On Vegetable Tacos, with recipe: Potato-Soyrizo Tacos with Lime Crema

It was Rick Bayless who turned me on to the idea of vegetable tacos. Not just vegetarian tacos with the meat replaced or removed – bean and cheese, or soy crumbles, or whatever – but tacos that truly celebrate vegetables. When I turn to the “Tacos, Enchiladas and Other Casual Fare” chapter of my battered and stained copy of Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen, which I started cooking from 15 years ago, I find something fairly uncommon: main-course vegetarian recipes side-by-side with meat recipes, not ghettoized in their own chapter, but treated with the same respect as any other recipe.

And the titles are mouth-watering. Herby Ricotta-Poblano Tacos.(Why haven’t I ever made that one? It sounds amazing!) Tacos of Creamy Braised Chard, Potatoes and Poblanos. Spicy Pasilla-Mushroom Tacos.

Mostly, I have stopped using recipes for these simple tacos, and just use whatever amenable vegetables are on hand, cooked pretty simply. But Bayless’s vegetable tacos are the model and the springboard.

The other night I made two kinds of vegetable tacos for dinner. One was modeled on Bayless’s Tacos of Garlicky Mexican Greens with Seared Onion and Fresh Cheese: I sauteed some onions and garlic, tossed in a bunch of shredded chard and a little chopped green chile, and steamed the mixture with the lid on until the chard was thoroughly wilted. (It gave off a lot of water, so I scraped the greens to the side and let the liquid boil off a bit.) Piled in a steamed corn tortilla with some feta cheese, it needed nothing else.

I also made a sort of hash with potatoes and Soyrizo. I have not generally been a fan of meat substitutes; since I’m only a vegetarian one or two weeks a month, I don’t need to replace meat in my life. (Though I have to say that the soy chicken patty at Flying Star, which is actually better than similar patties of real chicken, and the mock meats at Thai Vegan are starting to change my mind.) Soyrizo, though not a ringer for chorizo – I find it a little tart, not as spicy, and lacking the rich umami notes of pork – is tasty, and has a great affinity with potatoes. Non-vegetarians, of course, may feel free to use chorizo instead of Soyrizo; it’s fattier and richer, so you may want to cut the amount to 4 ounces.

I topped the potato tacos with a simple lime crema and a bit of cheddar cheese… and they were so good! Brightly flavored, just a little spicy, totally addictive. The leftovers were reincarnated a couple of days later as a breakfast side dish; they were even better reheated in a very hot stainless steel pan until the Soyrizo got crisp and the potatoes developed a good char. This taco filling, in fact, closely resembles a hash. If you would rather make it for breakfast than as tacos, sear on high heat until crisp, skip the crema, top with a sunny-side-up egg, and serve the tortillas on the side. Delicious.

There are many directions you could take the general idea of vegetable tacos. Calabacitas – New Mexico’s beloved dish of zucchini, corn, and green chile – is a natural filling; in fact, zucchini would work in all sorts of guises. You could use eggplant grilled with a dusting of chipotle, or shredded sweet potatoes cooked with red or green chile (like the filling of these quesadillas), grilled poblano peppers, tangy cabbage salad, roasted winter squash, grilled asparagus, mushrooms, almost any type of greens. Or you could search out huitlacoche, Mexico’s delicacy of truffle-like corn fungus. (No, really, it’s fantastic.) Go crazy!

Top any of these veggie tacos with feta, cheddar, or any of a variety of Mexican cheeses; sour cream or flavored crema; and/or really good salsa.

Poblano-Soyrizo Tacos with Lime Crema

Serves: 4 Time: 45 minutes

2 medium russet potatoes, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
Pinch salt
1 clove garlic, minced
6 ounces Soyrizo (1/2 package)
1/4 teaspoon powdered chipotle or 1 teaspoon NM red chile powder, or more to taste
1 cup sour cream
2-4 tablespoons fresh lime juice, to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
A dash powdered chipotle or cayenne, optional
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional
12 corn tortillas
8 oz cheddar cheese

Parboil the potatoes (10-15 minutes) or steam in the microwave until tender. Drain if necessary, and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, saute the onion in the oil with a pinch of salt until tender. Stir in the garlic. Remove the casing from the Soyrizo and add to the pan, turning the heat to medium-high. Break up and spread out so as much of the Soyrizo as possible touches the hot pan. Let sear for a minute, then turn and continue searing. Repeat every minute or so for about 5 minutes, or until the sausage has lots of well-browned areas.

While the Soyrizo is cooking, stir together the sour cream, lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and powdered chile and cilantro (if using) in a small bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. Set aside.

Add the potatoes to the skillet and stir into the sausage mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until some of the potato surfaces are seared.

Serve with warm, soft corn tortillas (I like white corn, as I think the texture tends to be softer), lime crema, and cheddar cheese. Let the diners assemble their tacos at the table, family-style.

NaBloPoMo 2014 Post #11

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