Chicken Sausage & Peach Tacos

Sometimes one has to stray away from the normal taco.  Sometimes, you just have to be daring.  Sometimes you just have to challenge the pairings of the Flavor Bible and come up with your own (after all - those pairings didn't just show up out of no where - there had to be a first attempt somewhere!).

What was originally a salad, but due to lack of enough lettuce (I know, lame right?), and over abundance of tortillas - soon became one of the most unique tacos I've ever come to know.  And whether it be fate or just pure luck... these things were delicious.


Ingredients:

2 chicken sausages (ours were a sun-dried tomato & basil blend)
shredded lettuce
2 peaches, quartered
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
warm tortillas

In a small skillet, melt the butter under medium high heat.  Add peaches and top with brown sugar.  Cook until peaches are soft and slightly carmelized, "shaking" the pan every so often in order to mix the butter and brown sugar to provide a delicious coating for the peaches.

Ideally, I wanted to grill the sausages, but Mother Nature wasn't havin' it and decided to literally rain on my parade.  So just fry up the whole sausages in a skillet under high heat instead.  Heat until cooked throughout then let rest on a cutting board for about 2-3 minutes, then slice.

Assemble your tacos by placing a layer of lettuce in the middle of a tortilla.  Then top with a few slices of peaches and finally top with a few slices of sausage.  Fold and enjoy!

There was sweet.  There was savory.  And it was all purely delicious!  I can now mark chicken sausage and peaches as a match made in heaven for my Flavor Bible notes - so I dare ya to give it a go and tell me what you think!

And don't forget, I do a CSA round-up every Thursday afternoon - there's still time to submit your CSA/Farmer's Market/Garden pictures!  Just e-mail me at mtlabor85@yahoo.com and I'll put them in the post tomorrow!  See you guys tomorrow.

Restaurant Recreations: Fiesta Time Mexican Grill

Happy Monday guys!  Hope everyone had a great weekend.  I know we did!  It was Andy's first official weekend off and he says it felt great!  He's already been told after his 1st week at the new job that he's doing a great job, so he's in high spirits!  I'm still so proud of my little grown up! =)

Anyway, it's been a while since I've done a review so I thought I'd take a crack at it.

On the outside, Fiesta Time in Oldham County looks likes any old Mexican restaurant.  Beer and tequila neon signs filling the windows,  sombreros a-plenty, and margaritas in every corner.  As traditional as it gets, right?  Well, that's what I thought going in anyway.

We walked in at a decent hour, maybe 8:30ish.  The servers seemed to "rush" us a little bit.  The sign on the door said they close at 11pm so I didn't understand why that was happening.  But we continued on, blindly.

We ordered the typical Mexican fare, Andy getting some fajita quesadilla of some sort and I opted for the Combo #2 (a taco, an enchilada, and a chalupa).  We also ordered some nachos for an appetizer and it was just a little lack-luster to even get into.

So what about our food?  I think we were so famished we ate it with no complaints.  But looking back, I have a few key points:

- Not all Mexican restaurants are the same - and Fiesta Time proves it... and not in a good way
- I could have made this at home.
- I did make this at home... and it was 100x more delicious.

Honestly, I wasn't impressed.  Andy's fajita quesadilla was unimpressive (although he seems to disagree and said it was pretty good, but maybe I'm just a snob), and my combo, was well... let's just say I've had better things at Taco Bell (I know, I know - that was harsh).

Bad cell phone pictures irk me - so I apologize.

So, first thing I set out to do?  Recreate this sucker!  So let's see how it went...




Ingredients:

Tacos:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb. shredded chicken & beef (I had leftover grilled meats from this meal)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
soft tortillas, warmed

Enchiladas:

1 cup salsa verde
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup pepperjack cheese, shredded
5-6 soft tortillas

Chalupas:

1 cup masa harina flour
1/2 cup water
vegetable oil, for frying
Filling from tacos, above
sour cream, optional

For the taco filling, heat a large skillet under medium high heat and add olive oil.  Saute onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes or so.  Add in garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, cayenne, salt, and pepper.  Stir until fragrant, about a minute.

Stir in the shredded chicken and beef (you could definitely just use a pound of ground beef if you wanted, but I had all those leftovers, I couldn't let them go to waste).  Heat until warmed, about 4-5 minutes.

Add in tomato sauce, chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Use to fill soft taco shells and top chalupa (recipe below).

For enchiladas, preheat oven to 350F.  Heat a small to medium-sized skillet (large enough to fit soft tortilla in) under high heat and add a thin later of vegetable oil, just enough to coat the pan.

Heat tortillas in oil, one at a time, for about 10-15 seconds, just on one side.  Transfer tortillas to a paper towel-lined plate.  This ensures the tortillas are easier to work with and fold tightly.

Grease a small (maybe 8 x 10) casserole dish.  One by one, place a good amount of both cheese in the center of each tortilla.  Roll up and place snuggly in casserole dish.  Top with salsa verde and any remaining cheeses.

Bake in oven for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and starting to brown on top.  Broil for 1-2 minutes to crisp up even more, if desired.


To make chalupas, combine water and masa harina until dough forms.  Form dough into 4 patties, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

Heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed pan under medium high to high heat.  You'll know when the oil is ready when a piece of dough sizzles when you place it in there.

Fry each chalupa for about 3-5 minutes (or until golden on both sides) and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to dry.  Top chalupas with filling from above and sour cream.

No lettuce or tomatoes in the house = a not so colorful picture, but hey... it tasted pretty darn good!

So yeah, needless to say, this produces a lot of food.  So make sure you have company.  Or a large family.  Or a big appetite.

My verdict?  I think my "unauthentic" Mexican Combo #2 far-outweighed Fiesta Time's "authentic" Mexican Combo #2.  From now on, I'll stick to my around-town favorites like El Mundo, El Caporal, or El Torasco.  Do we see a trend here?  I don't know, but my hypothesis is that if it doesn't start with "El", it may not be all that. =)

Have a great Monday guys and I'll see you tomorrow!