{"id":311,"date":"2008-09-09T11:03:00","date_gmt":"2008-09-09T16:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thisfoodthing.wordpress.com\/2008\/09\/09\/mexican-fried-tacos\/"},"modified":"2008-09-09T11:03:00","modified_gmt":"2008-09-09T16:03:00","slug":"mexican-fried-tacos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thisfoodthing.com\/index.php\/2008\/09\/09\/mexican-fried-tacos\/","title":{"rendered":"Mexican Fried Tacos"},"content":{"rendered":"

As you must know by now, I grew up in Western Nebraska.\u00a0\u00a0 I grew up eating at Taco\"Taco<\/a> Town, Rosita\u2019s and a few other Mexican restaurants that were around town.\u00a0 In high school, we were able to leave the school grounds for lunch.\u00a0 At first, we could only walk, as non of us had drivers licenses, so we went to Scotty\u2019s for bad hamburgers and amazingly good french fries.\u00a0 But the instant we got our licence, we headed directly to Taco Town.\u00a0 Well.. as often as we had money ;)\u00a0 We could get a fried taco, and a cheese enchilada for about $2.00.\u00a0 It was perfect.<\/p>\n

One of my brothers, who also lives out of Nebraska, and far enough away that he can\u2019t get food like this, loves Mexican Food as much as I do.\u00a0 I recall one time, when we were both back in town, he and I ate lunch and dinner at different Mexican restaurants almost every single day we were there.. about a week.\u00a0 We just couldn\u2019t get enough, knowing that we wouldn\u2019t be able to get later.<\/p>\n

The recipe I am writing about today is\u00a0 fried tacos.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t something you find everywhere, and, as far as I can recall, I\u2019ve never seen them on a menu outside of the interior mid-western states, though I\u2019m sure they must be, and I\u2019ve just overlooked it. Fried tacos are usually cooked quickly and to order\u00a0 \u2013 filled with the mixture, and then either toothpicks are inserted to hold the taco closed (as I do below), or the taco is held together with a special \u201cclothes pin\u201d type pin, and deep fried.\u00a0 What I grew up eating is very similar to the recipe below, except that my recipe has a spicier flavor than I remember.<\/p>\n

This is one of those recipes I make very rarely, as it\u2019s quite a bit of prep work for just the two of us, and neither of us really need the extra calories, but about once every 3 or 4 months, we get all the ingredients together, and have taco night.<\/p>\n

I hope you enjoy these as much as we always do.<\/p>\n

Mexican Fried Tacos<\/h2>\n

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
\n1 medium onion, chopped
\n1 clove garlic, minced
\n1-3 jalapeno’s, chopped (remove seeds if you don’t want this to be too spicy)
\n1 pound ground beef
\nground cayenne pepper
\nChili Powder
\nChipolte Powder
\n1 can or 1 1\/2 cups of refried beans
\n6 8 inch flour tortillas
\nHot Salsa or Hot Taco Sauce
\nVegetable oil – enough for deep frying.<\/p>\n

Optional Ingredients:<\/span><\/p>\n

Lettuce
\ntomato
\nonion
\ncheddar cheese
\nsour cream
\nblack olives<\/p>\n

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan.\u00a0 Add in the chopped onions, and saute until translucent.\u00a0 Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.\u00a0 Add in the jalapeno, and cook for 30 seconds more. Add in the ground beef and cook until no longer pink, breaking up the pieces until tiny. Sprinkle the hamburger with the chili, cayenne, and chipolte seasonings to taste \u2013 about 1 teaspoon each \u2013 I use more than is called for, because I like it quite spicy \u2013 but season it lightly at first, tasting it, and adding more until the flavor is what you want.\u00a0 Add in 1\/2 cup of hot salsa and the beans.\u00a0 Mix well, and then turn the heat down load and allow to simmer lightly while the flavors meld. Stir occasionally so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, prep the remaining ingredients<\/p>\n