Zucchini, Potato, Chipotle Tacos on Homemade Corn Tortillas

I love tacos. True story.  I'm not talking about the seasoned meat, lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion-type of tacos...although, I do love those, too.  I'm talking about the concept of tacos in general.  Not being confined to the the norm.  There are so many delicious concoctions you can stuff inside a warm tortilla.  Use what is seasonal...use what sounds good to your soul...use what you have in your garden, your fridge, your pantry...use what you see growing in your neighbors garden kidding.  We had a few small zucchini we brought home from our trip to the community garden...and some fresh oregano...mmmm.  This is possibly one of the simplest concoctions...but I kid you not...it's also one of the tastiest.  Originally we made some for brunch, but I ended up making them again.  For dinner.  On the same day.  Seriously good eats.



Zucchini, Potato, Chipotle Tacos

from the kitchen of girlichef



For these tacos, use the ingredients in whatever amount you and those you're feeding enjoy.  We like our heat, so we use a decent amount of chipotle...but you can just add a dab if you don't dig it so much.  Using freshest ingredients and eating them right after they're made is key here!



Potatoes, cubed

Zucchini, sliced

Olive oil (not extra virgin)

Chipotles in adobo

fresh Oregano

salt & freshly ground pepper

Corn Tortillas, preferably homemade (see recipe below)



Drizzle some olive oil in a pan the right size to fit your ingredients.  Heat it over medium and add the potato chunks.  Sauté them until they are just beginning to get tender and slightly golden.  Add the zucchini slices and cook for another minute or so, until just soft and golden.  Add a sliced chipotle and drizzle in some of the adobo sauce.  Throw in some fresh oregano.  Remove from heat.  Season to taste w/ salt & pepper.  Stuff into warm corn tortillas and enjoy. Immensely.

Okay, homemade tortillas are one of the easiest things to make...like, ever.  Totally.  I'm feeling my inner valley girl today...you'll have to excuse me.  Now, I guess you can't call these completely homemade, because I use masa harina...but I  am hoping to be able to bring you some that are entirely homemade soon...we have some friends that are in Mexico right this very moment, as we've asked them if they can bring us back a mill to grind our own corn (and other things) when they come back next week.  It all depends on if they can fit it in their things. Fingers crossed!!  But these are as homemade as I can get right now.  And if not having a tortilla press holds you back from making your own...stop letting it!!  I've lost mine...don't ask me how...so I just use what I have available- my slab of granite, a sheet of plastic, a heavy pot, and a rolling pin.

Corn Tortillas

yield: ~16 tortillas

This is the basic formula using any brand of Masa Harina. 

2 c. Masa

~1 1/4 c. water

Place masa in a bowl.  Add ~1 c. of water and mix it up using your hands.  It should still be a bit dry at this point.  Little by little, add more water, gathering and kneading with your hands until the mixture just holds together.  It is preferable that it be more on the dry side...otherwise the dough will be too sticky (in which case, add a little more masa in...but this can be a vicious circle).  Knead it together quickly and let it sit, under a damp towel while you prepare everything else.

Heat a heavy comal or skillet...heavy, I think cast iron works best...over med-high heat.  It should be smokin' hot (~425 degrees F).  Either prep your tortilla press & 2 sheets of plastic OR use a slab of granite or marble....or a hard surface and some plastic. 

Divide the dough evenly into 16 balls.

This is what I do w/out a tortilla press:  Place one ball on the slab or granite.  Cover with a sheet of plastic (I use a gallon-size baggy) and press down with a heavy pot.  You'll have a nice circle of dough now.  I then continue to roll it to the thickness I want with a rolling pin (over the plastic).  This doesn't leave perfectly circular edges...but if you know me at all, you know I love rustic food...and they look totally rustic.  I then use a bench scraper to lift the dough from the granite slab and lay it onto the pipin' hot comal.  If you don't have a slab or granite, use a sheet of plastic on bottom and top, and use the same process.  You should be able to peel the rolled dough from the plastic instead of using a bench scraper.  If you have a tortilla press, simply line w/ plastic on both sides and press.  Pfft...easy. 

Leave it on the first side for ~30 seconds.  Flip it and leave another 30 seconds.  Flip one last time and leave another 15 seconds or so.  Eat it warm...it's bliss.  Or, let 'em cool and store them.  Heat up as you would any tortilla before using. 

I also wanted to show you what we harvested from the earth in our community garden earlier in the day.  I love bringing home a little basket of freshly grown vegetables.  I find it thoroughly satisfying...down to my very soul...and it's something the kiddos love, too...getting their hands dirty.  Alot of the satisfaction comes when you nourish your bodies with the very food you nurtured and watched grow.  This is DQ, searching the ginormous zucchini plants for some zucchini...the same zucchini we used in the tacos.

Although there were several more types of herbs, I only gathered Italian Parsley, Oregano, and thyme today...because I knew I'd use those right away!  The oregano was such a green, earthy addition to the tacos!

I also brought home some Mustard Greens and Kale...love those greens!

The Roma's and the yellow cherry tomatoes...only brought home a few cherry tomatoes...none of the bigger varieties were ready yet.

In my humble opinion, no garden is complete without a tribute to the sun...