Recipe of the week: Turning your kitchen into a taco joint

If you have a craving for a taco, said Mark Bittman in The New York Times, don’t give in to temptation and buy a taco-in-a-box kit from the supermarket. It takes just minutes to turn your kitchen into a taco joint. The rules for making a near-perfect taco are few and simple. First, briefly warm the tortilla on a dry pan to give it a little color. Then, “be sure not to

overload. If you put too much in there, the stuff will fall right out.” Place the meat, the heaviest ingredient, on the bottom. Next goes the crunchy

stuff, like lettuce, for contrast. Spoonable ingredients such as salsa, guacamole, or crumbled cheese go on top. Carne asada simply means “grilled meat,” but skirt steak is recommended because of its high fat content.

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Recipe of the week

Grilled Carne Asada for Tacos

1 clove garlic

2 pounds skirt steak

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne

Start a charcoal or gas grill. Crush garlic and rub steak with it. Combine

remaining ingredients and rub into steak. Let steak sit until you’re ready to grill. Grill steak 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Cut into slices and use as soon as possible (hot is best, but warm or room temperature

is fine). Serves 6 to 8.

Salsa Fresca

2 large fresh ripe tomatoes,chopped

1/2 large white onion, peeled and minced

1/4 tsp minced raw garlic, or to taste

1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced, or to taste

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

1 tbsp fresh lime juice or 1 tsp red-wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine all ingredients, taste, adjust seasoning as necessary. Let the flavors marry for 15 minutes or so before serving, but serve within a couple of hours.