Market Vegetable Tacos

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large cast iron or carbon steel skillet
• •Comal or dry skillet for tortillas
• •Clean kitchen towel for warming tortillas

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the vegetables

   Cut your market vegetables into pieces that will fit comfortably in a tortilla. Zucchini into half-moons, peppers into strips, corn left as kernels. The size matters less than consistency. Everything should cook at roughly the same rate.

   Taste a raw piece of each vegetable. Is it sweet? Is it alive? This tells you how much it needs from you. The answer is usually: not much.
2. 2

   Make the fresh salsa

   Dice the tomatoes, keeping all their juice. Combine with the onion, minced pepper, and half the cilantro in a bowl. Add the lime juice and a generous pinch of salt. Stir once and taste. The tomatoes should be the star. Adjust salt until they sing. Set aside while you cook.

3. 3

   Cook the vegetables

   Heat a large cast iron or carbon steel pan over high heat until a drop of water dances across the surface. Add the olive oil, then the vegetables in a single layer. Do not stir. Let them char and blister, two to three minutes. Flip and cook another two minutes. Season with salt. The edges should be dark and caramelized, the centers still bright.

   Crowding the pan steams vegetables instead of charring them. Work in batches if necessary. The char is not optional.
4. 4

   Warm the tortillas

   While vegetables rest, heat a dry comal or skillet over medium-high heat. Warm each tortilla for thirty seconds per side until pliable and showing light brown spots. Stack them in a clean kitchen towel to stay warm. Cold tortillas crack. Warm ones embrace their filling.

5. 5

   Prepare the avocado

   Halve the avocados and remove the pits. Slice each half into thin wedges while still in the skin, then scoop them out with a spoon. A ripe avocado yields easily. If you have to fight it, it is not ready.

6. 6

   Assemble the tacos

   Lay warm tortillas on a platter. Spoon the charred vegetables down the center of each. Add slices of avocado and a generous spoonful of fresh salsa. Scatter the remaining cilantro and crumbled cheese over the top. Serve immediately with lime wedges alongside.

   A squeeze of lime just before eating brightens everything. Let people add their own.

Chef Tips

• •The best tortillas come from a local tortilleria or from the Mexican grocery where they make them fresh. If you can smell the corn, you have found the right ones.
• •Summer squash, corn, and peppers are a natural combination in July and August. In winter, try roasted sweet potatoes with black beans and pickled onions.
• •Save your avocado pits. Pressed into leftover guacamole or salsa, they slow browning if you are not serving immediately.
• •A simple taco needs nothing else, but if you want heat, slice another fresh pepper and scatter it over the top. Pickled jalapeños work too.

Advance Preparation

• •Salsa can be made an hour ahead and left at room temperature. The flavors improve as they sit together.
• •Vegetables can be prepped and cut several hours ahead, kept covered in the refrigerator.
• •Do not slice the avocados until the moment of assembly. They brown quickly and lose their aliveness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 425g)