Tacos

Is there anything better than tacos for a couple of guys hanging out and playing video games? Granted it's more of a knife and fork dish than a true taco, but with a couple margaritas these tacos helped energize me and my friend Eric for a night of Nintendo Wii. I love grown-up play dates.

Chili rubbed skirt steak, avacado tomatilllo salsa, and queso anejo on a blue corn tortilla with herbed black beans and steamed rice.

















The salsa is fresh and chunky and works well as a refreshing counterpoint to the richness and heat of the meat and beans. I used sweet cubanelle peppers in the salsa because I didn't want heat to overwhelm the dish. An anaheim or minced jalapeno can be added to or replace the cubanelle and add a moderate amount of heat to the salsa. I blanch the tomatillos to tame their astringency.

Avacado Tomatillo Salsa
3 ripe avocados 1/4" dice
8 medium tomatillos blanched 1/4" dice
1 cubanelle pepper cleaned, 1/4" dice
juice of 1-2 limes
salt to taste
1 handful cilantro leaves

To blanch the tomatillos bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Remove husks from tomatillos, add to the water. Cook until slightly softened. Shock in an icewater bath until fully cooled. Combine the avocados, tomatillos, and cubanelle. Add lime juice and salt to taste. Fold in cilantro. If any salsa is left, add one of the avocado pits the salsa and cover the surface of the salsa with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.