JACKFRUIT TACOS

Ingredienser

2 9.9-ounce cans jackfruit (about 2 cups)

1½ cups Carne Asada marinade (this page)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

12 6-inch corn tortillas

1 cup shredded red cabbage

1 tablespoon Salsa Verde (this page; or use store-bought)

¼ cup Avocado Crema (this page)

1½ cups Pico de Gallo (this page; or use store-bought)

Vejledning

COOK THE JACKFRUIT Drain the jackfruit and pat it dry with paper towels. In a medium saucepan, stir the jackfruit with the Carne Asada marinade. Set the pan over medium-low heat and cook the jackfruit until it starts to break down and shred, about 45 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if desired. Remove the pan from the heat.

MAKE THE TACOS Preheat the oven to 250°F. Stack the tortillas, wrap them in aluminum foil, place them in the oven, and let them warm until they’re fragrant and pliable, about 15 minutes. Unwrap the stack and line up the tortillas, assembly-line-style, on your work surface. In a small bowl, mix the cabbage with the Salsa Verde and season it to taste with salt and pepper.

Drizzle each tortilla with the Avocado Crema. Place some warm jackfruit in a straight line down the center of each tortilla. Spoon a line of the Salsa Verde slaw on top of the jackfruit, and then top with a line of the Pico de Gallo.

Notater

I’m going to sound like a jerk here, but I used to feel sorry for vegans. Owning Trejo’s Tacos changed that. While I like to cook, I knew I needed to turn to the professionals to dial in the recipes. When the chefs were creating the taco menu, we knew we wanted vegan options and I thought that might just mean a lot of rice and bean burritos and papas con rajas (potato and chile) tacos. One day they presented me with some new menu options and handed me a taco with a savory shredded filling that was spicy and tender. I was like: “What kind of meat is this? It’s delicious.” They said: “It’s jackfruit.” I had no idea what jackfruit was, but it turns out it’s one of the world’s superfoods and grows all over Southeast Asia. It’s full of nutrients, and when you cook it in the same marinade we use for our Carne Asada, I swear you’ll think it’s meat. And if you’re vegan you’re going to be very, very happy.