MUSHROOM TACOS WITH BLACKENED CORN, AVOCADO, AND SWEET PICKLED CABBAGE

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I love this day because I love all things Mexican food, but especially TACOS. They are the perfect food. Hand-held little bundles of joy. Versatile, flavorful, a happy food. Tacos can mean something different to every person. Tacos are life!

Okay I’ll calm down now. So to me, the perfect taco has multiple levels of flavors and textures: savory, sweet, crunchy, soft, fresh, salty, tart, spicy, creamy, dreamy, surprising, nostalgic… damn I’m getting carried away again.

These tacos in particular are going for a uniquely fresh California cuisine flavor. The savory and spicy mushrooms pair well with the sweet pickled cabbage. I hope these brighten up your Cinco de Mayo, or maybe just your next Sunday dinner. Want to create a whole taco fiesta? Check out my other ‘Cinco’ celebration recipes: Butternut Squash and Black Bean Tacos, Jackfruit Tacos, Perfect Guacamole, Mini Chimichangas, and Cowboy Caviar.

Mushroom Tacos with Grilled Corn, Avocado, and Sweet Pickled Cabbage

Serves 4 (8 tacos)

1/4 head purple cabbage, thinly shredded

a 5:1 mixture of vinegar to agave, enough to submerge shredded cabbage

2 ears of corn

3 tbs olive oil

6 oz or about 15 cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 large shallots

1/4 tsp each of cumin, chipotle powder, paprika, and black pepper

10 cloves garlic, minced (I used a garlic press)

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup white wine

salt to taste

1 avocado, thinly sliced

8 small corn tortillas (the 4″ kind) you can double up if they feel delicate.

cilantro and lime wedges to garnish

First, combine the shredded cabbage and vinegar/agave mixture in a jar or bowl and set aside in the fridge, you will have extra left over for salads and sandwiches (so good.)

Then, tear the husks off the corn cobs and boil them in water for about 10 minutes. Once it is done and cooled, I like to hold it over my stovetop flame with tongs, to get some nice char on it. You can also do this with just raw corn instead of boiling it, it’ll be just a little less tender. You can also throw them on a hot barbecue grill until blackened. Lastly, slice it off the cob and set aside.

Heat the oil in a pan and add the mushrooms and onion, cook stirring about 5 minutes. Next add the spices and cook another minute, then the balsamic, cooking another 2 minutes. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping as you stir with a spatula, then the salt. Taste to adjust seasoning. Turn off the flame.

Lay each tortilla over a burner on your stove set to low, just about 10 seconds per side to heat them up.

Add a scoop of the mushroom mixture, a slice of avocado, a scoop of blackened corn, and a few strips of pickled cabbage to each tortilla. Garnish with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.