Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Taco Salad


I was channeling my childhood the other day and the one thing I loved more than anything was a good Old El Paso taco.
I know most of you who grew up with authentic Mexican are cringing at the thought of the kit and I understand, but you'll never know what that taco kit meant to a kid growing up with British parents in cold Canada. We didn't have taco night very often but when we did I went crazy. But never one to conform to the norm, I always crushed up the shells and turned my taco into a taco salad. While I've since progressed to homemade tortillas and pork carnitas, I will never turn my back on those delicious crispy shells covered in ground beef, cheese and sour cream. Okay, in re-reading that I may have to give it up as the aging process progresses but for now, while I can still pull it off, I will take advantage of it.

Recipe:
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, finely diced
1 package taco seasoning
4 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
sliced pitted black olives
sour cream
salsa
tortilla chips

Directions:
1. In a medium skillet, cook and stir ground beef and onion over medium-high heat until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain thoroughly. Return the beef mixture to the pan, add the taco seasoning and 1/2 cup water. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Simmer the beef until the water has completely been cooked off. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

To assemble:
Place tortilla chips or broken up taco shells on a plate. Top the chips with ground beef, salsa, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and olives. Serve with extra tortilla chips.

Serves 4.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks wonderful. Tacos based on Old El Paso are not real mexican, but they are one of those fun North American mass market traditions that are irresitible. Here in Italy when they ask me to cooks something American I pull out old passo tacos in some form or another.
If you cand o it homemade, even better.

Madeline said...

Thanks Carbonara! I really am a sucker for those kits and not ashamed to admit it ;)

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