Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Rick Bayless' Mexican-Style Zucchini Tacos

Inspiration:
Rick Bayless


Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 medium white onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 pound ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped (6 to 8 Italian-plum or 2 medium- large round)
  • 2 large fresh poblano chiles
  • 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about one ear of corn)
  • 4 medium zucchini cut into 1/2" cubes (about 1 1/2 pounds or 5 cups)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2/3 cup homemade crème frâiche or heavy cream
  • Salt
  • 1/2 cup Mexican queso fresco or other crumbly fresh cheese-like salted, pressed farmer's cheese or feta
  • 24 fresh, warm corn tortillas


  • Instructions:
    1. Measure the oil into a large (12-inch skillet) and set over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until richly browned, about 8 minutes.

    2. While onion is cooking, coarsely puree the tomatoes in a food processor or blender. Add garlic to the browned onion, cook 1 minute, stirring, then add the tomatoes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

    3. Roast the poblanos directly over a gas flame or on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler, turning regularly until the skin has blistered and blackened on all sides, about 5 minutes for an open flames, about 10 minutes for the broiler. Remove from heat and cover with a kitchen towel and let stand for 5 minutes. Rub off the blackened skins, then pull out the stems and seedpods. Rinse briefly to remove stray seeds and bits of skin. Slice into 1/4-inch strips.

    4. Uncover the skillet, return to flame and raise the heat to medium-high. Stir in the poblanos, corn, zucchini, epazote and crema. Cook, stirring frequently, until the zucchini is crisp-tender and the liquid has thickened enough to coat the vegetables nicely, about 8 minutes. Taste and season with salt, about 1 teaspoon or to taste. Serve in a decorative bowl, sprinkle with crumbled cheese and pass hot tortillas separate for do-it-yourself tacos.

    Nutrition facts per serving (1/6 of the recipe): 453 calories, 18 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 43 mg cholesterol, 66 g carbohydrates, 12 g protein, 604 mg sodium, 8 g fiber


    Tim's Rating: 8.5/10 ("better than 'facos'")
    Liz's Rating: 8.5/10

    5 comments:

    Courtney said...

    Yum! What a great way to use zucchini!

    Christina said...

    These sound great, I love Rick Bayless!

    Anonymous said...

    I would love this meal.

    Cate said...

    This is one of my most favorite Rick Bayless recipes of all time! Such a GREAT use for zucchini!

    HaveShoesWillTravel said...

    LOL at "better than facos". I love facos! This one might have too many veggies in it for me but we're going to try it next week.