2 or 3 lbs of carne asada (or more if you like really meaty tacos)
3 regular sized cans of whole cooked pinto beans (or more if you like really beany tacos)
1 head of lettuce, shredded
2 cans sliced olives
1 bag of shredded cheese
3 or 4 tomatoes, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
cilantro, chopped
1 batch of fry bread (recipe follows)
Your preference of seasonings for the meat and beans
Fry bread:
–1 package of dry yeast
–3 cups of warm water
–1 tablespoon salt
–1 tablespoon sugar
–6 cups of flour, white
–2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
–1/2 cup cornmeal
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and add the salt and sugar. Let this stand for five minutes, covered with a towel. Add the flour slowly to dissolve and then the oil. Mix well and knead on a floured bread board until smooth. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise for 1 and 1/2 hours.
While that’s rising you can prep the rest of the taco stuff. Cut the carne asada into small strips or pieces and season any way you like (I like using adobo, dried garlic chips, and fresh onion and cilantro). Set aside.
Open the cans of beans and put them into a large pot and season them any way you like (I use pico de gallo seasoning, dried garlic chips, seasoned salt, fresh onion and cilantro and a bit of chili powder). Set aside.
This is also a really good time to prep all of your taco toppings. Chop up your onions and tomatoes. Shred your lettuce. Chop up your cilantro. Put everything in ziploc baggies or into Tupperware containers and put it in the fridge for now.
Once the bread mixture is done rising, remove it from the bowl and knead in the cornmeal. Make two balls out of the dough and roll them into 12-inch circles about a quarter of an inch to a half an inch thick, and cut into 2-inch squares (or if you’re adept at making pizza just take fistfuls of the dough and roll them out that way). I recommend preparing everything ahead of time and separating the pieces with foil or wax paper.
Now is a good time to make everything. Heat up a skillet (no oil) and put the large pot of beans on. The beans should be on a low-medium heat and the skillet on medium-high. Put the seasoned carne asada in the skillet and fry it up. Once it’s done, take it off the heat and cover it. Keep the beans on warm and stir them occasionally until serving.
Once you’ve got a bunch of prepped dough, and the meat and beans are about ready, heat up oil in a skillet, preferably cast iron, on medium-high. When it’s up to frying temperatures, drop the dough, one or two pieces at a time depending on how big your skillet is, and fry about a minute per side, or until the fry bread is golden brown.
On each piece of fry bread, put meat and beans, and then add toppings as you desire. This recipe will make between 8 – 12 tacos, depending on serving sizes.
