dboz

I made shrimp tacos the other night for dinner—mostly from scratch—and they were good.
-David Byrne

Editor’s note:
Please welcome our newest contributor to the friendly confines of TacoTown.  Pigpen has graciously opened his family’s culinary vaults to share this recipe for Chicken Enchiladas – you Texan readers may notice that he uses flour tortillas instead of corn- it yields a bigger enchilada- more akin to a smothered burrito…but tasty nonetheless…Onto the recipe >>

Ingredients:

• Your drink of choice! (for you, not the enchiladas)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 2 ½ cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon dried coriander
• 1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles
• 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese
• 4 boneless chicken breasts, trimmed and chopped
• ½ cup cilantro
• ½ tablespoon dried cumin
• 1 lime
• Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Light cream cheese
• 8 flour tortillas

Preparing the Chicken Marinade:
Use a marinade dish for the following items. Roll the lime on kitchen counter to soften; cut in half and squeeze on chicken. Sprinkle kosher salt, cumin, minced garlic, and black pepper over chicken breast (about ½ tablespoon each) and half of the cilantro. Repeat for other side. Cover and place in fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking.  I recommend cooking the chicken over charcoal as it gives the finished product a distinctive flavor that gas cannot duplicate.

Making the Sauce:
Melt butter in saucepan, stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add the chicken broth smoothing the sauce with a wire whisk as you pour and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes until thickened. Stir in coriander and half of the green chiles and simmer. Remember to stir the sauce frequently if you are not using it immediately.

Making the Enchiladas:
In a large mixing bowl combine the chopped chicken, Monterey Jack cheese and remaining green chiles. Spread a little cream cheese on a tortilla and spoon ¼ cup of the chicken mixture into the center of the tortilla. Roll and place seam side down in an ungreased baking dish, repeat until you’re out of chicken!! Pour the sauce over the rolled enchiladas. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese down the center of the enchiladas.

Bake, uncovered at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.  Remove from the oven, plate, and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and maybe a side of rice & beans, a salad, or tequila.  Enjoy!!

Conceived by entrepreneur and music industry mogul Lon Bozarth and perfected by his twin boys Evan and Dustin Bozarth, Chappy’s Original Green Salsa is a tangy mix of roasted green tomatillos, serrano peppers and a few treasured pickled carrots. The recipe is deceptively simple, yet the results are a complex and addictive addictive blend that goes well on anything from tacos to chili to scrambled eggs to White Castle burgers.

Awards and Accolades

CHAPPY’S Original Green Salsa was awarded honorable mention in the Individual Green Sauce division of the 2009 Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival. This was the 2nd honorable mention award in 4 years of competing at The Chronicle Fest, to go along with two 1st place champion awards at the famous Joby’s Hot Sauce Contest. More awards are sure to follow for this timeless and universally loved salsa.

Chappy’s Gets Published

When Austin salsa music legends, Beto and the Fairlanes, were asked to submit a recipe for the newly released “Music in the Kitchen: Favorite Recipes from Austin City Limits Performers”, they of course chose the best salsa in Austin –  Chappy’s Green Salsa!  Thanks Beto!  It has been a huge honor to be included in the book– Other recipes include My Morning Jacket’s “Quinoa Eggs with Cheese, Please!”, Willie Nelson’s “Willie’s Tequila-Mango Salsa”, and Joss Stone’s “Veggie Lasagna.” You’ll find the recipe for Beto’s favorite – our famous green salsa on page 25.. [amazon link]

The Future

While Chappy’s Original Green salsa is not being commercially bottled at the moment, the Bozarths are using it’s unique appeal in other ways.  Under the umbrella of their boutique design shop AIRSHP, Evan Bozarth is designing a unique packaging for Chappy’s.  The handcrafted jars will be used to promote AIRSHP’s design and branding capabilities, while offering the friends and clients a delicious calling card and something to share with their loved ones.  it’s the gift that keeps on giving.  If you’re dying to get your hands on some Chappy’s Green Salsa, we suggest getting in touch with AIRSHP…Who knows, you may even strike up a working relationship along the way

a nice assortment of Austin, TX tacos
Warning: do not click this link if you are hungry.

Thanks to Chris Dye for this guest post from the mean streets of Hell-EH!

This spot in Atwater Village, Los Angeles, “Tacos Villa Corona” is one of my favorite taco joints, it is also the favorite of many Los Angelenos and because of it’s meatless menu it serves a wide variety of people.

My favorite is the standard Asada Taco (Steak) their home made hot sauce is kickin’ and it is simply served with cilantro and white onion. My second would be the Papas Tacos (Potato) and I would have to say this is probably their best seller, not many places serve this and it is very popular.

If you are in Los Angeles and get a chance to stop by “Tacos Villa Corona” you will not be disappointed and the prison art is only $25.00.. more photos after the jump!

and be sure to check out Chris Dye’s music – he is a super talented songwriter and performer from LA who now lives in Lockhart, TX – home of the Purple Bee Crew..

Longtime Houston food critic, author, and salsa pioneer, Robb Walsh, skips all the roasting and hard labor involved in some salsas and shows us how the taco trucks do it – quick and simple, with a few fresh ingredients thrown into the blender..

oh and by the way: Robb has a new book out called The Tex-Mex Grill and Backyard Barbacoa Cookbook.. Be sure to check it out!

Local Natives
up n comers – catchy songs and amazing singers.
2pm • The Parish (NPR) Listen Live on KUT

Fader Fort – Thursday Lineup Highlights
3:45 Neon indian
4:30 Local Natives
5:15 Bomba Estereo
6:45 the Morning Benders
7:30 Fucked Up

Dam Funk
3:30pm • Carniville Party

The Mother Hips!
5pm • Kayceman Treehouse Party @ Cheers – FREE!
11pm • Encore patio (official sxsw)
the Fathers of Califonia Soul are back in Austin – DON’T MISS THEM

Lissie
8pm • The Parish (official sxsw)
great vocals – great songs and a magnetic presence

Mountain Man (check out my interview w/ them)
9pm • Buffalo Billiards (official sxsw)
trio of girl singers from vermont – spooky and beautiful folk hymns

The Low Anthem
10pm • Palm Door (official sxsw)
Don’t call it Americana – great songs, rootsy, real, raw vocals

jj
10pm • Mohawk Patio (sxsw)
Mysterious electro pop from Sweden w/ sexy female vocals

Holy Fuck
11pm • Mohawk Patio (sxsw)
Amazing instrumental band from Toronto. Thom Yorke digs it.

TacoTown had an absolute BLAST at the BACON TAKEDOWN this past Sunday at Emo’s during the 2010 SXSW Interactive conference.

The 22 Bacon-centered entries ranged from ridiculously meaty – Frank Mancuso of Saint Arnold & his Bacon Explosion - to the sinfully sweet – Laura Finger’s Bacon Cups filled with peanut butter chocolate pudding, topped with banana & maple glaze). Not to mention Bacon Booze! Lucky 13 Mixology served up killer Bacon Bloody Mary’s…and it would be an Austin takedown with out some tacos! Absolutely NOT. That’s where we come in…So, what did we make??

Crack Tacos!
Maple blueberry glazed bacon inside a fresh flour tortilla (made w/ bacon fat),
topped with blueberry-habanero hot sauce – ftw.

And to top it all off- We Won!
TACO TOWN took home 1st place in the Judges category and 2nd place in the people’s choice!

——————————

BIG BIG ShatOut to: Arnold Perez- our partner in crime and official chef of Purple Bee Crew. Arnold was the ever-smiling brown fellow rolling out over 250 fresh tortillas LIVE on-site for the hungry carnivores! We couldn’t have done this without him…really…

Big ShatOut to: Takedown honcho Matt Timms – Let’s do a TACO takedown next year, Matt!!

Big ShatOut to: The esteemed judges- Local food-blog-queen Addie Broyles and Bon Appetit Magazine’s Emily Fleischaker.

Big ShatOut to: Nelson Flores of show me your taco for sharing that last bacon photo with us.. check out his great taco blog

Big ShatOut to: our old pal Hilah Johnson’s and her Caballero Candy: a Chocolate bacon Fantasy – which narrowly beat TacoTown for the People’s Choice 1st place – also be sure to check out Hilah’s badass online cooking show.

Here’s The Official Results:

Judge’s Choice
#1 Tacotown.org – Crack Bacon Tacos
#2 Vanessa & Lisa Blackwell – Bourbon Bacon Pecan Pie
#3 Amanda Joyner – Bacon Jam

People’s Choice:
#1 Hilah Johnson – Bacon Chocolate
#2 Tacotown.org – Crack Bacon Tacos
#3 Josh White - Avocado Bacon Salad on Toast

more coverage:
Takedown Website
Addie Broyles Coverage for Austin360
Hilah’s Awesome Video of the event

TacoTown.org is an official contestant in the 2010 Bacon Takedown – March 14th at Emo’s..  We will be attempting to blow your mind with a secret swine-themed taco.  Bring Lipitor.. and $10 to taste and vote on all the entries.

Cable TV’s #1 douchebag Guy Fieri tears himself away from TGI Fridays long enough to check out Maria’s Taco Xpress on South Lamar.  Good to see Maria behind the counter and “cougar-like” as ever…Also, nice to get a peek at her making that amazing Chimichurri Sauce…mmm…enjoy the vid:

TacoTown is starting a new weekly taco lunch excursion – Taco Turrsdays! make sure you are our fan on facebook then be on the lookout for invites to meet us around town for some Thursday taco tastings..

for the inaugural run, we hit up the trailer scene on south congress near stassney.. site of the recent taco trailer murder..

First up was Chilango’s.. we had been here before and this visit was on par with last time .. the al pastor taco ($1.75) was good – flavorful and meaty, and the carne guisada was decent – the flavor was a little bland but he meat was tender – no dryness.. stay away from the fajita beef!.. no bueno. Chappy had a $1 cup of mexican coffee that was surprisingly good with a nice cinnamon flavor.

Next up was Tacos Linda, which was only 50ft. away and the site of the aforementioned murder.. the trailer was the same (it still had the ” La Surena” sign written on the side), but it was under new ownership. When asked, the owner said they weren’t really bothered by what had happened .. fair enough.. besides, it all makes sense to me now – their tacos really are to die for.. (too soon? sorry  :-/ )

Tacos Linda served up $1.75 tacos on handmade tortillas.. they were the highlight of our Turrstay.. as was the al pastor that edged out Chilango’s on flavor..
the owner and cook were friendly and attentive.. they even made us some free tacos before we left.. some tacos Campechanos – bistek and chorizo mixed and served on a freshly-made corn tortilla.. they were awesome! .. they serve their salsas wrapped in little sandwich baggies.. funny. We heard that the weekends are the best time to go to Tacos Linda because they have special goat barbacoa and fresh tamales.. The assortment of tortas on the menu also looked promising.. We will definitely have to return for a followup..

Lastly, we decided to swing by Antojito’s Mexicanos on south first near Clifford Dr. ..  Cabeza went for the Chicharron taco.. total fail.. I tried the al pastor.. moderate fail.. shoulda quit while we were ahead.
til next Tursday!!

if my spanish > english translation serves me correct .. this kid has a good looking burrito in his pants.. and i think he said he’s drunk on margaritas.. not sure.

via chicago blob [nsfw?]

I am a sucker for sweet potatoes .. or yams.. or what have u..

Note: we americans use the word “yam” to refer to a sweet, moist, orange-fleshed variety of sweet potato.   To everyone else in the world, a yam is what Americans call a tropical yam , a firm tuber with white flesh.  Varieties of American “yams” (sweet potatoes) include the garnet yam and the jewel yam.

whatever you call them, IMO they should replace the empty starch of white potatoes in our diet entirely.. theyre just the best.. they lend themselves to any dish – savory or sweet, or a little of both, you just can’t go wrong with them.. In particular – I like to use organic Garnet Yams, they have a velvety smooth texture and are a little sweeter than most..

So I have been searching for ways to incorporate them into tacos.. So i came up with this picadillo recipe with ground chicken serving as the meat and a hefty dose of heat thanks to fresh habanero peppers.. Its healthy, hearty, and delicious.  Here is the the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1lb ground chicken (i use thigh meat so it stays moist)
• 3 Medium sweet potatoes (about 1.5 lbs) cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 3 fresh habanero peppers – deseeded and finely minced
• 1/2 cup of diced yellow bell pepper
• 2 teaspoons of curry powder
• 1 teaspoon of corriander powder
• 1 packet of Nueva Cocina Picadillo seasoning
• 6oz. Tomato Sauce
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt

Directions:

In a medium skillet on med-high heat, cook your cubed sweet potatoes in olive oil until lightly browned on each side, adding in your curry and corriander along the way..

In a separate pan, begin cooking your ground chicken over medium heat.. When the chicken is white and starting to firm up, add your picadillo seasoning, tomato sauce, yellow peppers, habaneros, and the browned sweet potatoes.

Reduce heat, cover and let it all simmer for about 10 minutes..stir in the yogurt at the end to bring it all together. add salt and pepper to taste..

Serve with fresh avocado slices on a warm tortilla.. enjoy!

Taco Town is getting pumped up about tonight’s National Championship football game featuring our Texas Longhorns vs. The Alabama Crimson Tide.  I know Holy Taco has their mind on other aspects of the game, but we just had to chime in, considering the major taco-related developments concerning 2 Alabama players.  Burnt Orange Nation sums it up for us:

Update on Rolando McClain’s and Rod Woodson’s stomach viruses, which apparently came from bad tacos (which of course is an oxymoron, as there is no such thing as a bad taco, only tacos that make you more sick than other tacos). They will both play tomorrow, but both have been held out of practice and may have some trouble with stamina and cramping in the game as they struggle the rehydrate.

and blogger EDSBS smells a conspiracy:

Now: what do Texans pride themselves on? Besides the wanton use of firearms, Vince Young, titties, and the innate supremacy of their good-but-let’s-not-go-overboard-you-hipster-shitbags music scene?* That’s right: Mexican food. Go anywhere and Texans will whinge and bemoan the current unacceptable state of their taco, sometimes even doing this while standing in the middle of a restaurant in Oaxaca, because “Mexican food in Texas is better than Mexican food made in Mexico!”

Can’t really argue with that logic, but hold on – there’s other suspects in this crime: who could defend the state of California and their baja chipotle fish tacos garbage?…Fish and shrimp will always be the most dangerous tacos – and we have plenty of soiled undergarments to prove that/ plus SoCal’s own Poison made a comeback, and lots of people are throwing up from that, so…I’d say the jury’s still out.

Bottom Line here – Tacos are good – bad tacos are better because they destroy the bowels of your enemy.  You call it food poisoning – We’ll call it Destiny! Hook em Horns!!

-cabeza

Austin Police are still searching for the gunman who shot and killed a 43 year-old employee Sunday afternoon at the La Sureña Taco Trailer (translation: “The Southern”) on South Congress near Stassney. {google street view}.

Hispanic male in his mid-20s to early 30s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a thin build, wearing a yellow shirt under a dark jacket and dark baseball cap, walked up to the taco stand about 3 p.m. and shot the man working inside, police said. The employee was pronounced dead at the scene. statesman article >

TacoTown has never tried La Sureña, but it’s about 100 feet away from Chilango’s, which is easily one of the best taco trailers in Austin.  We assume its a newer operation, cuz it seems to be in the same spot that used to be Taqueria “Angel”…

The suspect is still “on the runs“, and motive for the shooting is still unclear, though we highly suspect the chorizo.

WELL……on 2nd thought:  While TacoTown has never claimed to be a “classy” outfit, we DO apologize for the light-hearted comments on this subject.  Our hearts REALLY DO go out to the family of the victim and to all other mobile vendors in Austin.  Stay safe you guys.

-cabeza

Our buddy Phil gets the ultimate tacotown stamp of approval™ for his costume at Phish’s Festival 8…TACOCAT!!

here’s the original, in case you live in a cave.

cabeza

When Austin salsa music legends, Beto and the Fairlanes, were asked to submit a recipe for the newly released “Music in the Kitchen: Favorite Recipes from Austin City Limits Performers”, they of course chose the best salsa in Austin – Our own Chappy’s Green Salsa!  Thanks Beto!  We are honored to be included in the book.

Other recipes include My Morning Jacket’s “Quinoa Eggs with Cheese, Please!”, Willie Nelson’s “Willie’s Tequila-Mango Salsa”, and Joss Stone’s “Veggie Lasagna.” You’ll find the recipe for Beto’s favorite – our famous green salsa on page 25.. [amazon link]

TacoTown has contributed a silent auction basket of taco-goodness for this Friday’s ‘Hill Country Nights’ event benefiting the Hill Country Conservancy.

Hill Country Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust committed to preserving the natural beauty and open spaces of the Texas Hill Country – forever.

Our basket includes contributions from:

• Republic Tequila – thanks Tom & Ken for the signed bottle & T-shirt!
• Rio Grande – gift cards, margarita glasses, sports bottles, lime sunscreen
• Cabo Bob’s – free taco cards!
• also, we included a jar of the award winning Chappy’s green salsa & some stickers.

Hill Country Conservancy’s 3rd Annual Hill Country Nights
Friday, Oct 30, 7:00pm | An evening of dinner and dancing | entertainment by Marcia Ball {More Info}