I’ll admit. I
can easily OD on tacos and then do it all over again the very next day… even if
I haven’t washed them down with multiple shots of tequila.
Chef Patricio Sandoval
of Mercadito knows a thing or two about Tacos. In fact, you’re continually amazed
every time he comes up with a new one. It’s always a masterpiece of multiple flavors
and textures. His
passion for tacos is unmistakable.
Chef Sandoval
grew up in his
father’s famous Acapulco restaurants (Madeiras and Villa Fiore) and a lot of
his creative ideas come from his experiences shopping as a kid with his mother
in the markets of Mexico. He has a remarkable resume along with the street
smarts to go with it which makes him a one-of-a-kind chef.
His Tacos
de Carnitas, Tacos de Camaron
and Tacos Estilo Baja happen
to be three of my all time favorites north of the border.
I can easily eat
multiples of his version of pork carnitas and not feel guilty. After all, who counts
calories when you cook something in lard?
His delicious and spicy chiles de
arbol coleslaw topped with peanuts gives the dish an Asian flair. I really like
this Mexican-Asian fusion going on in his cooking. They are two of my favorite
ethnic food groups.
Chef Sandoval’s
Shrimp Taco recipe was the hit of the Aspen Food and Wine Festival and his
recipe for Tacos Estilo Baja is the dish that put Mercadito on the map in New
York City in the first place. This recipe also has a spicy slaw and can be used
to top a number of other dishes including pulled pork.
I swear, you’ll never
eat regular slaw again after you taste these two versions.
The recipes look
a little complicated. They are not. There are a few more steps to follow in
each one but the results are well worth the extra fuss.
If you happen to
be in Chicago, Chef Sandoval does cooking demonstrations at his restaurant and
the next one is September 23rd.
I’ll be home
just in time to overindulge on his Tacos for the holiday season. Doesn’t that
sound like the perfect time to overeat?
Good thing I
quit counting calories December 1st.
Buen Apetito!
TACOS DE CARNITAS
Michoacan style braised berkshire
pork, chile de arbol coleslaw, toasted peanuts
Yields: 4 tacos
4 oz. berkshire
pork carnitas (recipe follows)
4 ea., 6 in.
corn tortillas
4 tbsps chile de
arbol coleslaw (recipe follows)
4 tsps peanuts,
toasted
4 tsps tomatillo
pico de gallo (recipe follows)
In skillet, heat
up carnitas until hot.
Place tortillas
in serving plate, put carnitas on tortillas top of with coleslaw, pico de
gallo, and with 1 teaspoon, on each taco, of toasted peanuts.
CARNITAS
½ berkshire pork
shoulder, cut into large even pieces
½ onion, roughly
chopped
4 ea. garlic
cloves, whole
4 ea. bay leaves
3 qts lard
1 can evaporated
milk
½ cup orange
juice
In a large pot
or Pyrex, place the pieces of meat. Add onions, garlic cloves, lard and bay
leaves.
Add the
evaporated milk and the orange juice, making sure the pieces of meat are
completely covered by the liquid.
Cover in foil;
put in 350 degree F oven and cook 3 to 4 hours, checking every hour.
CHILE DE ARBOL COLESLAW RECIPE
6 ea. chiles de
arbol
6 tbsps oil
5 cups savoy
cabbage, shredded
1 cup red
cabbage, shredded
1 tbsp honey
2 tsps lemon
juice
¼ cup peanuts,
toasted
In medium pot,
heat oil and add the chiles until oil has infused the flavor of the chiles and
chiles are toasted. Their color will become darker.
In blender,
place all ingredients except cabbages and blend until a salsa consistency has
been achieved. If it is too chunky, add more lemon juice.
In large bowl,
mix the salsa and the shredded coleslaws.
TOMATILLO PICO DE GALLO
2 cups
tomatillo, medium diced
1 cups red
onions, medium diced
¼ cup cilantro,
finely chopped
In a bowl,
combine all ingredients. Making sure tomatillo is more visible than the red
onion.
Photo: Mercadito
TACOS DE CAMARON
Yields:
4 tacos
2 tbsps oil
1 tbsps garlic, chopped
3 tbsps red onion, diced
5 oz. marinated shrimp, roughly chopped
(recipe follows)
2 tbsps chipotle puree
2 tsps lemon juice
2 tbsps butter
4 ea., 6 in. corn tortillas
4 avocado slices
Heat oil in a skillet. Lightly brown
garlic then add red onion and sauté 30 seconds. Add shrimp. Let cook 1 minute.
Add chipotle puree and lemon juice then
stir in butter and salt to taste. Balance sweetness/saltiness/acidity.
Place shrimp on tortillas and top with
avocado slices, one slice per taco.
SHRIMP MARINADE
½ cup chipotle puree
¼ cup roasted garlic puree (recipe
follows)
In bowl, mix chipotle and roasted garlic
puree. Mix in shrimp and marinade until ready to cook.
ROASTED GARLIC PUREE
½ cup garlic, peeled and whole
Oil, enough to cover garlic
In a pot, put whole garlic and cover with
oil about 2-inches above garlic.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer
stirring once in a while to make sure garlic does not stick.
When garlic turns brown, strain oil and
reserve, put roasted garlic in blender until smooth, adding oil if needed to
make a paste like mixture.
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Photo: Mercadito
TACOS ESTILO BAJA
Makes 4
tacos
4 corn tortillas
4 ounces beer battered fish(recipe below)
Mexican cole slaw (recipes below)
Heat corn tortillas in a skillet.
Top each tortilla with beer battered fish
and cole slaw.
BEER BATTERED FISH
4 ounces mahi mahi or other available fish
Salt to taste
Breadcrumbs, for dusting
Beer batter (recipe below)
Heat canola oil in a skillet or deep fryer
until hot.
Season fish with salt then dust with
breadcrumbs. Dip fish in beer batter then place in oil. Fry until golden brown.
BEER BATTER
1 1/2 cups bread mixture (recipe below)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-12 ounce bottle Negra Modelo or your
favorite beer
2 cups water
Whisk all ingredients together until there
are no lumps.
BREAD MIXTURE
4 cups day old bread, toasted and ground
3/4 cups flour
3/4 cups maseca
Combine all ingredients well.
MEXICAN COLE SLAW
1 cup Napa cabbage
3/4 cup pico de gallo (recipe below)
1/4 teaspoon minced onions and cilantro
2 tablespoons chipotle aioli (recipe
below)
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon honey
Salt to taste
Toss all ingredients well and season with
salt to taste.
PICO DE GALLO
1 cup red tomatoes, diced
1 cup white onions, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
Combine all ingredients and mix well.
CHIPOTLE AOLI
12 ounces canola/olive oil blend
1-6 ounce can chipotles in oil
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt to taste
3/4 tablespoons honey
Blend 8 ounces oil with the chipotles in a
blender. Beat egg yolk in a food processor then slowly drizzle remaining oil
into yolk to create an emulsified base. Blend lemon juice, salt, and honey into
mixture then slowly blend in chipotle/oil mixture until well combined.