Costa Rican Tacos

Submitted by Epi-curious

"A friend in college showed us how to make these tacos, and we've never been able to make it for someone without them raving about it. It's unusual and delicious.... great for impressing someone who's hard to please. It's also nice in that the meat and toppings can all be made the evening before. ENJOY!"

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 15mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Yields: 12 tacos
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 2 -3 lbs roast
• 2 tablespoons adobo seasoning, spice
• 2 tablespoons oil, for browning
• oil (for deep frying)
• 12 flour tortillas
• 1 small head of cabbage, shredded
• 3 fresh lemons
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 large tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

directions

1. Brown the roast in a roasting pan using the 2 tbls. of oil. When browned, sprinkle liberally with the abodo seasoning. Use more if you really like your meat flavorful.
2. Cook roast in low oven until it's falling apart. Usually about 2 hours.
3. While roast is cooking, shred cabbage and put in bowl. Squeeze lemons over cabbage and add salt. Cover with cling film and put in fridge. The lemon and salt with wilt the cabbage slightly, which is exactly what you want. Add more salt to taste, just before serving.
4. Now cut up the tomatoes and add the mayonnaise to the tomatoes. As you mix the mayo in, the juice from the tomatoes will begin to make a pink sauce in the bowl. You want it to be the consistency of a thin sour cream. Add more mayo or tomatoes as needed. Cover with cling film and refrigerate.
5. When roast is done, let it cool and then shredd beef. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
6. Prepare deep pot of oil for deep frying. Add desired amount of meat to the bottom of a tortilla, fold in half like a taco and submerge in hot oil, using tongs to hold taco together as it fries. Fry each taco until crisp, about 15 seconds. Drain well by tipping to side and letting extra oil drip out onto paper towels. Set tacos aside until all are done frying.
7. To serve, slightly open mouth of taco and add tomato/mayo sauce first and then top with cabbage.
8. This recipe is supposed to feed 4 people, but most people end up eating more than you think is humanly possible, so be prepared to make extra.