Calbi Fusion Tacos & Burritos Opens Today in Austin, Texas

What began with a soft landing of sorts, with Calbi giving away 1500 tacos during the SXSW Festival in Austin last month, is now hard fact. Austin now has their own Calbi Fusion Taco Truck. In yesterday’s Business Wire press release, Calbi President Coleen Craig explained why they chose Austin: “Austin is a hot spot for nightlife, entertainment, and cuisine. With the University of Texas, and a number of large corporations headquartered in the vicinity, Austin provides extensive opportunity for Calbi to gain exposure, popularity, and a following. We are bringing California flavors to the Southwest, and they’re sure to be a hit.” If you want to folllow Calbi’s locations on Twitter, their handle is @CalbiBBQAustin.

Healthy Tacos In NY Times



It looks like the Times is kicking off a series in the Fitness & Nutrition section called Tacos: Health Food With A Kick, with an accompanying recipe for Scrambled Egg & Green Chile Tacos. The author, Martha Rose Shulman, opens with a nice paragraph that helps clarify that all tacos don’t come in deep fried shells with ground beef and yellow cheese. It may seem like a no brainer to the taco cognoscenti but to many people, tacos are still those pesky pre-fried shells. To educate the masses takes continual and gently persuasion. Way to go, Martha. Another cool thing is that her green chiles are actually fire-roasted poblanos, better known as rajas. When I first saw “green chiles” in the recipe’s title, I suspected they might be canned green chiles. When they are consistently referred to as rajas from coast to coast, we’ll know that complete victory has been gained. Ms. Shulman comes through again with this tasty looking recipe for Soft Tacos With Sautéed Winter Squash and Chipotles.
Included in the series are Soft Tacos With Fish & Spinach, Soft Tacos With Potatoes & Greens, and Mushroom & Poblano Tacos.

Shameless Plug: If you like these healthy tacos, my book Tacos: Authentic, Festive, & Flavorful has some healthy tacos too: Winter Squash Taco with Coriander-Cumin Crema, Garlic-Wild Mushroom Taco with Creamed Corn-Morita Salsa, and also a Scrambled Egg Taco with Rajas, served with Sierra-Style Tomato Salsa. (Recipe from my book below)

Sierra-Style Tomato Salsa

Courtesy of Scott Wilson and Sasquatch Books

I love anything that has been cooked over a coal or wood fire. Somehow, even food that has been charred in a pan on the stove has a satisfying campfire-like quality. The authentic texture of this salsa comes from the ingredients being mashed in a molcajete. these stone mortars are widely available in Mexican markets, and in addition to creating a salsa with excellent texture, they double as a stylish serving dish. The cebollitas found in Mexican markets are similar to scallions, but the white base is a little bulb. Use scallions if cebollitas are unavailable. I use serrano chiles in the recipe because they have a fruitiness beneath the heat.

Note: For a slightly more refined salsa, peel and seed the serranos and tomatoes before adding.

Makes about 2 cups

1 cebollita or scallion,
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 small cloves garlic, peeled
3 serrano chiles
3 medium tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat a comal, or a medium-size cast-iron pan, over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, or until pan in hot.

2. In a small bowl, lightly coat the cebollita with the olive oil to prevent drying while cooking.

3. On the comal, cook the cebollita and garlic, turning them frequently until they brown lightly. Set aside and let cool. Cook the serranos and tomatoes until they brown and their skins blister. Set aside and let cool.

4. In a stone mortar, or food processor or blender, mash or pulse the cebollita, garlic, and salt until incorporated. Stem and roughly chop the serranos, then mash or pulse them with the cebollita mixture.

5. Core and roughly chop the tomatoes, reserving the liquid. Add the tomatoes and liquid to the cebollita mixture, and mash or pulse to incorporate.

6. Pour the salsa into a bowl or container. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The salsa will keep in the refrigerator for a week or longer, theought he onion and garlic flavors will grow stronger.