American Style Tacos

This is my taco meat recipe which is nice used for American Tacos, Burritos, Nachos or even 7 layer dip. When I use it for tacos I really prefer to fry the shells myself from fresh corn tortillas but the premade crunchy shells are a lot less work.

Ingredients

• 2 TBSP chili powder
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1lb/450g ground (minced) beef
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 TBSP garlic, finely diced
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 red chili pepper, deseeded and finely diced (optional)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 beef knorr cube mixed with 4floz/120ml boiling water
• Prepared shells: 12 crunchy store-bought or 16 home fried, kept warm
• 2.5oz/70g strong cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/3 head of iceberg lettuce, finely sliced
• 2 tennis ball sized ripe tomatoes, diced
• A small tub of sour cream

Instructions

1. Measure out the chili powder, paprika, cumin, oregano and coriander into a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the beef. Cook and stir the beef while breaking it up as much as possible. When it is well crumbled and lost all its pinkness, pour out of the frying pan into a colander and rinse briefly under hot water, set aside to drain.
3. Wipe the frying pan with a bit of kitchen paper towel to remove any leftover bits that may burn. Then heat the pan again over medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil, garlic, onion and chili pepper all at once. Stir fry until it starts to soften.
4. Add the beef back to the pan and stir well. Add the dry herbs and spices and stir fry them for a minute, until they are well incorporated into the beef and you can smell them cooking (30 seconds to a minute). Season well with salt and pepper.
5. Pour over the prepared stock and mix well, bring to a boil and then immediately turn down the heat so the liquid in the pan is just barely at a simmer.
6. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stir often.
7. After 30 minutes the meat mixture should still have a tiny bit of liquid clinging to it but not be soupy.

Serve immediately with prepared tortillas & toppings – Makes 12 to 16