Costa Rican Tacos Recipes

COSTA RICAN TACOS

Steps:

• Brown the roast in a roasting pan using the 2 tbls. of oil. When browned, sprinkle liberally with the abodo seasoning. Use more if you really like your meat flavorful.
• Cook roast in low oven until it's falling apart. Usually about 2 hours.
• While roast is cooking, shred cabbage and put in bowl. Squeeze lemons over cabbage and add salt. Cover with cling film and put in fridge. The lemon and salt with wilt the cabbage slightly, which is exactly what you want. Add more salt to taste, just before serving.
• Now cut up the tomatoes and add the mayonnaise to the tomatoes. As you mix the mayo in, the juice from the tomatoes will begin to make a pink sauce in the bowl. You want it to be the consistency of a thin sour cream. Add more mayo or tomatoes as needed. Cover with cling film and refrigerate.
• When roast is done, let it cool and then shredd beef. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Prepare deep pot of oil for deep frying. Add desired amount of meat to the bottom of a tortilla, fold in half like a taco and submerge in hot oil, using tongs to hold taco together as it fries. Fry each taco until crisp, about 15 seconds. Drain well by tipping to side and letting extra oil drip out onto paper towels. Set tacos aside until all are done frying.
• To serve, slightly open mouth of taco and add tomato/mayo sauce first and then top with cabbage.
• This recipe is supposed to feed 4 people, but most people end up eating more than you think is humanly possible, so be prepared to make extra.

COSTA RICAN TACOS TICOS

Steps:

• Place the cabbage in a large bowl and add enough boiling water to cover. Let it sit for exactly 1 minute. Drain the cabbage well and return it to the bowl. Add the salt, stir, and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or until cool. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours.
• Working with 1 tortilla at a time, place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the shredded beef on 1 end of it and roll it up tightly, like a cigar (it has to be tight or the beef will escape when the tacos are fried). Tie it snuggly with a piece of twine and set aside. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.
• Fit a large baking pan with a metal cooling rack and set aside. In a large skillet with high sides, heat 1 to 2 inches of oil to 360 degrees (or use a deep-fryer according to the manufacturer's directions). Working in batches, use tongs to place the tacos in the oil. Fry them until golden, about 3 to 3 ½ minutes, turning them over halfway through. Transfer them to the prepared rack to drain.
• To plate, place 2 tacos on a plate, top with a generous amount of the cabbage, and drizzle with the condiments. Serve immediately.

COSTA RICAN TACO

Steps:

• Using a cheese grater or food processor, shred the cabbage and set aside.
• If you have them, fill two thin- tipped squeeze bottles with mayonnaise and ketchup. Otherwise, add about 1/4 cup of each condiment to two plastic sandwich baggies and cut the tips off.
• In a frying pan (I used a deep stockpot) place enough oil to cover the tacos and heat to 365 degrees Fahrenheit.
• While the oil is getting to the right temperature, heat 8 tortillas up in the microwave for a few seconds to soften.
• Place a tortilla on a flat work surface. Add 1-2 ounces of shredded beef to the top of the tortilla and roll it up. I place one or two toothpicks through the entire thing in order to hold it together during the frying process. Set aside and repeat.
• Before frying the tacos, I place a plate with a paper towel nearby to absorb excess oil. Place the tacos in the pan, two at a time, and fry until golden brown. As you pull it out with kitchen tongs, tilt the taco vertically- a lot of oil will drip out, and that is good.
• Once the tacos are fried, you can plate them and cover them with the cabbage. Set aside.
• Fry the french fries in the same oil as the tacos. I fry them when frozen to increase the crispness. You can also bake them in the oven according to package directions.
• Cover the taco and cabbage with french fries, and drizzle with condiments. Serve immediately- preferably with Coca-Cola or a nice cold Imperial!

PATACONES TICOS (COSTA RICAN FRIED PLANTAINS)

Steps:

• Peel plantains completely.
• Slice Plantains into 1/2 inch rounds.
• Heat oil in sauce pan until almost boiling.
• CAREFULLY place a handful of plantain rounds into hot oil, leaving them in until light brown, about 2 minutes.
• CAREFULLY remove plantain rounds from hot oil with slotted spoon (preferably metal) and place on a cutting board covered in parchment paper.
• Plantain pieces should be on only half of the parchment paper. Fold second half of parchment paper over them, and with a second board or other hard, flat surface press firmly on the paper-covered plantain rounds.
• The rounds should now be smushed-looking, yet still intact.
• *This can also be done using a metal tortilla press, if available. What I use is like a tortilla press, but is specifically designed for patacones, and I bought it at a supermarket in Costa Rica.
• With slotted spoon, replace pieces of plantain in the oil until golden brown.
• Remove pieces with slotted spoon and place on paper towel. Pieces should be slightly crispy.
• Repeat with another handful of rounds, until all have been cooked.
• Sprinkle with salt, to taste.
• Dip in warm refried beans, or also good with ceviche.