photo by Loren Tama
8 large flour tortillas (corn would be nice, but hard to find in London)
Salt and pepper
Cut the tortillas into smaller rounds using a metal ring or a sturdy water glass.
For the chicken
1 small roasted chicken
1 cup (about 3/4 of a whole) ripe pineapple, diced into 1/4 inch cubes
1 cup (about 1 large fruit) ripe mango, diced into 1/4 inch cubes
1 yellow onion, diced
Cilantro, de-stemmed and coarsely chopped to yield about 1/4 cup loosely packed
Juice of 2 limes
1 jalapeno, cut into thin rounds
Remove the skin from the chicken and pull the meat off into bite-sized shreds. Season liberally with salt and pepper and mix the meat with your hands to evenly distribute the seasoning and to mix the dark and white meat. Set aside.
Gently combine the pineapple, mango, onion, cilantro, and lime juice. To assemble the tacos, place a small amount of chicken on each mini tortilla followed by a small spoonful of the salsa. Set one slice of jalapeno on top of each.
For the beef
1/2 lb ground beef
Taco seasonings: chile powder, cumin, paprika, onion powder, oregano, bay, etc...use your imagination
5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 medium red onion, diced
2 8-oz cans chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
Shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
Sweat the onion in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the beef, stirring occasionally and breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. When the meat starts to brown, add garlic and seasonings, stirring to combine. Add the chipotle peppers and adobo from the can, again stirring to combine.
Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and drain the meat mixture. Remove any chipotle peppers that have not broken up, and any bay leaves if used, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow to rest at room temperature until the mixture can be handled by hand.
To assemble the tacos, place a small amount of the beef mixture in the middle of a mini tortilla and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Keep the assembled tacos in the fridge before serving. You can make them up to 8 hours in advance, but longer storage may lead to sogginess. Head the beef tacos in the microwave prior to serving; the chicken tacos are delicious cold.
Yields about 50 miniature tacos.