Ingredients
- Green Chile Adobo:
- 1/2 head of garlic, separated into unpeeled cloves
- 4 to 5 fresh serrano chiles, stems removed
- 1 large bunch cilantro (thick bottom stems cut off), roughly chopped (about 2 cups loosely packed)
- 1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley (thick bottom stems cut off), roughly chopped (about 2 cups loosely packed)
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 generous teaspoons salt
- Taco Filling:
- 1 pound skirt steak or boneless/skinless chicken breast or thin cut pork chops or shrimp, (trimmed of excess fat)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, olive oil, bacon drippings or fresh-rendered pork lard
- 1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1/4 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or queso añejo or other fresh or aged garnishing cheese like fresh farmers cheese, dry goat cheese, Romano or Parmesan
- A big handful of cilantro leaves
- 12 corn tortillas
Preparation
Step 1
Set a large (10-inch) skillet over medium heat and lay in the garlic and the chilies.
Roast, turning regularly, until soft and browned in spots, about 10 minutes for the chiles and 15 for the garlic. When the chiles and garlic have cooled, Slip the skins off the garlic, roughly chop everything (no need to remove the chile seeds) and scoop it into a blender or food processor.
Next, add cilantro, parsley, olive oil and salt.
Process it all, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary, until it’s nearly smooth and looks a little like pesto. Lastly, scoop out 1/3 cup of the adobo, combine it with two tablespoons of water and set it aside. Cover the remaining adobo and keep in the refrigerator for another use.
In a very large (12-inch), heavy skillet set over medium-high, heat the vegetable oil, olive oil, bacon drippings or fresh-rendered pork lard. When you see the first whisp of smoke, lay in the meat in a single layer and strew onto the open spots.
As the meat sears, nestle in the onion, turning it as it browns. When the meat is richly browned on one side (about 2 to 3 minutes for shrimp, about 5 minutes for everything else), turn it over, brown the other side, then remove to a plate. Leave the onions in the pan a little longer, stirring regularly for several minutes, until they’re richly browned for good caramelization.
While the onion is cooking, cut the meat or poultry into ¼-inch slices (skirt steak must be sliced across the grain), add it back to the pan and stir in the reserved Green Chile Adobo. If the mixture looks like it needs to be saucier, add a little more water, then taste everything and season it with salt if it needs some.
Serve in corn tortillas, topped with cheese.
Makes 4 servings.