Take peanuts from snack to star in these crunchy, spicy plant-based tacos
Is there anything that doesn't belong in a taco, if it's seasoned properly? I can't think of many things, as long as the combination stays in the spirit of the Mexican street-food favorite, with something hefty, something spicy, something crunchy - and excellent tortillas, of course.
Building a good taco is like building a good sandwich: It's about the quality of each ingredient, of course, and flavor, but also it's about controlling the moisture. Nobody wants a dry taco, but you can also go too far in the other direction and end up with a soggy mess.
For me, beans are a natural taco ingredient, because they are the world's best source of plant-based protein and are so beloved in Mexico. But I've been known to make tacos out of pretty much any leftover cooked vegetable in my fridge. No matter the base filling, I often depend on pumpkin seeds or nuts to add more protein and, along with shredded lettuce or cabbage, that crucial crunch.
I've employed nuts as the starring filling before, blitzing raw walnuts with spices to approximate ground beef. But a recipe in Mark Bittman's new book takes the idea to the next level. You chop roasted peanuts, then cook them a second time, toasting them in a pan with spices. You stir them into mushrooms you've cooked separately (to keep them from softening the peanuts with their released moisture before it has cooked off), then spoon the mixture into warmed tortillas and top with a warm tomato-chipotle salsa.
It's not as unheard-of as it might seem, because peanuts star in at least one traditional Mexican salsa, from Chiapas. Here, they're the main event, and they do the tacos proud.