Papatzul Tacos Baja Recipes

Steps:

• Have ready a warmed, not hot, serving dish or warmed individual dishes.
• Put the water, epazote, and salt into a small pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
• Spread the pumpkin seeds in a thin layer over the bottom of a large skillet and heat through gently over low heat, turning them over from time to time. The seeds will swell, but take care not to let them become even slightly golden or the sauce will lose its fresh green color. You might want to keep a lid handy because often some of the seeds will start jumping out of the pan. Spread the seeds onto a metal tray to cool completely before grinding to avoid the blades seizing up with the volatile oil.
• Using an electric coffee/spice grinder, grind a portion of the seeds at a time to a slightly textured consistency, 5 to 6 seconds. If the seeds are ground too fine, then it will be more difficult to extract the oil.
• Have a small glass bowl ready for the oil.
• Put the ground seeds onto a plate that has a slight ridge around the rim. Measure out 1/4 cup (63ml) of the epazote broth and little by little sprinkle it - don't, for goodness' sake, pour the whole lot - over the seeds and work it with your hands, first having put the telephone on automatic answering. Gradually add the liquid until you have a crumbly but cohesive paste.
• Tilt the plate a little to one side and put a folded cloth underneath to hold it in that position. Start squeezing the paste and you will see that drops of oil will begin to extrude. Add a little more warm liquid if necessary - you probably won't need the whole amount - and keep squeezing until you have collected almost 4 tablespoons of dark green oil. (This is pure vitamin E, and great for the hands.) Crumble the paste into a blender jar, add the remaining strained epazote broth, if desired, and blend until smooth.
• Transfer the sauce to a skillet and warm through over the lowest possible heat, stirring almost constantly because the starch content of the seeds begins to swell and the particles tend to coagulate in the bottom of the pan.
• Dip one of the warm tortillas into the sauce: it should be lightly covered. If the sauce is too thick, dilute it with a little extra warm water. Work as quickly as you can, dipping each tortilla into the sauce, holding it with tongs but supporting it with a spatula so you don't get left with a bit of broken tortilla in your tongs. Sprinkle some of the chopped egg across one-third of the tortilla, roll it up, and place it on the warmed dish.
• When all the papadzules are assembled, pour the remaining sauce over them. (If the sauce has thickened and become grainy looking, put it back into the blender with a little extra warm water and blend until smooth.) Now pour on the tomato sauce and sprinkle the chopped egg whites and yolks. Decorate with the optional epazote. As a final touch, spoon in little pools of the oil. Serve immediately or the oil will sink back into the sauce and all that work will have been for naught! Of course, it is more colorful and attractive to serve the papadzules together on one serving dish.

Steps:

• Heat about 3 inches vegetable oil in a medium pot over medium-low heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F. Meanwhile, toss the cabbage, cilantro, lime juice, honey and mayonnaise in a bowl. Season the slaw with salt.
• Warm the tortillas in a skillet over medium-low heat or wrap in a damp cloth and microwave 25 seconds. Wrap in a towel to keep warm.
• Mix the flour, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste in a shallow bowl. Dredge the fish in the flour mixture, then fry in batches until golden and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Season with salt.
• Halve, pit and slice the avocado. Fill the tortillas with the fish, avocado, slaw and salsa. Serve with lime wedges.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the salad dressing, adobo sauce, cilantro and lime juice. Chill until serving., Sprinkle mahi mahi with salt and pepper. Place the flour, eggs and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Coat mahi mahi with flour, then dip in eggs and coat with bread crumbs. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat; cook fish in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels., Place fish in tortillas; top with cabbage, sauce mixture and additional cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Steps:

• Combine orange juice, 2 tablespoons cilantro, lime juice, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne in a large freezer bag. Submerge skirt steaks in the marinade. Seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. Refrigerate, 1 to 8 hours.
• Preheat a grill to medium-high. Grill the steaks until hot and firm in the center or to your preferred doneness, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer steaks to a flat work surface and slice as thinly as possible against the grain.
• Heat corn tortillas on the grill or in a microwave. Keep tortillas warm in a folded sheet of aluminum foil covered by a thick towel.
• Add steak to each tortilla and top with white onion and cilantro.