Tex-Mex Monday

Tex-Mex Monday

Spicy Hamburger Meat

So you only need a few things to make you some tasty spicy hamburger meat to either put on rice or in a tortilla. You could also throw it on some nachos as well, it would taste so yummy! You start off with one can of diced tomatoes and green chilies. I used Red Gold, but you can use which ever brand you'd like. You could even cut up some tomatoes and jalapeno if you don't like using canned. Cook your hamburger meat like you're supposed to and drain all the gross fat away. 

I like to then get the tomatoes and jalapenos and toss them right in. There was still a little bit of fat coating the pan so this kind of fries up the tomatoes and jalapenos for a more intense flavor. I actually added one fresh jalapeno because my mom likes some heat. Let it cook for about 2 minutes or so and then get your meat and plop it right in.

*TIP: This isn't always true, but I've found if you grab a jalapeno that has a bit of white "lines" on them they tend to be hotter. It's that sort of thing that has been passed down from mom to mom.

You want to mix it all up and if you want to let the meat get crispy then let it. Now this is where it's all on you. You can go and get your powdered garlic and ground cumin and use that or you can go old school. Yup get yourself a "molcajete", its basically a mortar and pestle so you can squish things up. Mine actually broke, but we saved the broken piece because its already been seasoned. If you buy yourself a molcajete make sure its stone - like the one pictured below. Get yourself one clove of garlic and a bit of the cumin add a bit of water and go to town on it. Get all your frustrations out because you want to smush it into a paste.

Tip: When or if you have a molcajete don't wash it with harsh dish soaps. Rinse it and dry it completely, but don't ever "wash" it. All that grinding of spices and stuff is seasoning it which helps..I promise!

The 20+yr old molcajete that the kids broke.

Ground Cumin (Comino), Powdered Garlic, Pepper, and Salt

Once you've added your spices - garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, add a bunch of water. You want to add enough to where the hamburger meat is barely visible. OPTIONAL: Now if you want some added color you can put just a bit of tomato sauce in it. Before you cover it up get a spoon and taste the "juice". Always taste everything so that way you can add any spices before the final product.

Now that you've gotten the taste you want you cover it up. Once it comes to a boil you lower down the heat to a simmer. During this time you could be finishing up your rice, or warming up your tortillas. Leave it on till you're happy with the "moistness" of the meat. I like a lot of juice so I leave more water in it, my mom likes a bit less so I normally serve myself and then put the heat back on. 

So that's about it, while there are no real measurements this is something that you can't really mess up. Always start off with smaller amounts of spice because you can always add...you can't really take away.

So anyone going to try making this, or maybe you already do? I'd love to hear what you guys think!