Saturday, February 12, 2022

STEAK TACOS: FUN FOOD FOR FANATICAL FOOTBALL FANS




Hi folks, Chef G. here, and welcome to a very special celebration here on The Chef G. Cooking Channel.  That's right, today I'm celebrating my 30th installment on this amazingly ridiculous blog!  In addition, it is Super Bowl Sunday.  Plus, it's been a month since I've delighted you with one of my wonderfully bizarre cooking episodes.  I'm glad (and surprised) to see you've come back for more. 

Fanatical football fans . . . sheesh!  I was one of them in my teen-age years.  Back then, I watched every football game that aired on television.  I could name the starting line-up for every NFL team.  I collected all of their football cards and studied the statistics contained therein.  One of the most devastating days of the first 20 years of my life was January 11, 1970.  That's the infamous date in which the Kansas City Chiefs defeated my beloved Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV.

My football fanaticism has decreased quite a bit since those days.  About the only games I watch now are the ones in which I root for the Viking to win and the ones in which I root for their arch-rival--the Green Bay Packers--to lose.  I do have to admit, however, that some of my intensity increases during the NFL playoffs.  That's when my fanaticism turns to the kind of fun food to make for the ultimate contest--The Super Bowl.  

When the Vikings aren't in the Super Bowl, which has been the case every year for about four decades now, I generally don't give a rat's ass who wins the big game.  Such is the case again this year.

I'll watch the game, of course, but my real Super Bowl fun is in the food.  I've made chili, chicken wings, nachos, jambalaya, a shrimp boil, pizza, and other fun foods in the past.  This year I'm going with Tacos.  Not Taco Bell-style tacos, though.  They'll be more like the tacos you buy from the window of a ramshackle taco truck. 


Chef G's Ramshackle Taco Truck


I started by chopping up 1-1/2 lbs. of sirloin steak into small chunks and putting them into a bowl. I added a tablespoon of olive oil, two tablespoons of soy sauce, two tablespoons of lime juice, two teaspoons of chili powder, one teaspoon of ground cumin, and two cloves of minced garlic.  Then I thoroughly mixed all that stuff up with my hands and transferred it to a zip-lock bag and put the mixture in the refrigerator.


After two hours in the fridge, pour the mixture into a pan and stir fry over medium-high heat for about 5-6 minutes.  Then turn the heat down to Low.





By the time I chopped up some tomato, onion and cilantro, the simmering steak was ready for me to assemble the tacos.



The assembly involves nothing more than spooning some steak onto corn tortillas and topping it with the diced onions, tomatoes, and cilantro.



Almost too pretty to eat



The Los Angeles Rams vs. The Cincinnati Bengals.  I suppose I'll root for Cincinnati because I view the Rams as being the Yankees of the NFL.  On the other hand, I've always liked their quarterback, Matthew Stafford.  But who cares?  The real highlight will be the food. 


Who cares?




Oh, if only the Vikings were playing!