Don't Eat Them For Looks

Delicious, whip up in a flash, but tacos don't rate many points for presentation. The day just seemed to tick away today and then suddenly I looked at the kitchen clock and it was nearly dinnertime and I had no idea what to make. I scoured the fridge. Shelled fresh black-eyed peas, ground beef (well that was in the freezer), cheese, lettuce . . . tacos in the making.

Not quite sure where I was headed I started as I nearly always so with a chopped onion sautéing in some oil. In this case it was bacon fat. Decadent I know but the olive oil bottle was empty (no time to refill) and I had a jar of reserved bacon fat right on the counter. I started the onions going with oregano, crushed red peppers, cumin and some chopped garlic and then added in the fresh beans. Once the meat was defrosted (or I would have added it before the beans I think) I put that into the pan and browned it through. I started to feel like my haphazard taco filling needed a bot more sauce so I poured in a good bit of hot sauce, some duck stock left over the from other day's risotto and the last of bottle of wine from the fridge. I cooked the mixture down until the liquid has just about evaporated and filled warm tortillas with my last minute filling. I topped the meat with chopped lettuce and some flavorful Cotija cheese we got as a gift from the family of a Mexican cheesemaker.

Last minute dinner wrapped in a tortilla -- not pretty but pretty delicious.

"Yummy!" James declared.