OK, so I've somehow ended up being the cook for this coming Friday night. I fancy cooking up something different like Taco's but no idea how to do them and I have never eaten them before. Are taco's tasty and how easy are they to make and are they Friday night worthy and what do you eat with them?
Friday night meal help.
- Thread starter Kavalree
- Start date
Not a particularly refined food if that's what you mean by Friday night worthy - but lovely if done right. I like them with chilli, refried beans, sour cream, salsa, cheese and salad if you're feeling healthy. Good meal for really loading in lots of food.
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Go for burritos instead. Below is a very simple recipe. There are a lot of words but not much work as the majority of it is done by just slow cooking the beef 
This should be enough food to absolutely stuff 3 people.
1 medium beef brisket
1 packet wraps
beans (I like borlotti)
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 tomatoes
fresh chillies
chilli powder
smoked paprika
brown sugar
salt
pepper
rice
sour cream
guacamole
cheese (cheddar works well)
Heat your oven to super low (80C).
Sprinkle chilli powder, smoked paprika, brown sugar, salt and pepper on the brisket.
Add the brisket to the oven. It will sit in there for 6 hours at least. Cover it lightly (not completely) with foil.
At the end of the 6 hours, take the brisket out and completely wrap it in foil.
Leave it somewhere to rest whilst you do the rest of the food prep.
Cook your rice.
Slice up your onions, dice the garlic and cut up the tomatoes.
Fry the onions until soft, throw in the garlic and fry for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and lower heat to minimum. Now add the beans (washed). This will need to simmer for up to 10 minutes. Towards the end add 1/2-1 teaspoon of chilli powder, depending on how much heat you like.
Your rice should be done by this point. Drain it and leave it to dry out a bit.
Turn the heat off on the onions/beans.
Slice up your fresh chillies into super thin strips. These will be served as a garnish on the side.
Grate up your cheese.
Get your beef brisket and unwrap it. Place it in a baking tray and grab two forks. Use them both to 'tear' the meat apart. You should be able to easily tear it into shreds without much effort at all. If you find this too hard you can just 'dice' the meat really finely instead.
Now you're done with the cooking/prep.
Place the beef in a bowl, beans in a bowl, sour cream in a small bowl, guacamole in a small bowl, chillies in a small bowl and the cheese in another bowl. Place the wraps on a plate.
Another plate to each diners.
Eaters build their own burrito by taking a wrap, spreading some sour cream and guacamole on it. Then they add the beef, the rice and some of the fresh chillies. Finally, sprinkle some of the cheese on top and roll up the wrap.
This should be enough food to absolutely stuff 3 people.1 medium beef brisket
1 packet wraps
beans (I like borlotti)
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 tomatoes
fresh chillies
chilli powder
smoked paprika
brown sugar
salt
pepper
rice
sour cream
guacamole
cheese (cheddar works well)
Heat your oven to super low (80C).
Sprinkle chilli powder, smoked paprika, brown sugar, salt and pepper on the brisket.
Add the brisket to the oven. It will sit in there for 6 hours at least. Cover it lightly (not completely) with foil.
At the end of the 6 hours, take the brisket out and completely wrap it in foil.
Leave it somewhere to rest whilst you do the rest of the food prep.
Cook your rice.
Slice up your onions, dice the garlic and cut up the tomatoes.
Fry the onions until soft, throw in the garlic and fry for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and lower heat to minimum. Now add the beans (washed). This will need to simmer for up to 10 minutes. Towards the end add 1/2-1 teaspoon of chilli powder, depending on how much heat you like.
Your rice should be done by this point. Drain it and leave it to dry out a bit.
Turn the heat off on the onions/beans.
Slice up your fresh chillies into super thin strips. These will be served as a garnish on the side.
Grate up your cheese.
Get your beef brisket and unwrap it. Place it in a baking tray and grab two forks. Use them both to 'tear' the meat apart. You should be able to easily tear it into shreds without much effort at all. If you find this too hard you can just 'dice' the meat really finely instead.
Now you're done with the cooking/prep.
Place the beef in a bowl, beans in a bowl, sour cream in a small bowl, guacamole in a small bowl, chillies in a small bowl and the cheese in another bowl. Place the wraps on a plate.
Another plate to each diners.
Eaters build their own burrito by taking a wrap, spreading some sour cream and guacamole on it. Then they add the beef, the rice and some of the fresh chillies. Finally, sprinkle some of the cheese on top and roll up the wrap.
Lamb shanks, perfect for a Friday (as I did last week). About 15 minutes of stuff at the start then leave for 3 hours.
Serves 4
4 lamb shanks (go to the butcher!)
2 carrots, unpeeled and roughly chopped (doesn't matter how you chop em)
Stick of celery, roughly chopped
2 onions, unpeeled and roughly chopped
1 bulb of garlic, smash in to individual cloves but don't peel
Bouquet garni (go to the FRESH herbs bit in Tesco etc. get thyme, rosemary and bayleaves, take a bit of each and tie them together with a bit of string)
Bottle of red (whatever is on offer that week)
Chicken stock (buy the fresh stuff or make your own, no stock cubes for this please)
Jar of redcurrant jelly
Salt & fresh ground black pepper
Olive oil
Put the oven on to gas mark 2 (150Cish)
Heat your casserole dish to a medium heat, add the oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan) and fry the lamb shanks one at a time until browned all over (you will need to hold them with tongs to do this).
Set aside and add the veg (the mirepoix) to the pan, fry for a few minutes until soft and then return the shanks. Add the bouquet garni and roughly equal amounts of wine and stock to pretty much cover the shanks, I use about half a bottle and the same again in stock. Season to taste.
Cover the casserole, stick it in the oven and leave for 2.5 - 3hrs. Turn the shanks over very gently in the pan every hour or so.
They are done when you can touch them and the meat falls apart. Remove from the pan and stick on warm plates (you did put your plates somewhere to warm up didn't you?)
Strain the veg out and return the cooking liquid to the pan and get it on a high heat. Reduce down until its thickened up, dump in the redcurrant jelly and leave on the heat for another minute or 2.
Serve with mash and steamed veg (I used sprouts, but use whatever you like). Drink red wine, eat and be happy.
Serves 4
4 lamb shanks (go to the butcher!)
2 carrots, unpeeled and roughly chopped (doesn't matter how you chop em)
Stick of celery, roughly chopped
2 onions, unpeeled and roughly chopped
1 bulb of garlic, smash in to individual cloves but don't peel
Bouquet garni (go to the FRESH herbs bit in Tesco etc. get thyme, rosemary and bayleaves, take a bit of each and tie them together with a bit of string)
Bottle of red (whatever is on offer that week)
Chicken stock (buy the fresh stuff or make your own, no stock cubes for this please)
Jar of redcurrant jelly
Salt & fresh ground black pepper
Olive oil
Put the oven on to gas mark 2 (150Cish)
Heat your casserole dish to a medium heat, add the oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan) and fry the lamb shanks one at a time until browned all over (you will need to hold them with tongs to do this).
Set aside and add the veg (the mirepoix) to the pan, fry for a few minutes until soft and then return the shanks. Add the bouquet garni and roughly equal amounts of wine and stock to pretty much cover the shanks, I use about half a bottle and the same again in stock. Season to taste.
Cover the casserole, stick it in the oven and leave for 2.5 - 3hrs. Turn the shanks over very gently in the pan every hour or so.
They are done when you can touch them and the meat falls apart. Remove from the pan and stick on warm plates (you did put your plates somewhere to warm up didn't you?)
Strain the veg out and return the cooking liquid to the pan and get it on a high heat. Reduce down until its thickened up, dump in the redcurrant jelly and leave on the heat for another minute or 2.
Serve with mash and steamed veg (I used sprouts, but use whatever you like). Drink red wine, eat and be happy.
About £10 - £15 all in? And as long as needed...
