Taco à la France

Tacos, a thing I used to eat.. well.. a lot in the US.  Here in France it's a little bit of a different thing... but hey, still absolutely delicious!  I present, to all expatriates suffering, the 'Taco a la France'

Category:  Dinner, Complete Meal, American, Good for Dinner Parties


Frenchman Rating: 9.5/10, "Amazingly delicious, the 'native american flatbread' was like a chalupa, the ingredients meshed really well.. and the yogurt tasted really good!"

Cost per Serving:  Around €2.50 a serving (2-3 tacos), if bread is made at home, and €3.50 if tortillas were bought.

Ingredients

• Either 'Lavish Flatbread' available from Bhadourian or tortillas (available in Marche U near the 2eme) or 'native american fry bread'
• 2 medium roma tomatoes
• 1/2 sac mache lettuce or butter lettuce or romaine lettuce chopped thin
• 1 medium to large onion (sliced in rings)
• 1 medium green pepper
• 3-4 frozen steak hache patties, defrosted, set aside  (or 400 gr hamburger meat)
• 1 packet taco seasoning, or 'tex mex' seasoning (available at Carrefour in Part-Dieu) or homemade taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups shredded emmenthal
• 1/2 cup yogurt OR creme fraiche 

Equipment

• One medium skillet
• One small skillet
• Vegetable or Olive oil

Directions

1. Begin by chopping/cutting all cold ingredients and setting aside.
• Chop the tomatoes in small cubes
• Chop lettuce in thin strips
• Slice onions into thin rings
• Slice green pepper into thin strips
• Shred emmenthal, if not preshredded
2. Place ingredients not for immediate use in fridge (tomatoes, lettuce and cheese)
3. Heat up a small skillet over medium-high heat and add in 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil; heat the larger skillet after the first skillet is hot.
4. Once the small skillet is hot, toss in the onions and peppers; add a dash of salt and a 1/2 tablespoon of the taco seasoning- cook rapidly, tossing and turning.  Turn heat to medium after about 2 minutes.
5. Add the ground beef to the larger skillet, sans oil, and stir fry until browned.. usually about 2 minutes.  Add the 1/2 cup water and seasonings, and allow to bubble and boil for 3 minutes, reduce heat to medium-low.
6. Let both skillets cook over a medium to medium-low heat for about 3-4 minutes.. watching to ensure it does not burn.
7. Turn the heat down after 4 minutes, to a low heat, cover.
8. If using yogurt, mix the yogurt with about 1/2 tsp salt.  It should be 'yaourt nature' which is the natural flavor.  If using creme fraiche, add 1/2 tsp salt to every cup.  Set aside.
9. Serve all parts separate, to be made alone.. you can serve the meat directly at the stove.. keeps it warm.  I usually start with the cheese, layer some meat, add the sauce, vegetables... and enjoy.

Finished Product.. so delicious!

Happy with Taco Night!

Native American Fry Bread

I totally had the thought to make some 'fry bread' because tortillas are expensive.. and well I have all the ingredients needed.  So here goes.

Category: Bread


Frenchman Rating: 8/10
Comments:  "It's good alone, but it's something that needs to be eaten with something."

Cost per Serving:  Very minimal...

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder (levure de chimique)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/8 cup warm milk
• vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

1. Combine all the dry ingredients (the flour, the baking powder and salt) in a bowl.
2. Pour warm water/milk mixture slowly, knead as you go along.. it will be VERY sticky.  I had a nightmare with the dough.
3. Continue, until all is incorporated... it should be the consistency of 'crawling of your hand' as you pick it up and let it slide off, it should be gooey but not too sticky or wet.. if too sticky, add more flour.
4. Allow dough to sit, covered, at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.
5. Take golf-sized ball chunks, roll into balls and then roll into thin rounds.. this takes some practice.  I flour a plastic cutting board, then place a plastic bag on top (also floured) to roll out thin, transport on the bag, then peel off and fry.
6. Heat oil in a deep pan (I use a frying pan) enough to fry the bread.. the oil should be deep enough to fry the bread, and very hot (medium-high to high).  I fry 2-3 minutes total, about 1.5 minutes each side..
7. Fry each side until golden, set on a paper towel and set aside.

Finished Product

*It was a bit of a nightmare to make, but like crêpes, once you mess up a few times, the rest turn out GREAT!

Holy Frickin' Tomato Herby Soup!

Tomatoes are really inexpensive in France, so take advantage of this and use it.. like I decided to.  Inspired by Google searchings regarding tomato soup- I came up with this soup.. it can serve about 4.. or 2 very hungry people.. (like Frenchman and I).


Category:  Dinner, Main Dish, Soup


Frenchman Rating: 8/10
Comments:  "It is.. a tomato soup.. it would have been more decadent served with a crusty bread on top or maybe less herbs.."

Cost per Serving:  Around €2.00

Ingredients

• 5 whole tomatoes, either roma or on the vine (at the marché you'd ask for about 500g)
• 1 medium can whole stewed tomatoes (I used stewed w/ basil)
• 1 whole bunch basil
• 2 tablespoons rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons oregano
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine
• 2 cups either vegetable stock or chicken stock
•  
• 1/5 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/5 cup olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, whole/peeled
• 1/4 cup cream
• Salt & pepper to taste

TOP.. 1 nice sized slice of baguette, toasted in the oven with olive oil, set aside... and 1/2 cup of shredded emmenthal.







Equipment

• 4-6 quart pot
• Baking sheet 

Directions
Preheat oven to 220 celsius.

1. Begin by washing the tomatoes, of course, and pat dry.  Cut the tomatoes in half, sprinkle with salt and put them face down into a baking dish or tray.  Use a spoon to drizzle a mix of the balsamic and olive oil mix over the face down tomatoes.  Put the whole garlic next to it.
2. Bake the tomatoes for about 30-40 minutes... you can just leave it to bake.
3. About 10 minutes left on the bake time, start heating up the canned tomatoes, chicken broth, rosemary, bay leaves, oregano, onions and salt/pepper (around 3 teaspoons of salt, 1 tsp of pepper).  Allow to cook over high heat for the last 10 minutes of the baking time.
4. Once tomatoes are done, take and drop into the soup mixture.  Allow to cook on medium-high heat for another 10 minutes.
5. Take the bay leaves out, pull out a stick blender and blend until medium/chunky.. depending on the mood.
6. Add in the basil leaves, cook and season to taste for another 10 minutes on medium or low heat.
7. To serve... take two bowls, ladle about 2 cups of the soup into each bowl and pour in half the cream into each.. 1/8 cup each.  Stir around., top with the cheese.
8. Serve with the crusty bread...

Final product, cream and a grilled cheese... YUM-O

Buttered Cabbage & Balsamic Glazed Turkey

I had half a cabbage to get rid of.. and didn't want to eat cabbage soup- so I thought outside the box.. sort of.  This makes enough for two, with some leftover buttery cabbage.

Buttered Cabbage & Balsamic Glazed Turkey

Category:  Dinner, Complete Meal

Frenchman Rating:  6/10
Comments: "Needs more flavor in the turkey, maybe a 'brining' process before, or even more red wine for more sauce.  The cabbage was just fabulous, great flavor and simple- more butter at the end would make it even more delicious.  I like the carrots being chunky."



Cost per Serving:  Buttery Cabbage = €.60 cents a serving;  Balsamic Glazed Turkey = €1.51 a serving... TOTAL COST:  €2.11 per serving!

Ingredients for the Buttery Cabbage

• 1/2 green cabbage chopped thin, resembling straw
• 3 medium sized carrots, cleaned, scraped and chopped into cubes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt & pepper to taste

Ingredients for the turkey

• 2 medium cuts of 'dinde escalope'

• Paper Towels

• 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar 

• 1/4 cup red cooking wine 

• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Begin by heating the oil in a wok or large pan to medium high, add in the butter and then toss in the cabbage little bits at a time.  Reduce heat to medium, add in the chopped carrots.
2. Cover the cabbage after adding a bit of salt, stirring, and... well let it hang out for awhile ON MED-LOW.
3. While the cabbage is cooking, about 10 minutes after it started.. take the turkey and pat dry with the paper towels.  Set aside.
4. Heat a pan to a very high heat, important to sear the meat.  Once heated, lay it down, salt & pepper the side not against the pan, leave for about 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Check the cabbage, stir it around a bit, add some more seasonings... cover again.
6. Turn the turkey over, salt & pepper again... leave for about 1 minute, then pour in the balsamic and lower the heat... medium should do.
7. Allow this to cook for another 2-3 minutes, turn off the heat and cover to keep hot.
8. By now the cabbage has cooked for about 16-21 minutes, so it should be tender.. plate with the turkey, pour the sauce over the meat.. and VOILA!

Essum ut vivas, bon appetit!