Winter local eating options in Philadelphia are more limited from those in northern California, but I see that as a positive, creative challenge. Lots of cabbage, cauliflower and root vegetables are available right now. The cabbage I ordered recently from Mugshots’ Buying Club was bigger than a basketball! Soups are a logical option and very satisfying. I have been cooking all sorts of soups and will be sure to post some, but my recent satisfying dish was a chorizo potato taco that I made from a recipe of Rick Balyess’ “Mexico One Plate At a Time”. I’ve made it before, but only just realized how well suited it is for winter cooking. The main ingredients are potatoes, onions and chorizo (a spicy, pork based mexican type sausage) – all available locally sourced right now.
The tacos are super quick to make (less than 30 minutes) and the tomatillo avocado salsa is a great compliment. The chorizo I order comes from Meadow Run Farm. It is hands down the best chorizo I’ve ever had. The important thing to know is that you need to use uncooked chorizo for this dish so that it all mixes together. Think spicy corned beef hash served in a warm corn blanket. For those of you who don’t eat red meat, you could also use a spicy turkey sausage.
As I had a basketball sized cabbage head, I thought it would be good to make some coleslaw to compliment the dish. In January I was back in Napa and ate at a superb southern comfort food place, BarbersQ, that a local suggested trying instead of Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc as the service is less aloof and the prices are better. All their meat is sustainably sourced – we ate their southern fried chicken with a hot chili vinegar and Memphis style ribs with vinegar bbq sauce. The food was amazing, but the biggest hit of the whole meal was the coleslaw. Robert and I both agreed it was the best we’ve eaten. I would have sworn it had green apple in it, and was surprised to find otherwise when I inquired about the ingredients. For the dressing they use cider vinegar (which probably gave the apple flavor I was tasting), lemon juice, mayonnaise, and sugar in the dressing. They toss red and green cabbage in the dressing to order which keeps fresh and crisp. So I tried my own creation of this recipe to go with the tacos. I didn’t have red cabbage, but added cilantro for additional color and flavor. At first I forgot to add the sugar and it was super tangy – definitely needs the sugar.
I had leftovers for days, which was a treat as it was always as good as the first day! The tacos are even better when topped with fresh avocado slices.
Here’s my condensed version of the recipe:
Taco Ingredients
12 oz of chorizo (fresh, removed from casing)
12oz of diced, peeled potatoes (about 2 cups). Yukon gold or baking are the best choice.
1 small onion
fresh corn tortillas (the ones from Trader Joe’s are great – no preservatives – corn, lime and water only).
Salt to taste
Salsa Verde (see below)
Sautee the chorizo and onions together until onions are soft and chorizo is cooked through. Meanwhile boil the diced potato in salted water until soft. Drain the potatoes and add to the cooked meat and onion. Sautee until the potatoes are crispy and then start mashing with the back of a wooden spoon until all mixed together, being sure to scrape the crisp parts from the bottom of the pan into the mix. Add salt to taste. Warm the fresh tortillas. I like to do this right over the flame on my gas burner. They get a nice char to them (don’t worry they won’t go up in flames unless you leave them a long time). Fill the taco with the meat filling and top with the salsa, fresh avocado slices and cilantro sprigs.
Salsa Verde
Rick Bayless has an accompanying recipe for a similar salsa, but I like to use the one from a cooking class I took in Oaxaca. It’s so easy and it saves for a while. It’s great topping for all sorts of food – rice and beans, fish, even roasted vegetables. As none of the ingredients are locally grown or seasonal right now, I usually source them from the asian/latin produce stand in the Ardmore farmer’s market during the winter.
1 jalepeno (include the seeds, use less of the pepper if you want it less spicy)
10 tomatillos, husk removed.
1 medium, peeled garlic clove
1/2 c fresh cilantro, including stems
I slice onion
Salt to taste
1 large avocado
Place everything in a blender or food processor and puree.
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