Dinner time - The best steak tacos EVER!

So to celebrate my wonderful husband's 33rd birthday this year, I decided to make a homemade taco fiesta… everything from scratch! I was inspired by the mouth-watering article in this month's Bon Appetit magazine about homemade fish tacos. Now we LOVE fish tacos! But unfortunately all the fish available up here in the far north are rather bony (plus I'd have to catch them myself), or uninspiring frozen fillets from the grocery store… so I decided to make a spiced steak taco version. Very fitting for the hubby's birthday I thought.

Not to brag or anything, but they were AMAZING! So amazing, that I absolutely had to muster up the time to type this post out so I can share it with all of you.

Ok so this post actually contains five recipes! Homemade corn tortillas, Tangy mango salsa, Creamy cilantro-lime coleslaw, Pickled jalapeños, and Chile-spiced marinated steaks. These recipes were made for each other!

Serve the tortillas warm - fresh from the pan, and assemble your tacos with avocado slices, spiced beef strips, a spoonful of creamy slaw, a few fiery pickled jalapeños, and a generous helping of sweet mango salsa. Whoever you serve these to will love you forever ;)

Read on for all the recipes….

The Best Steak - Tacos EVER!!

Homemade Corn Tortillas

2 cups Masa Harina (Maseca corn flour)
2 tbsp all-purpose flour*
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup warm water (+/- an extra 1 tbsp water)

*purists will argue not to use any wheat flour in corn tortillas, and it is completely optional - but I find that it adds extra strength and pliability to the dough and prevents the tortillas from cracking as easily. If you are gluten-intolerant, by all means omit it.

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, and knead for a good 3 minutes (do not skip this step!), until the dough comes together nicely and does not stick to your hands. If it is too dry, add an extra bit of water, if it's too sticky add more masa harina. Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Divide and roll the dough into equal sized balls (about 14-16), and cover them with a damp kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out.

Preheat a dry cast-iron skillet over medium heat.

If you have a tortilla press, of course use it!

If you don't, wrap a flat-bottomed plate in plastic wrap (I like to use a clear pyrex pie plate so I can see my tortilla as it gets pressed), and place another sheet of plastic wrap on the counter. Press a dough ball between the plastic sheets until you have a thin tortilla (about 6 inches wide). I find that pressing straight down first, and then using a gentle circular motion, helps the tortilla spread out into a perfectly round shape.

Gently peel the tortilla off the plastic wrap, and gently place on the preheated skillet. Cook each side for 1-2 minutes, until very lightly browned. Place the cooked tortilla on a plate and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

If you want to make your tortillas in advance, you can "half cook them" on one side only, and store them in a container separated by parchment or wax paper... You can find a good tutorial on how to do that here.

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Creamy Cilantro-Lime Coleslaw 

6 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage

1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced

1 bunch of cilantro (leaves roughly chopped, and stems very finely chopped)

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

zest of 1 lime, grated & finely chopped

juice of 1 lime

1/2 cup mayonnaise

fresh pepper and sea salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and toss until evenly combined.

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Tangy Mango Salsa 

(from my original recipe found here)

1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 fresh red or green chilli pepper, finely chopped (seeds/white pulp removed if you don't like it too spicy)

2-3 Tablespoons fresh coriander, roughly chopped

juice of 1 lime

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tablespoons red onion, finely chopped

Boil about 2 cups of water. Put the chopped onion into a fine strainer and poor the boiling water over it. This helps cut some of the pungency of the onion and also brings out its lovely colour.

Then mix all the ingredients together, and enjoy!

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Pickled Jalapeños 

(Recipe from July 2014 issue of Bon Appetit Magazine)

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Chile-spiced marinated steaks 

(Recipe adapted from here)

1. 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2. 1 teaspoon chile powder
3. 1 teaspoon garlic powder
4. 1 teaspoon onion powder
5. 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
6. 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder, more to taste
7. 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
8. 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
9. 1 teaspoon salt
10. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
11. 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
12. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
13. 1 1/2 pounds steak (flank or skirt steaks work well)
14. 
    

Toddlers like tacos too!                                                  

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, add the paprika, chile powder, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, chipotle, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Add the lime juice and oil and shake the bag to blend. Add the steak and seal the bag. Let the steak stand at room temperature for 2 hours, or longer in the fridge.
2. Grill or broil the steaks for 5-6 minutes on each side (or to desired doneness), turning once. Transfer the steaks to a work surface and let rest for 10 minutes. Carve into thin slices, and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm until ready to serve.
        

                 











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