taco walk on the wild side
[lamb birria tacos]
Ingredients
(Flour Tortillas)
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1-11/2 cups boiling water
(Butternut Tortillas)
- 2 large butternuts (peeled and cubed)
- TBSP oil (olive or sunflower)
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cups of flour
- extra vegan mayo
- roasted cauliflower
- red kidney beans
- pico de gallo
(Lamb Birria)
- 1-2 lamb shanks
- 1 TBSP oil
- 10 dried chilies (split & pitted)
- 1 tsp curry seeds tsp coriander seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1-star anise
- 1 large onion (sliced)
- 4-5 diced tomatoes
- 3 TBSP crushed garlic
- 4 cups beet stock
- 2 TBSP Gorimas Steak & Chops spice
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
Method
(Flour Tortillas)
- In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Add olive oil and using your hands, rub it into the flour to create a rough-ish texture.
- Add the boiling water gradually and combine into a soft dough (BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL AS IT IS VERY HOT).
- I usually mix it with a spoon to cool down before using my hands.
- Once a soft ball of dough has formed, on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into one big round.
- Then roll it into a swiss roll and cut it into 10 -12 equal pieces. Roll each piece out into a round tortilla that's not too thin.
- Then heat a medium-sized non-stick pan, on medium heat, and once hot, add the first tortilla and wait for it to slightly bubble before turning it over.
- Allow it to brown on the other side and remove it from the heat. Repeat for all the tortillas.
(Butternut Tortillas)
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees and in an oven-safe dish, add 2 TBSP oil or olive oil, the cubed butternut, and I tsp salt.
- Toss to coat the butternut evenly and roast in the oven until soft.
- Once soft, set aside to cool and then mash until there are no lumps.
- To the mashed butternut, add the flour until it forms a soft dough. You may need to use more than the 4 cups and remember to constantly dust your hands as the dough is very sticky.
- Once the dough has formed, roll it out on a heavily floured surface, into a flat round and then lengthwise into a 'swiss roll' style tube. Cut it into even pieces and roll each piece (on a floured surface), into rounds. Then in a non-stick pan, on medium heat, add each wrap one by one, allowing each side to become golden brown. As a filling, you can roast some cauliflower and layer each wrap with some vegan mayo, red kidney beans, pico de gallo, cauliflower, and some hot sauce.
(Lamb Birria)
Place a nonstick pan on medium heat and season shanks with salt and pepper generously. Once the oil is hot, seal each shank on all sides and set aside (if you're using a pressure cooker, you can place the meat in there so long. In the same pan, add some more oil if necessary and add the onions. Cook them down until soft and then add 1 TBSP of the crushed garlic. Remove from the pan and set aside. Clean the pan and place back on the heat and to it add the curry seeds, bay leaves cinnamon, star anise, and dried chilies. Allow to toast but be careful not to let them burn, the seeds will start popping and will become fragrant, that's when you can remove everything from the pan. Place the chilies in the hot beef stock and allow to soak for 30 minutes. Once soft, to a blender add the chilies, onions, tomatoes, 2 TBSP crushed garlic, toasted spices, steak and chops spice, mixed herbs, and 2 cups of the stock. Blend down till smooth and pour over the lamb shanks with the remaining 2 cups of stock. Stir through and pressure cook for about 2 hours or on the stovetop for 4 hours. Once the meat is soft, remove it from the consome, and pull it apart using a fork. Place a non-stick pan, on medium heat and dunk the tortilla in the consomé. Place the tortilla in the hot pan and on the top add the cheese, lamb, and pico de gallo. Fold the tortilla to form a semi-circle and
'toast' until cheese has melted. Remove from the pan and repeat for the remaining tortillas. Serve warm and dip the entire taco in the consomé.
Photos