Bienvenido a 2015!

Hope everyone had a great holiday season! I spent quite a bit of time doing what we all do over the holidays: cooking (of course) and eating (ditto.) In particular, I indulged in quite a lot of Mexican food, which I actually made myself, thanks to Tacolicious: Festive Recipes for Tacos, Snacks, Cocktails and More, the terrific new cookbook representing one of my favorite San Francisco restaurants.

Tacolicious, cookbook, Gluten Free

 

In 2013, while on vacation in San Francisco (when Melissa almost ruined my surprise birthday party by bumping into me on the Embarcadero – see here ) we followed a restaurant recommendation from our hotel manager all the way to the Mission District. “You MUST go to Tacolicious,” she said. Off we trotted—to find out there was a one-hour wait. For lunch. Turned out that out of all the meals on that trip, we were still talking about the fish tacos and the Silas (a non-alcoholic lime-and-mint drink) at Tacolicious a year later.

Tacolicious, Mexican food, San Francisco

3 Tacos at the actual Tacolicious restaurant in San Francisco

NOTE TO MY FRIENDS WITH CELIAC DISEASE or GLUTEN SENSITIVITY:

When I got diagnosed with celiac last year, I was in despair of ever being able to eat at Tacolicious on a return trip.  But when I emailed the restaurant, the very nice Mike Garcia not only replied, assuring me that some of the menu items were safe . . . he broke down the entire menu for me.  Talk about going above and beyond!

So I did get to have those fish tacos again—grilled, not fried, but just as good as I remembered.

So when the Tacolicious cookbook came out recently, my husband added it to what we call “the pile of Chanukah books.”

Cookbooks, Tacolicious, Gluten Free,

Flipping through the pages, we were getting hungrier by the second reading those recipes! Since we were having family over for New Year’s Eve, we began toying with the idea of cooking everything from the book.

You know what happened next, right?

I think I made nine or ten dishes over twenty-four hours (including two looooooong braises!). If you want to know the meaning of torture, try standing around your kitchen while making Guajillo-Braised Short Ribs, knowing you won’t be eating them until the next day.

Tacolicious, Shortribs, braised, gluten free

Prep for Guajillo Braised Short Ribs

 

Guajillo Braised Shortribs, Tacolicious

The result after braising.

 

Or braising the fattest lamb shanks you’ve ever seen down to nearly nada for the Lamb Adobo Taco with Spices and Orange . . . good Lord, those were good. So good, in fact, that I have been daydreaming about braising a lamb shoulder in that sauce. Mainly so that I can have more sauce.

 

Tacolicious, Lamb spices

(There was a small error in the recipe, which I’m chalking up to a copy-editing issue—after toasting chiles in the first step, the second step neglects to tell you to add them to the sauce . . . but then tells you to simmer the sauce “until the chilies have softened.”  So if you have the book, or are buying it—add those chiles right after the juice comes to a boil, then follow the recipe. Or so I assumed . . . this is what I did, and the sauce was ohmahgawdgood.)

Even the seemingly obvious recipes, such as Classic Guacamole or Lazy Salsa, have a unique flavor that makes you feel as though you’re tasting these things for the first time—and you’ll never want salsa from a jar again after you taste this one. (There’s even a method offered in case your tomatoes are less than ideal—just make the roasted version.)

The Mexican Party Mix. The Butternut Squash and Kale Tacos. The Pickled Red Onions . . . I lost track of how many onions I chopped, how many vegetables I diced! Who knew my knife skills would get such a workout? The book is also full of interesting tidbits about real Mexican food, how to choose the best tortillas (Trader Joe’s), how to warm them, how to choose recipes if you want to throw a “taco party,” even how to choose the best meat for your bistec taco. That’s a lot of info packed into one spicy package!

Tacolicious - 3 tacos open

One of the best things about the book is the attitude: pure fun. It encourages you to enjoy the cooking process, to have fun with the food. These recipes are also great for cooks of any skill level, which is nice to see for a change.

Next time you’re in San Francisco, definitely check out Tacolicious . . . but until then, the book can be had for less than a plane ticket. This one should be added to the collection of anyone who loves to entertain—or who just loves great Mexican food.

Checkout Tacolicious via their website, connect with them on Twitter, drool over their Instagram photos or check out their cookbook.

*Please note that this is not a sponsored post.  Susie and thevalentineRD.com received no compensation (read: no complimentary meals or cookbook) for this review.   All opinions and photos are from Susan Litman.  To connect with Susie, find her on Twitter at @susan_litman and Instagram @insusieskitchen.

Disclosure: There are affiliate links within the post that may add a few pennies to Melissa’s Duran Duran Tour Fund, should you choose to buy the cookbook through these links.