Introducing the "Mexican" tag

By the way, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, I have marked all the Mexican-flavored dishes with the "Mexican" tag. This should make finding the spicy recipes you'll want for this week very easy.

Fish Tacos

It's Cinco de Mayo week. Two bits, four bits, six bits, a peso. All for tacos, Stand up and say so!

Sauce

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (freshly ground from toasted whole seeds would be best)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 lime's worth of lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper

Tacos

• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets, cut into 2-ounce strips
• 12 corn tortillas
• olive oil
• 1/2 onion, sliced thin
  
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 3 cups shredded cabbage or coleslaw
• 1 cup mexican blend shredded cheese
  
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions

Whisk together all sauce ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, including salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the fridge while preparing the rest of the dish.

Mix together flour, kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a pie pan or small square casserole. Dredge the fish strips in the flour, shaking off any excess so only a light dusting remains. Place floured fish strips on a wire rack until they are all floured.

Heat oven on its lowest setting. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until shimmery. Carefully lay as many fish strips as will fit in the pan without crowding it. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Put the cooked fish in the warm oven (on a sheet of aluminum foil or a sheet pan) as you cook each batch.

Meanwhile, heat a 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Place one tortilla in the middle and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the cooked side is light brown, speckled with dark brown. Flip and sprinkle salt on the cooked side. Toast the second side for about half as long, until it just starts to color. Remove the tortilla and quickly (and gently) fold in half to make a taco shell, with the salted/browned side out. Hold it folded for about 30 seconds while it cools (you may wish to use tongs or paper towels to avoid burning your fingers). When it cools slightly, it should hold it's folded shape. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Note: If you are not an experienced kitchen juggler, you may wish to make the tortilla shells first, then cook the fish. As you become more familiar with the timing, you may want to save time by cooking both at the same time.

To serve: place a fish strip in a taco shell. Top with onion, tomato, cabbage, cheese, and sauce.

Baked Beans

I'm going to a barbecue today, and I need to bring a dish to share. I think baked beans is the best BBQ side dish ever, and in case anyone asks me for the recipe, I figured I could put it here!

Ingredients

• 1 pound Great Northern beans, picked over to remove stones and bad beans
• 1 pound bacon, chopped
  
• 1 onion, chopped
  
• 2 jalapenos, chopped (remove the ribs for milder flavor)
  
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 cans vegetable broth
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt

Directions

Soak the beans overnight (no more than 12 hours) in a non-reactive bowl in plenty of water (enough to cover the beans by several inches).

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Drain the beans, reserving the leftover soaking water. Add enough broth to the soaking water to make a total of 4 cups of liquid, set aside. Cook bacon, onion, and jalapenos in a large dutch oven over medium heat until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, molasses, and brown sugar. Stir to combine and cook for 30 seconds. Add the beans and water/broth mixture and bring to a boil on high heat. Add the salt and peppers, stir, cover, and bake in the oven for 6-8 hours, until the beans are tender.