Gobble, HO HO, happpyyy new year!.. it’s that time of year again folks. Extravagance, decadence.. Mistletoe, hangovers and extra strength alka seltzer. Traditions rich with goose fat, turkey legs, yams, cranberries, sticky toffee and black eye peas.

Hate to say it folks but I’m really not such a big fan of holiday foods. Not because I don’t like them, it’s just that I’m not fond of eating the same thing at the same time of year over and over again. I even tried to forgo the turkey on Thanksgiving but an honest to goodness beat down was promised. Soooo I did as I was commanded by the loyalists. Its certainly not the end of the world and I hate to be a bah humbug.. I’d just like to have more variety in my holiday foods…When you get tired and bloated with tatters and ham hocks, go out and find something simple and light to eat. Take a break from thick eggnogs, deep fried turkeys and pumpkin pies. It’s just nice to satisfy the old taste buds with foods that have more acid and fresh herbs…

For me, it could be a falafel at a truly Mediterranean, a bowl of pho in the tenderloin or a street taco on 24th street in the Mission. Simple, satisfying food! Here is a recipe for one of my favorite foods of all, a homemade tortilla with grilled beef and salsa. Oh, and thats me in the photo scoring one of MY favorite traditional food.. hehehhhoohoohooooo

Happy holidays from myself and every one at Hands On Gourmet!

Carne Asada Tacos

For the Tortillas
2 cups masa harina (Mexican corn flour)
1 ¼ cup warm water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons oil or butter (optional)

Mix together the ingredients to form a soft dough – about two minutes. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Break off small pieces of dough and roll it between your hands to form small balls. Flatten in a plastic lined tortilla press, The tortilla should be thin and round. Then cook over medium heat on a comal or non-stick skillet for 2-3 minutes per side. Keep warm in the tortilla basket.

For the Carne Asada
3 ½ pounds beef loin flap
1 ¾ cup corn oil
5 tablespoons chile powder
4 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 red onions, sliced thick

Mix together all the ingredients and marinate the beef for at least one hour. Overnight in the refrigerator would be best. Grill the beef to medium rare and keep warm.

For the Tomatillo Salsa
12 tomatillos, peeled
4 cloves of garlic
1 onion
4 jalapenos
juice of 1 lime
1 bunch cilantro
salt and pepper
2 avocados, chopped

Roast the tomatillos, onions, garlic and jalapenos with a little water at 400 degrees until dark brown. Remove from oven and cool. Process in a blender with the cilantro and lime juice. Remove from blender and mix in chopped avocado.To ServeSlice the beef and wrap in the tortillas. Serve with the tomatillo salsa, minced onions, lime wedges, sour cream and cilantro.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 12th, 2007 at 12:18 pm and is filed under Main Dishes, Food Experiences. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.