Secret to burritos/tacos?

[Winfried]

Hello,

I'm located in Paris, and noticed that Americans complain that, while some places offer OK stuff, they just can't find burritos/tacos that are on par with what's available back home.

So I was wondering...
1. What is the secret to making great burritos and tacos? Are there ingredients that must be imported from the USofA because they're just not available anywhere else?

2. Is it possible for a non-cook to make great burritos/tacos, or does it require some/a bit/serious professional training? If that's the case, any address in Paris where I could learn?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Josie1945]

Winfried, Welcome to DC.

Josie

 

[Winfried]

Thank you

 

[jabbur]

To me, a great taco/burrito involves flavor. Perhaps Parisians don't put enough spice in the meat filling. The second (imo) most important part is the shell. The crunchiness of the corn tortilla or the quality of the flour tortilla can vary greatly. Even here in the US I have had good and bad tortillas which also distracts from the dish. Since I've not have Mexican food in France (last time outside US was in high school 30 yrs ago and that was Canada) I can't comment more on what the difference is.

 

[Winfried]

Thanks for the tips.

Do you know what spices (I understand this to mean non-spicy spices) are recommended for meat used in tacos/burritos?

Are tortillas/shells hard to bake, and if so, are there good brands available in the US that I could check?

 

[Hyperion]

indeed, mexican food is about a lot of strong, simple flavor.
try chilli powder (lots of it) and cumin. if you are serving chicken, try smoking it on charcoal.
you might be able to buy fried shells, but definitely don't buy soft tortillas. You should make them and they'll taste 100 times better than the store-bought ones that contain lots of anti-staling chemicals.
You can search my threads and find a flour tortilla recipe I posted. It might be alittle more elaborate than regular ones, but it might add a touch of france to your dish

 

[CWS4322]

Winfried, welcome to DC! When I went to school in New Brunswick, there wasn't a source for tortillas. That is when I learned to make my own. They are very easy to make. I have a lefse griddle that I use now, but before that, I used a CI skillet or griddle. I used my TNT tortilla recipe and mixed it up a bit for the CGG Picnic Challenge. My recipe is posted there. I use Seltzer (plain) instead of water and lard instead of vegetable oil. Corn ones are a bit trickier because you have to have the right kind of flour and devise a means of pressing them if you don't have a tortilla press. The filling and sauce are the other "secret" ingredients. I like soft tacos, but if I'm going to make "hard" tacos, I use my soft corn tortillas, fill them, roll them up, and then deep-fry them. I don't fry the shells first (like an envelope) unless I want to add salad-like toppings. There was a thread on homemade tortillas recently. That might be a good place to start.

 

[Winfried]

Thanks for the tip. I'll try using the "Home-made tortilla (sharing success)" recipe and see how it comes out.

 

[Zereh]

I would say the biggest thing is layers of flavor: the beans are flavorful, the rice is flavorful, the meat is flavorful. Each component could be eaten separately and taste wonderful ~ but when you throw them all together they're fantastic!

Also, for dishes that don't have as many individually flavored components it's the accoutrements that often make the dish shine. You can not forget (or substitute really) the tastes that are imparted at serving time with fresh lime, cilantro, crema, onions, radishes, etc.

 

[Winfried]

Thank you all. I'll ask around for where to find the right ingredients and then try to make my own tortillas.

 

[Scotch]

The difference is primarily in the tortillas. Like good French bread, there's no substitute -- and most Americans wouldn't know a good tortilla if it bit them on the posterior!

 

[Winfried]

Thanks Doug. Looks like I'll have to first learn how to make great tortillas

 

[4meandthem]

My mexican beans consist of a bag of dried pintos soaked overnight. 1 big onion,4-5 bay leaves,2-3 cloves of garlic and about a tbs ground pepper.
Cook that over low heat until tender. (start in the morning)

My mexican rice consists of 4-5 handfuls of rice sauteed with a chopped onion, 2 cloves of garlic and a small can of jalapeno salsa. add chicken broth and cook until tender adding more broth if needed as you go. A chopped bell pepper goes in the saute sometimes too.

If you use ground beef,brown it with black pepper,cumin,powdered garlic,ground chili of choice and onion and oregano. when it is completely cooked but not browned drain the fat and repeat the seasoning to taste since alot will go away with the fat.Brown it well.

If you are using flank or ball tips or skirt or whatever rub with above spices and leave overnight.Grill and chop into small pieces. (same goes for chicken)

For hard tacos buy store bought corn tortillas or make them yourself and fry in a little oil for about a minute and fold them in half when you pull them out.salt then and open them up a little as they cool to allow for filling.

For soft tacos take the coen tortillas and place in a plastic zip bag and micro or steam until tender.

For flour add to a hot dry pan and wait ubtil puffy then flip. A little black here and there is OK for me.

I always serve with chopped cilantro/coriander and chopped onion.
Shredded lettuce and a semi hard salty crumbled cheese work well too.
Some sort of Salsa or chili sauce for extra heat is customary too.
If avacado slices are available and ripe they are always welcome as is a good tomato sliced or chopped.

Mexican food like Californian food is all about using what is fresh and good.If it out of season,find something else to use.

On edit: Burritos and tacos share the same meats but most tacos don't have rice and beans inside they have meat,sometimes cheese, lettuce tomato,hot sauce,onions cilantro. the burrito usually has rice,beans,meat,onions,cilantro,tomato.

The cilantro,tomato,raw onion can also be made as pico de gallo (a salsa) before hand and seasoned with lime, pepper,chili etc or left as garnishes.

 

[Winfried]

Thanks a lot!

 

[Timothy]

My mexican beans... My mexican rice... If you use ground beef...If you are using flank or ball tips or skirt...For hard tacos...For soft tacos...For flour...Mexican food like Californian food...Burritos and tacos...

4mat, that was one of the best descriptions I've ever read!