An ode to cooking for yourself, tacos, and books
Friends! I have two very good books to tell you about that are both out in this world for you to buy today, so let's get to it! The first is Not the Girl You Marry, by Andie J. Christopher -- if you loved How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, wow is this the book for you. It just came out on Tuesday and is the perfect thing to cheer you up during these dark days of the year. And if you're in the mood for a book about a really terrible man on his deathbed, and the way those connected to him all react, immediately read All This Could Be Yours, by Jami Attenberg. I adore books about about complicated families (probably one reason families often play a role in my books!) and this book is just so so good on that, and also great about what being married to and the child of and the grandchild of a really bad man can do to people and their lives. I saved this book for a time I knew I would be able to devote myself to it completely, because I was certain that as soon as I read the first page I wouldn't be able to stop reading, and I was right -- I read it in two big chunks, and haven't been able to stop thinking about it ever since I started. (If you're doing any travel for the holidays, it's a perfect airplane book, because you get so deep into it you have no idea where you are and are not bothered by creature discomforts -- my mom read the entire book in one four hour flight and closed it with a satisfied sigh shortly before landing.) I'm going to be in conversation with Jami about this book and her work in general this Sunday, November 17, at 3 pm, at East Bay Booksellers in Oakland, so if you're local, please come out and chat with us.
Speaking of books, I'm delighted that The Wedding Party is in the Goodreads Choice Awards Semifinals! Of all of my books, this one was the hardest for me to write, and I worried so so much about whether people would like it, so it really makes me happy whenever there are people who have! If you liked it, I'd love it if you could pop over and vote for it!
Okay so it's getting close to Thanksgiving, and everything in food media is all about making big huge meals for a whole bunch of people. And I'm really into that, because I love making big huge meals for a bunch of people! But for the past few weeks I've been realizing again how great it is to cook just for yourself. It's completely selfish in the best way: you can make exactly what you're craving at the moment; you can make that big huge complicated thing that looks interesting; you can make something very simple; you can have a big bowl of mashed potatoes for dinner if that's what you want, or broccoli, or a roast chicken with no sides. And one way I find this to be so rewarding is when I make myself crispy tacos. These are more or less the kinds of tacos my mom made a lot when I was growing up, and I love them and request them from her all the time when she's cooking for me now (though I more often cook for her these days). But I've also realized what a pain they are to make for a group, because (if you're a normal person with a normal kitchen) you have to make each one individually, and they're best when hot. So that means that you, the cook, make your own tacos last, and everyone else might be already done with their tacos by the time you sit down at the table. But earlier this week, I made crispy tacos for myself, and by the time I was done cooking the second taco, the first one had just cooled down enough to be ready to eat, which was ideal. And then I made them again and again all week until my tortillas ran out, and let me tell you: they made me very happy. I will tell you how I made them, but it's more of a technique than an ingredient list.
Crispy tacos for one
Corn Tortillas
Cheddar cheese, shredded (yourself or purchased, whatever you like)
Canola oil (or another kind of flavorless oil you can heat relatively high)
Skirt steak
Onion, sliced
Garlic, minced
Serrano or jalapeno pepper, minced
Avocado, cut in chunks
Salsa
The first three ingredients are really the important ones (though you can use a different kind of cheese); the latter ingredients are just what I put in my tacos this week, so go wild with this.
For the skirt steak:
Put a frying pan (cast iron preferable, but use what you've got) on to high heat and let it get hot hot. Cut your skirt steak into chunks that work in your pan (skirt steak comes lonnnnng and skinny, so I always cut it up; kitchen shears work great for this), dry it well, and then season it on both sides with salt and a touch of oil. When the pan is hot hot, put the steak into the pan, and cook it for 1-3 minutes on both sides (depending on how thin your steak is and how well you like it cooked), and then take it out of the pan and put it aside to rest for ten minutes at least.
For the onion/garlic/peppers:
Turn the pan that held the steak down to medium, and toss the whole lot of the onions/garlic/peppers in the pan and saute until the onion is soft.
To assemble:
Cut up some of the skirt steak (against the grain) into bite sized pieces. Get a frying pan (this time I use a lighter one, but again, use what you've got) and heat it up to medium high, then put plenty of oil in it, more than enough to coat the bottom of the pan, and let the oil heat (don't skimp on the oil! you want there to be plenty of oil so the tortillas cook hot and fast and crispy). Put your shredded cheese in a bowl or somewhere you can get to it easily, because you'll be working fast here. Now: slide a tortilla into the hot oil, and let it bubble and fry for 10-20 seconds (it should get crispy on the bottom in that amount of time; if it doesn't, your oil isn't hot enough or you don't have enough in the pan -- if that's the case, do it all over again with another tortilla, you're cooking for yourself, no one else is waiting!). Flip it over, and immediately put some cheese along one half of the tortilla. Add some of the cut up skirt steak on top of the cheese, and then a little bit more cheese on top of that, and then fold the empty half of the tortilla over the full half. Take out of the frying pan and let drain on paper towels or your eco-towel of choice, and do it again. After your second taco is made, add some of the onion/garlic/pepper mixture to each taco, then salsa, then avocado, and enjoy the hell out of them.
Note: I am not restricting you to two tacos, I would NEVER restrict you to two tacos. It's just that making two at a time is just about the right time for the first to be ready to eat -- if you want more tacos, eat the first two, and then make more!
Have a great weekend, everyone! Do something fun for yourself.
Jasmine
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