4.6 How to Make Jacquie's Drool-worthy Authentic Tacos

 My friend Jacquie is well known for her delicious meals that bring her friends and family together. Tacos are one of our favorite meals together. She makes them for every occasion, making all of us gawk at how delicious they are.

 

The Amateur Professional: Meet Jacquie

Jacquie is a friend I made in middle school. She is passionate about cooking and enrolled in any cooking class offered. In our sophomore year of high school, her dad decided they were moving to Jocotepec, Mexico, a small town in a mountain valley.

 

Having no friends and limited family, she decided to work at the local restaurant. The owners of the restaurant and their family took her under their wings, teaching her to make some of Mexico's most popular dishes, including tacos.

 

Several years later, she returned to her native Minnesota with the knowledge of several traditional Mexican recipes. We would bond over these recipes day after day, event after event. Hopefully, you will too.

 

How to Make Jacquie's Drool-worthy Authentic Tacos

Authentic tacos are easy to make, making them perfect for any occasion. Jacquie's cooking style is all about taste and flavor. She frequently uses taste to determine how much of an ingredient she will need, so you will not find measurements below.

Ingredients

• any thin cut of steak 
• salt
• pepper
• canola oil
  
  
• white onions
• cilantro
• 4" corn or flour tortillas
• queso fresco

 

Directions

1. Season the steak with a pinch of salt and pepper on each side. Rub the salt and pepper into the steak. Let the steak rest while you prepare the onions and cilantro.
2. Warm a frying pan on medium-high heat with a little bit of canola oil. Use just enough oil to grease the pan enough so the steak doesn't stick. Allow it to warm until the canola oil is rippling. Do not add the steak just yet.
3. Dice the onions as fine as you can. Depending on how much onion you would like on your tacos, you may need to dice half or a whole onion.
4. Chop the cilantro into small pieces. The smaller, the better. Again, the amount of cilantro you need to chop will depend on how much cilantro you would like. I usually chop half a bushel.
5. Add the steak to the pan. You should be able to hear the sizzling when the steak touches the pan. Cook the steak for 3-4 minutes on each side. When the steak is done, it should have a little bit of a char on each side.
6. While the steak is cooking, place tortillas into three stacks of two tortillas each on each plate.
7. Remove the steak from the pan, placing it directly on each stack of tortillas.
8. Add large pinch of onions to each taco.
   
9. Add a pinch of cilantro to each taco.
   
10. Add a pinch of queso fresco to each taco.
    

 

Alterations

One of the joys of tacos is you can make them to your tastes. Cook the steak a little less if your heart desires. Don't like onions? No problem! You can leave them off. That is one of the many joys of taco making.

 

Enjoy!