grandmother never taught me to speak Spanish.  Not only would I have had an advantage in Mr. G’s Spanish class, but I would've at least had some street cred growing up.   

 {Spanish rice - it looks very orange doesn't it?}

This rice isn't just super yummy, it’s also ridiculously easy to make, cooking up in just under 20 minutes or so.  It has the similar flavor to the rice you will get at most Mexican restaurants, but much less greasy and much moister.  Had enough of my babbling and reminiscing over painful Jr. High memories?  Okay then, the recipe is your reward for reading.  P.S. if you’re interested, you can find a couple more of my Grandma’s recipes here and here.

 {happy onions}

 {yes, I keep my rice in a Folger's tin.  What of it?  Old family tradition I guess}

Grandma Tita’s Spanish Rice (serves 4-6):

1 cup white rice

¼ of a medium onion, chopped – optional

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cups water

½ - ¾ canned tomato sauce

Heat oil in a large skillet and sauté onions for 2-3 minutes.  Add rice and cook until slightly browned, about 3-5 minutes, stirring often as not to brown.  Add tomato sauce (watch out, it will sizzle) and stir in water.  Add salt and pepper and cover with lid.  Lower heat to low and gently simmer for about 15 – 18 minutes.  You know your rice is done when the water has been completely absorbed.  Crazy easy, right? 

*Here’s a little note about the rice.  My mom uses 2 ½ cups of water but I have found this to make the rice too soggy.  I prefer to use less water (2 cups), and if need be, add in a bit more water towards the end of cooking if the water is almost completely absorbed but the rice is not completely cooked.  Make sense?  I think my way is better, and I think my mom would agree but is just too stubborn to admit it and change the official recipe.  She did ask me to make the rice on Christmas Eve after all though, didn’t she?