South of the Border Summer Recipes

June 27, 2008 -- When the heat makes you and your friends feel like you are south of the border, you might as well act and eat like you are, and no summer fiesta is complete without tacos. "Good Morning America" and Emeril Lagasse have teamed up to help you satisfy all of your amigos — with a full-out taco bar.

Ingredients

2 recipes South of the Border Meat Marinade for Grilling, recipe follows

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1 pork tenderloin, trimmed and silver skin removed

1 flank steak

3 large packages soft flour or soft corn tortillas, warmed according to package directions

Aluminum foil, as needed for wrapping tacos

Optional accompaniments for tacos: chopped tomatoes, minced red onion, minced jalapenos, sour cream, julienned lettuce, shredded cheddar and/or Monterey jack cheese

Simply Salsa, or your favorite red salsa, for serving

Tomatillo Salsa, or your favorite green salsa, for serving

Lime wedges, for serving

Directions

Place chicken breasts, pork tenderloin, and flank steak each in 3 separate large nonreactive shallow platters. Add 1 cup of the marinade to the chicken, 1 cup to the pork, and 2 cups to the flank steak. Turn to coat and refrigerate all three platters for up to 2 hours, turning occasionally. Let return to room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes before grilling. While meat is marinating, assemble accompaniments as desired.

Preheat a grill to medium high heat. Place the pork tenderloin on the grill and cook for 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Add the chicken breasts and flank steak to the grill and continue cooking, turning occasionally, until pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (usually 20 to 25 minutes total), chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (usually 8 to 10 minutes total), and beef reaches desired degree of doneness, 145-150 degrees F for medium rare (usually 8 to 10 minutes total.)

Remove meats from the grill and set aside to cool for 5 minutes before slicing thinly across the grain. Transfer sliced meats to a large platter for serving and allow guests to assemble their own tacos according to their taste. Wrap the tortillas in foil and return briefly to the grill to heat through if desired. Serve with salsa and lime wedges.


Yield: About 20 servings

Recipes courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Emeril's Food of Love Productions, 2008

Ingredients

1 cup cilantro leaves

¾ cup lime juice

½ cup sliced garlic

2 serrano chiles, stemmed and seeded

1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and roughly chopped

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Combine all ingredients except the olive oil in a blender and process until smooth, 10 to 15 seconds. While the blender is still running, add the oil in a steady stream until completely incorporated.

Yield: 2 cups marinade

Recipes courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Emeril's Food of Love Productions, 2008

Ingredients

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse about 12 times. The mixture should be slightly chunky. Transfer to a bowl, cover and set aside until ready to use. Can be stored in an airtight container for several days.

Yield: Makes 3 cups

Recipe Courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Emeril's Food of Love Productions, 2008

Directions

In a nonreactive mediums saucepan heat the olive oil. When hot, add the onion, jalapenos, and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatillos, salt, and water and cover the saucepan. When liquid comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatillos are tender and have released their liquid, 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the tomatillos. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

When cool, process in a food processor until chunky-smooth. Stir in the cilantro and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve at room temperature.

Yield: About 1 quart

Recipe Courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Emeril's Food of Love Productions, 2008

Recipes courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Emeril's Food of Love Productions, 2008

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion

2 jalapeno or Serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded and minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Directions


In a small mixing bowl, combine the avocado with the onion, chiles, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and salt and mash with the back of a fork until mostly smooth.

Serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap (pressed directly onto the surface of the guacamole) and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Yield: About 1 ½ cups

Recipe Courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Emeril's Food of Love Productions, 2008