Tacos, Texas Guitar & A Cold Shot, Babe.
I like my lettuce like I like my guitar playing. Shredded. (I know, dumb dad joke 🤦🏼♂️)
Who doesn’t love tacos? Who doesn’t love a shot? Who doesn’t love Stevie Ray Vaughan?
Usually when I’m cooking I’ve got something playing in the background. Music can make or break a meal, and not just the music that’s playing while you’re eating, but what’s playing when you’re preparing.
I didn’t have a cold shot, but I was spinning SRV’s excellent 1987 album, “Live Alive” last night while I whipped up some classic middle school tacos. A compilation of several live performances, there are a few stand out tracks that showcase the musicians and made my time in the kitchen fly right by.
I’ve always been a huge fan of Double Trouble drummer Chris “Whipper” Layton. Whipper and bassist Tommy Shannon really were just that, Double Trouble, but the addition of Reese Wynans on keys warranted that the band should have been dubbed Triple Trouble. If there ever was a rhythm section that was so locked in I’d have to say it was Whipper and Shannon, and the playing on “Live Alive” is standout stuff.
While the opening track, “Say What” is a good warm up for the band, things really start to fall into place around the middle of the second track, “Ain’t Gone And Give Up On Love”. Listen closely and you’ll hear Shannon’s solid bass line and Whipper playing a subtle shuffle pattern on the hi hat and ride cymbal that moves the tune along without making it feel rushed. All the while SRV is being, well, SRV and Wynans is laying down some beautiful accompaniment.
Perhaps my favorite track is “Love Struck Baby”. The song shuffles along and you can’t help but dice onions and cilantro to the beat of Whipper’s snare shuffling along to SRV’s solos and Wynan’s boogie woogie playing.
We would lose SRV in August 1990 but his playing lives on. If you get a chance to catch any of the members of Double Trouble, which are all still very active and out touring, do it. They’re every bit as good as they were backing SRV, and if you need something to play while you’re whipping up your next meal you can’t go wrong with SRV, and a cold shot.
I love street tacos, classic middle school tacos, soft tacos, hard tacos, taco pastor, and even tacos with chicken in it. I’ll take a taco anyway you give it to me.
Here’s my go to, easy Taco Tuesday recipe for classic middle school tacos.
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef - I like 85% lean but you can make it with a much leaner meat if you prefer.
Hard and soft taco shells - You can make you’re own but to be fast I buy Old El Paso stand and stuff and a pack of La Banderita corn tortillas
Taco seasoning - I sometimes make my own but for efficiency I use Old El Paso Low Sodium Seasoning.
2 large tomatoes diced
1 large white or sweet onion diced
1 large head of lettuce cut in half and cut into shreds. The other half of the lettuce head can be used for sandwiches later in the week.
1 can pickled jalapeños if you like it spicy.
Shredded Cheese - I’m lactose intolerant so I use only cabot cheese.
Low Sodium black beans, undrained.
1 Package of brown rice.
Tools:
Sharpe Knife - I still use my grandmother’s set of Rada knives that I’ve had for many, many years.
Large spoon
Prep It:
- I slice and dice my lettuce, tomatoes and onion before I start cooking the meat. I don’t try and multi task here. I have everything ready to go so I’m not distracted while cooking the meat. Work smarter not harder.
- Tomatoes in one small bowl with a spoon for serving, onions in another with a spoon for serving and lettuce on a large plate or cutting board. These items are set on the counter along with a small bowl of the pickled jalapeños so everyone can self serve and put the exact amount and toppings they want on their tacos.
- I do not shred the cheese until the shells are ready. I then shred the lettuce with the hand held shredder directly on the shells since the shells are hot and the cheese melts a little on the shells. I finish off the toppings with a fresh shred of cheese on top of the toppings.
- I put the black beans in a small pot on the stove top but not heating just yet, and I have the rice ready to go for 90 seconds in the microwave.
Cook It:
**I cook on a gas stove top so my “medium heat” may be different from your medium heat of you’re cooking on a electric stove top.
Cook the meat in a skillet breaking it into smaller pieces with a spatula until it’s browned. I prefer this metal skillet with Pam cooking spray to keep it from sticking. I use the food chopper to finely chop up my meat right before I add the taco seasoning.
Add taco seasoning with half a cup of water. Mix together in the skillet and set back over medium to medium-low heat.
While the meat simmers put the taco shells on the cookie sheet and put in the over 7 - 8 minutes or until they are crisp.
Warm the soft tacos in another skillet over medium heat making sure you flip them so they do not burn. You just want to brown them. I spray my soft shells with a little Pam cooking spray.
Heat the black beans.
When the shells are done remove from oven and shred cheese into the bottom of the shells. Same with the soft shells.
Cook rice in microwave.
Put It All Together:
Add beef to the shells; this will melt the cheese further. Add toppings. I like to finish off with my shredded lettuce then add more shredded cheese on top. My wife likes to put her black beans directly in her tacos but my daughter and I like to put our rice and black beans together in a bowl as a side. A an option sometimes I’ll add fresh avocado or some lime wedges.
