Taco cheat codes

We shook hands to make it official. If my tacos were the best ever, as claimed, I would win the wager. Otherwise, victory would go to my adversary. It was admittedly the most audacious of claims, the longest of long shots. Out of how many hundreds of Mexican restaurants and taco trucks? She took a bite and stared at me, her eyes a blend of “OMG,” “WTF” and “up your nose with a garden hose.”

If this confidence sounds like braggadocio, it wouldn’t be on my behalf. I didn’t invent that runny, green sauce of cilantro, jalapeño, garlic and lime that you may have noticed at your local taco stand. I don’t know where it came from or even its name — the recipes online refer to it with the same list of ingredients. I also didn’t invent the trick that probably won me the wager. I learned that from a friend in California.

I did kind of invent the braised oxtails, spiced with thyme and succulent with red wine. Although they were leftovers from a non-Mexican meal, they were nonetheless stellar as a stand-in taco filler, the only true requirements of taco filling, as I understand it, being that it’s delicious and savory, ideally with protein.

As for the tortilla trick, it feels like cheating. You heat the tortillas in a pan or griddle, and when they’re piping hot on one side, you flip them and add grated cheese to the hot sides now facing up. The cheese must be of a melty variety, such as a Mexican orange, a northern cheddar or blue cheese, if you partake.

When the cheese melts, turn off the heat, load the tacos and enjoy the deliciousness, or bask in the glory of serving them to others. The warm cheese toughens the tortillas, making them less likely to fall apart if there’s too much sauce on the tacos, as there frequently is.

Mayo verde

This condiment goes well on steak, eggs, salad, sandwiches, veggie side dishes and basically anything savory. Or pour it into a glass, where it’s as drinkable as a $20 bottle of wine. I call it mayo verde because it’s green and half mayo. We could also call it “game changer,” “performance enhancer” or “food improver.”

• 1 cup mayonnaise, ideally
• grapeseed oil vegannaise
• Three garlic cloves
• Four jalapeños, seeds removed,
• roasted or raw
• Half lime
• 2 cups cilantro, lightly packed
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Possibly a few tablespoons of
• water

If you’re roasting the jalapeños, do so in a dry pan on medium heat or under a broiler until blistered on all sides. Then cool and peel them. Blend all the ingredients together until you have a smooth, green liquid, adding water if necessary to help it vortex.

Citrus mole sauce

This taco filling came from ad-libbing with a combination of deer meat and deer heart. I came up with a citrus mole to counter the potential gaminess of the meat. The next time I tried this recipe, I used beef, and the result was similarly rich. But my favorite renditions have been with pieces of fatty, tender pork, like belly or sirloin.

The sauce is dark, rich, tart, sweet and fragrant with Mexican spices. While the recipe calls for grinding the whole spices, you can also use their powdered counterparts. If doing so, reduce the spice quantities by half.

• 1 pound meat
• 1/4 cup oil if the meat is lean
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1/4 cup lemon and lime juice
• 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
• 2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon whole coriander
• seeds
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• powder

Brown the meat in oil or its own fat. While it’s browning, grind the fennel, cumin and coriander

Add the ground spices, salt, pepper, red pepper and garlic and simmer in orange, lemon and lime juice for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour with the lid on. Finally, add the cocoa powder and simmer for 10 more minutes to thicken. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and add it to the tacos.

Consider tomato salsa and garnishes like sliced radish, minced onion and pico de gallo.