BEEF TACOS

MAKES ABOUT 16 TACOS

Although I am into more authentic Mexican-style cooking, I enjoy an Americanized taco with ground beef now and then. It's quick, easy and very good as long as I get to control the seasonings. Once you see how easy it is to flavor the meat with herbs and spices common to most home pantries, you will probably never purchase seasoning mixes again. The amounts of the spices are approximate. You can add more or less to taste. See the Variation below for a slightly different version. I have included links to very simple homemade taco sauce and tomato salsa, but you could use bottled. Check the label for unwanted preservatives and sodium content.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground beef, such as chuck

1/2 cup finely chopped onion (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Ground ancho chiles to taste

1/4 teaspoon paprika

Cayenne pepper or hot sauce to taste

A little water

Hard taco shells

Optional Garnishes

Taco Sauce
Diced fresh tomatoes
Shredded cheddar cheese
Shredded lettuce
Sour cream
Guacamole
Tomato Salsa

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add just a little oil in the bottom if necessary. Add the beef and sauté until browned, adding the onion, salt and pepper when it just starts to brown. Add all the seasonings and a little water for moisture and to blend the spices. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer about 15 minutes. Stir in additional water if needed. Taste for seasonings. Heat taco shells according to package directions. Serve, garnishing as desired.

Note: You will note that I do not use commercial chili powder, something that is in many taco seasoning mixes. As with other spice blends, an excess of salt is added. The most predominant flavor in chili powder is the ground cumin. I love the flavor and usually end up adding more.

Variation: I discovered that some, if not many, packaged taco seasoning mixes have some sort of thickener in them. This is to bind the mixture so it stays in the taco and so it is not so wet as to soak the bottom of the shell. With that in mind, I added 2 teaspoons of flour to the above recipe, sprinkling it on the browned beef and stirring well before adding the seasonings. I then added about 1/2 cup of water and 3 tablespoons unseasoned tomato sauce before simmering. It worked very well. I don't know which I like best so you might want to try both and decide for yourself.

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