Zucchini, Corn, & Poblano Tacos

My friend had a dinner party the other night and made these tacos as the main course. The recipe is one of Ricky Bayless's, and I found it online here.

These are easily the most delicious vegetarian tacos I've ever had, and I'm happy to share them. They are quick to prepare and have relatively few ingredients.

Serves ~6

Ingredients:
2 T oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
1lb fresh tomatoes, pureed in the food processor
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 large poblano chiles, roasted
1 c corn
4 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4'' cubes (~5 c)
3 T fresh cilantro, chopped
2/3 c heavy cream or crème fraîchesalt to taste1/2 c queso fresco24 fresh tortillas, warmed

Chop all the veggies, and place the peppers in the oven on broil to roast. Turn frequently. They are done when the skin is browned all around. Remove and place in a paper bag. After 5 minutes, remove from the bag, rub and the skin will come off easily. Cut into slices.

Meanwhile, add the oil to a large pot and heat over M. Add the onion and cook until golden. Add the garlic and cook slightly more. Puree the tomatoes and add to the pot, stirring until the sauce is thickened.

Increase the heat to M/H and add the peppers, corn, zucchini, cilantro, and cream. Stir well and cook until the zucchini is soft. Season with salt, to taste.

Heat the tortillas in the oven. When warm, remove and fill with zucchini mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and fresh cilantro.

Spanish Omelette (Tortilla Española)

I first experienced Spanish cuisine during a summer in college while studying abroad in central Spain. I immediately took to the tapas style of serving food, and marveled at the amount of eggs used in the cooking--the Spanish put an egg on everything!


One of my favorite dishes was the Spanish Omelette, or Tortilla Española. This is a 2'' tall egg and potato combo, cut into little squares and eaten with toothpicks. Very tasty--but be warned--also very filling!

After reviewing a few spanish omelette recipes online, I settled on this one, and made some changes myself. Below is my modified version, which you can easily scale to make a larger omelette.

Ingredients:
*1/4 c olive oil
1/2 lb potatoes, thinly sliced. I like to use a Mandoline
1 large onion or fresh green onions, thinly sliced
4 eggs
salt and pepper, to taste

*This first time I made this I used way too much oil, and ended pouring some out of the pan. The quantity shown here is half what the recipe suggested, but use more as needed.

I always make this in a cast iron skillet, as I find they are the perfect shape for a tall omelette. Pick one appropriate for the amount of ingredients you use, so it will be full to the brim. Use more oil if you are using a larger skillet, so the bottom is completely covered.

Heat the pan on M/H and add the olive oil. Add potatoes and cook until golden. Add the onions and continue cooking until they are soft and beginning to brown.

While this is cooking, beat the eggs together in a bowl and add salt and pepper. Pour into the skillet and reduce the heat to L. When the eggs brown on the bottom, slide onto a dish and flip back into the pan. Cook until the eggs brown on this side and serve immediately, sprinkled with fresh onion, salt, and pepper.

Below are pictures from the first time I made this:

No cast iron skillet, the potatoes are too coarsely chopped, and celery substituted for the onion.

 It still looked and tasted good though!