Is the Taco as American as Apple Pie?

A continuance of subject on an American family favorite: the taco, but first a brief history. This favorite food was heavily introduced to the American public in the early 1950’s when Taco Bell founder, Glen Bell, borrowed heavily from his Mexican-American neighbors and opened up his restaurants in areas of different ethnic and racial makeups. While Bell certainly did not invent the taco (patent records give that honor to Mexican restaurateurs located in California in the 1940’s), he did help assimilate this native Mexican food into the general American population. Today, the debate continues to wage whether or not the taco is authentic or not. While I cannot give a finite answer on that, I can tell you the following taco recipe is definitely not authentic, but still delish.

Shrimp and Slaw Taco with Grilled Corn and Refried Black Beans

All of these ingredients go so well together that you can make them all part of the taco, mix and match, or choose one ingredient only and eat the rest on the side. It’s a very family friendly approach to taco night.

1 lb. of raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined

1 TBSP oil

Juice of 1 lemon, divided

¼ cup Uncle Bob’s Sauce http://www.ubsauce.com/

½ head of savoy cabbage

1 TBSP ground Herb de Provence

1 TBSP red pepper flakes

1 tsp. pink Himalayan salt

3 TBSP chopped chives

4 Peeled corn on the cob

1 can black beans, drained very well

1 tsp. oil

6 cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 tsp. ground cumin

8 corn tortillas

Special equipment needed: 3 large grill skewers and a grill

In a bowl, mix the raw shrimp, oil, 1 TBSP of the lemon juice together. Thread the shrimp onto skewers and set aside. Heat your grill to medium high heat, add the peeled corn on the cob and rotate frequently to avoid burning. Cook for about 15 minutes, then add the shrimp to the grill. Turn after about 2 minutes and cook for another 2 minutes on the other side. Coat the cooked side of the shrimp with a swipe of Uncle Bob’s sauce (a vinegar and tomato sauce with spices that is a mix between BBQ sauce and a St. Louis BBQ sauce variety) and remove from grill when shrimp is fully cooked. Set aside.

Meanwhile, while the corn is cooking, slice ½ a head of Savoy cabbage (discarding the tough white core) very thin and add to a large bowl. Toss with the remaining lemon juice, ground herbs, red pepper flakes, chives and salt. Toss well and allow to marinate.

In a small pot, add the drained black beans to the pot. Using a spatula, smash about ½ of the beans while leaving others unscathed. Mix together well. Add the oil, tomatoes and cumin and mix well. Heat over low heat until the mixture is steaming, but the tomatoes still have some body.

Heat your corn tortillas is a heavy pan and then assemble your amazing meal! Try combinations of black beans topped with shrimp and slaw or just shrimp and slaw or just beans and slaw, you get the idea! Have fun. Serves four (two tortillas and 1 corn per person)  

 If you have leftovers, toss them together! They make a wonderful salad for your lunch the next day.