I am a meat snob and I like good quality meats. In Singapore good steak was about 12 dollars for 100 grams. Very expensive so we did not eat much steak while we were there. The other night I got 3lbs of Grade A USD Ribeye at Costco which needless to say was to much for us to eat so we had left overs. I always cook my steaks on the rarer side so if I want to reheat it for a different dish, I can with out it being over done. This recipe is made from mostly left overs and just stuff I had in my fridge but it is sure to please. It is time consuming to prepare but if you love to cook like I do you will enjoy it=). |
| Lots of Components and lots of prep work but worth it! |
So what is a Lux taco? Its a Luxurious Taco. That is because I used a very good quality cut of meat instead of the usual ground beef or fajita meat. It has a Corn Chimichurri Salsa. (What the heck is Chimichurri you ask?) Chimichurri is a broad term for a green salsa that originated in Argentina. Mine for this recipe is a loosely based Chimichurri. It goes wonderfully on steak, chicken or pork. I also had Avocados from Costco that were getting soft so I made a killer Sauce. We always ate at Senior Taco in Singapore which was an outdoor Mexican Taco Bar in the beautiful Clarke Quay. The Nightlife Epicenter of S'Pore. They have a killer Avocado Sauce they use on their tacos which even Ethan liked and Ethan does not like Avocados. So while I was conceptualizing this dish I decided to try to make my own Awesome Avocado sauce and I did! You can make this entire meal or just portions. You can add more or less heat to it as well. The Spicy Factor is always in your hands! Just like Ethan likes hard shelled tacos as were I prefer soft shelled white corn tortillas because they have more flavor and add depth to a taco.
Lux Steak Tacos with Corn Chimichurri Salsa,
Caliente Cheesy Rice and Rockstar Avocado Sauce.
Corn Chimichurri Salsa (make a head of time so you have marinade)
1 cup red onion small dice
3 cloves of garlic finally chopped*2 cups of frozen sweet white corn defrosted in the fridge
1/3-1/2 cup of white vinegar
4 limes juiced with a little zest to add some zing
1/2 cup or so of chopped Cilantro **
1/3 cup of chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
A pinch or 2 of sugar
A few generous pinches of Salt (taste and add to liking)
A few shakes of Cayenne Pepper (taste to Spicy liking)
2 shakes of Ground Cumin
1 good shake of Ground Coriander
A few turn in the bowl of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Mix the onions, garlic, corn, and herbs together in a good sized bowl to mix easier. Add vinegar, lime juice and zest. Add more lime juice if there is not enough moisture. Add the salt, sugar, cayenne, cumin, and coriander. Season and taste til you get it to the flavor that you enjoy.. Strain most of the excess juice and set a side.
*To peel garlic easily. Take a wide knife. Place garlic clove on the cutting board lay the knife flat on the garlic and give it a good slap or two. Then dip your fingers in a little oil so the garlic peel wont stick you your fingers. The peel will just come right off
** When chopping any leafy herbs make sure you have a razor sharp knife an dull knife will bruise the herbs and they lose flavor and darken.
Rockstar Avocado Sauce
2-3 Avocados (depending how much sauce you want on your tacos and rice and if you want left over other things)
1/2 cup of heavy cream (can substitute Skim Milk for healthier version but it wont be as creamy)
4-5 tbsp Gourmet Garden Cilantro Herb Blend ( comes in a 4 oz tube in the herb section of the produce section)
Cayenne Pepper (use as much or as little as you want)
1/2 of lime juice with extra incase you want more acid
Salt to flavor
Prepare Avocados by slicing thru length wise and split in two. Take a knife and hit it into the seed and pop the seed out, if you plan on reusing the sauce set the seed aside for later. Scoop out all the flesh of the avocado and put it into a blender or big food processor. Add cream, cilantro and lime juice. Blend and taste to see if it needs more acid. If so add more lime. If it is to thick add more cream. Add cayenne and salt. Taste and season til you like it. If you will be using the sauce a again place the seeds in to the sauce before storing in the fridge. That and the lime juice will keep the Avocado from getting that brown color it gets during oxidation.
Lux Steak Tacos
Now this part is personal preference you can make the steak with dinner and have it hot or cook it a head of time and refrigerate. If you cook it the same night and want it hot in your tacos. Take the juices you set aside from the Chimichurri and pour in to a gallon zip lock bag and marinate overnight. If your using left over or cold steak. Pour marinade in the zip lock bag over night as well)
1 lb of your favorite beef or steak.
Chopped Romane Lettuce
Chopped Cilantro
Hard Shelled Tacos
or
Soft Shell. (I use Guerrero Tortillas de Maiz Blanco (White Corn Tortillas) )
Use cheese of your choice. (I used goat cheese. Cotija would work well too)
Corn Chimichurri Salsa
Rockstar Avocado Sauce
Using a very sharp knife or a serrated knife. Slice meat very thinly with the grain removing the fat. Then build your tacos how you like them. I mixed the Romane and Cilantro together put that at the bottom of the taco. Topped it with Steak and a little Salt. a layer of Salsa, Goat Cheese and then a layer of Rockstar Avocado Sauce.
Caliente Cheesy Rice
1 cup of white rice (I prefer Calrose rice it is fluffier)
A couple shakes of Olive Oil ( I add Oil to the water of my pastas and rice so it does not stick together)
1 1/2 cups of Mexican Cheese Mix or Cheddar Or Velveeta ( you know just how you like it!)
2-3 tbsp of Gourmet Garden Chili Pepper Blend (just like the Cilantro Herb blend)*
Two Diced Roma Tomatos
4tbsp of Sour Cream
Salt to season
Prepare rice as directed except add oil=). Mix cheese, Chili Pepper Blend, Sour Cream and Salt. Let cheese melt. Mix well. Taste it.. If its to spicy add more Sour Cream. If it is not spicy enough add more Chili Pepper.
* If you cant find the Gourmet Garden any Chili Paste will do.
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