Spicy Beef Tacos, Salsa, Guacamole: Easy Recipe

Directions: How to Make Spicy Beef Tacos

• Making the Chilli Beef Filling
  
• The first stage in the recipe is to make the filling for the beef chilli tacos. You can make soft tacos, guacamole, and salsa while the filling is cooking.
• Add some olive oil to a large pan and put over medium-high heat on the hob.
• Brown the beef for a couple of minutes on each side.
• Add approximately two inches of water to the pan and season the beef with salt and pepper.
• Cover the pan with cooking foil and reduce to low heat.
• Cook the beef for approximately 1.5-hours, or until the meat is tender.
• Meanwhile, use a separate pan over medium-high heat to start making the sauce.
• Put some oil into the pan and add the sliced peppers. Cook for five minutes or until soft and beginning to brown on the edges, stirring halfway.
• Add the garlic and chilli, then cook for a further two minutes.
• Add the chilli powder and smoked paprika and cook for a further minute to release the flavours of the spices.
• Add the tinned tomatoes, kidney beans, sugar, salt, and pepper.
• Turn down the pan to low heat and simmer for at least 20 minutes, so the tomatoes reduce a little and the flavour develops.
• When the meat is cooked and tender, remove it from the pan and put it on a plate to cool a little.
• If your tomato mixture has become thick or you want to add some umami flavour, add a little of the beef juices to the mixture.
• When the meat is cool enough to handle, cut off any large pieces of fat or gristle.
• Use a knife and fork to pull the tender, lean meat apart into chunks (don’t worry about them being the same size).
• Add the meat to the tomato and bean mixture and increase to medium heat to cook for another five minutes.
• Serve into the taco shells with the accompaniments.
• How to Make the Taco Shells
  
• You can make soft taco shells while the beef and sauce are cooking. They don’t take long to make and are easy enough for novices, or you can get the kids in the kitchen to help out.
• Put the flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
• Drizzle over the oil and pour in some water.
• Stir the mixture together with your hand.
• Continue adding more water until you have a soft ball of dough.
• Knead the dough for a couple of minutes, then wrap in cling film or cover with a tea towel and set aside until you are ready to use the tacos.
• When you are ready to make the tacos, split the dough into smaller, manageable balls.
• Sprinkle some flour over the work surface and start rolling out one of the balls of dough with a rolling pin.
• Every few rolls, turn the dough over and rotate it to the right by 90 degrees.
• When you have rolled the dough until it is approximately the thickness of a ten-pence piece, it is ready to cut into taco shells.
• Use a large bowl or small saucer to mark out the shapes and cut out the tacos.
• Sprinkle some flour over the first one, add the next one you cut on top, then sprinkle more flour before adding the third. The flour will prevent the tacos from sticking together before you cook them.
• When all the tacos are cut, put a frying pan over medium heat on the hob.
• Cook each taco for a couple of minutes on each side over dry heat in the pan. You should turn them when they begin to get light brown markings.
• The taco shells are now ready to fill and serve.
• Making the Guacamole
  
• You can make the guacamole while the taco filling is cooking and keep it chilled in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
• Halve, peel, and destone one avocado.
• Mash up the flesh in a bowl using the back of a fork.
• Crush the garlic and finely dice the chilli.
• Add the garlic, chilli, and lime juice to the avocado. The lime juice will prevent the avocado flesh from turning brown while also adding a zingy flavour.
• Stir the ingredients together, then cover and store in the refrigerator.
• How to Make the Salsa
  
• Finely dice the tomatoes, chilli, and red onion and put them into a bowl.
• Squeeze the juice of half a lime over the mixture, and stir.
• Assembling the Dish
  
• Lay out a taco shell on a plate.
• Spread a small teaspoon of the guacamole out over half the shell.
• Then, add two tablespoons of the spicy beef mixture to the taco shell.
• Fold the other half of the taco shell over the top and put it on the serving plate.
• Repeat the process with the next taco until each person has three or four tacos on their plate.
• Drizzle a heaped tablespoon of sour cream over the top of each person’s tacos.
• If you want, serve the tacos with a side salad, coleslaw, or a portion of nachos.
• You can also serve the spicy beef tacos with a sprinkling of grated cheese to melt over the top if you wish.