It's taco Tuesday, except today isn't Tuesday!

Here's to all you taco lovers out there!

  

By now you have probably realized how obsessed I am with tacos.  I'm not talking about Taco Bell tacos either--except I have had my fair share of that place when in college.  I'm talking about home-made tacos.  The kind that has your special touch to it.  The kind where you can put anything and omit anything you'd like in it. And, the kind that when you've finished preparing all the toppings/fillings you can sit down and enjoy 2, or 3 or 7 tacos without feeling guilty of who's counting--because you're at home and who cares if you just ate the 7th taco, you made it, it's healthy. Be proud of your taco!

What I like about tacos is that they're versatile. You can seriously put any "country" into a taco.  So like my other taco recipes here and here that I've blogged about, this one is another version with similar spices, except I've also added a Chilean technique in braising the meat.  

Did I mention my husband is Chilean? Oh, I didn't? Well, my husband is Chilean-actually his parents are from Chile-he was born in the States.  So when I met his wonderful family for the first time while we were dating, I was intrigued by all the delicious foods his mom would make for us.  One such dish called Carne Mechada is my favorite.  It's made by braising beef in red wine and aromatic vegetables until it's tender and flavorful.  

So my inspiration for making these tacos are from both cultures.  Hmmm, maybe I should call it the Rumi taco--hey, he is both Chilean and Persian.

Okay, so here's what you need for the "Rumi Taco"

Serves 2 (maybe 1)

1/2 pound to 1 pound bone-less leg of lamb steak (it's what I used, you can use any cut of beef, chicken, or lamb)

Spices: 1 teaspoon turmeric, paprika, cumin, dried mint, dried dill, salt/pepper

2 carrots roughly chopped

2 ribs celery roughly chopped

1 medium white onion roughly chopped

2 clove garlic, crushed whole

1 Persian dried lime found at specialty food markets (optional)

4-6 oz. red wine (I used a Chilean wine of course-Carmenere is the grape synonymous to Chilean wines)

Rub the spices all over.

 In a heated pot with 1 tablespoon oil (I've been using grape seed oil lately), sear all sides of the meat. Then remove the meat to saute the vegetables.

 All your aromatic vegetables should be sauteed for about 3 minutes. Don't care about having evenly cut vegetables since you will discard them later.

 Deglaze with the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Submerge the meat back into the pot, placing some vegetables on top.

 Cover, bring to a boil for 10 minutes, then simmer for 3 hours until the meat is fork tender and juicy.

Then remove the meat. Strain the vegetables in a colander and reserve the juice.

Cut the meat in small cubes or shred. Place in a shallow bowl and pour the reserved juice over it.

 My personal taco bar: Persian "salsa": cucumbers, cilantro, red onion, tomatoes tossed in minted-citrus vinaigrette.

Sheep's Milk Feta cheese, Shaved radishes, and garlic-yogurt.

 Warm your corn (or flour) tortillas in a hot skillet w/o oil until toasted, yet pliable and assemble your taco the way you like it.

Eat it like no one's watching! Except I purposely posed for this picture because I knew you'd be watching. Afterwards, I ate like a pig :)