Navajo Tacos

INGREDIENTS
For the meat
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup water

For the tortillas
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup water
Vegetable Oil for frying

For the toppings
1 head Romaine lettuce, shredded
4 large tomatoes, diced
Shredded Cheese

To make the taco meat, combine all ingredients in a bowl except water. Mix well as you would in making a meat loaf. Pour water into pan and add meat. Stir occasionally breaking up any large chunks. Cook for about 5-10 minutes or until done.
To make the tortillas, combine the flour, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the melted butter and water. Stir just until a moist dough forms (it should be stiff enough to hold together). Divide into 6 equal pieces and roll each piece into an 8-inch round.
In a large skillet, add enough oil to be 1 inch deep. Heat over medium heat until oil is hot. Carefully slip tortillas, one at a time, into the hot oil. The dough will bubble in a few seconds. Cook for about 45 seconds, until slightly browned, and flip to cook the other side, about 15-20 seconds until lightly browned. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat for remaining tortillas.
To assemble tacos, spoon a few tablespoons meat into each taco, and top with your favorite additional toppings.

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New England Pasta Bake

Not usually one for canned seafood, but this looked so good that I will have to try it just once.

INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 yellow onion, cut into medium dice
1 stalk celery, cut into medium dice
2 carrots, cut into medium dice
Salt and ground black pepper
2 boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into medium dice
1 1/2 teaspoons, about 6 sprigs, fresh thyme leaves, minced (1/2 teaspoon dried)
3 6.5-ounce cans chopped clams and their juice, divided
1 pound of pasta shells
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

DIRECTIONS
Preheat broiler. Place a large pot of salted water over high heat to boil.
Place a large skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the onion, celery and carrots, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender but not caramelized, 5-6 minutes. Add the potatoes, thyme, juice of the clams and 1/2 cup of water to the skillet and bring the liquids up to a bubble. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 8-10 minutes.
While the veggies are simmering, drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook to al dente according to package directions. Just before the pasta is ready, reserve a large mug of starchy cooking water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pan it was cooked in.
While the veggies and pasta are cooking, place a medium saucepot over medium heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and cook for 1 minute. Whisk the milk and 1 cup of starchy cooking water into the roux and bring up to a bubble. Add the clams to the sauce, season with salt and pepper, and simmer until thickened, about 1 minute. Reserve warm.

When everything is ready, toss the cooked veggies and prepared sauce with the cooked pasta and transfer to a large casserole dish.

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and grated cheese over the surface of the casserole and brown under the broiler.

** From Rachael Ray, episode 10/17/08

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