...Italian Sausage Tacos

One of the many reasons I really love Breakfast at home is that it's the meal of they day where I have the most freedom to experiment for myself.  Even if I brown-bag lunch, I'm limited by what I can carry, store, and re-warm in my tech-company break room.  Dinner affords me more time to plan, shop, prep, and cook, but I'm bound by the need to put food on the table for my beloved Lacto-ovo-pesco-vegetarian wife and our toddler daughter.  Both are relatively adventurous (given their respective limitations), but there is a whole world of food that neither one will touch and it often just isn't worth it to prepare adventurous things for one.  Breakfast, though, is somehow more freeing.  Most of the freedom comes from the relative ease of feeding the rest of the household.  On weekdays the wife is satisfied with good coffee and the toddler prefers dry cereal with a little dried fruit.  On weekends I move through the kitchen like a short-order cook at the local coffee shop.  Everyone usually gets what they want, to-order, (made easy by the fact I can usually predict what they'll want.)  On even the most hectic Saturday before a playgroup or Zoo excursion I can still bang out a steaming pile of biscuits or pancakes in a few minutes, with a side of substitute-bacon and real-bacon for the appropriate diners.  No problem.  The remaining freedom for breakfast comes from the fact that I love savory breakfasts, which means I positively adore experimenting with leftovers, odd flavor combos, and food nobody else would eat.  Practically speaking, one of my experimental breakfasts is usually more lasting and satisfying for the inclusion of protein, etc.

Tacos for breakfast is a great example of this.  We do "taco night" fairly regularly at home.  The wife enjoys a re-seasoned soy-based taco substitute, I enjoy carne- or pollo-asada, and the toddler vacillates between them.  Things improved dramatically when I recently re-discovered the Azteca Mexican Market hidden near my workplace, which finally provided the reliable and convenient source of hand-made style tortillas I'd been searching for for years.  As an aside:  Seriously, this is San Diego.  We used to be part of Mexico, why is it so hard to find a decent tortilleria north of I-8?!?!  An artifact of purchasing tortillas this way, we have to buy somewhat in bulk (2-3lbs minimum), and they aren't fresh for very long, which leaves me looking for ways to use up the wonderful little discs of corn.  Usually, I can just use up whatever leftover protein went into the tacos the night or two before, but every so often, I make the "mistake" of buying just enough pollo asada (or the toddler surprises us with her appetite) and I'm searching for other fillings.

This week, the "just enough taco filling" problem collided with the "had a lot of leftover ingredients after a DIY-pizza-party" problem and a new favorite was born:

Italian Sausage "Street" Tacos

Ingredients:

• 2-4 corn tortillas, hand-made if you can get 'em
• 1 link, spicy Italian sausage (casing removed)
• 1/2 Avocado, ripe but preferably still a bit firm
• 1/2c cheese - Mexican blend = good, Cotija or "Queso Blanco" = better
• Small handful of Cremini or button mushrooms
• 2 lime wedges (or 1/2 tsp of Real Lime juice, etc.)
• 1/2tsp olive or vegetable oil

Method:

1. Wet a hot pan with a very small amount of oil and begin frying the sausage.  As it cooks, you'll be able to break it up with a spatula into bite-size chunks.  If you're using a salty cheese like Cotija, resist the urge to add seasoning.  If using a basic Mexican blend, a pinch of salt is probably a good idea.
2. While the sausage is cooking, slice the mushrooms.  After the fat has rendered, add the mushrooms and brown them.
3. Slice the half-avocado into two quarters and then cube the meat while in the skin.
4. Place tortillas between two sheets of paper towel on a plate and microwave for 30s (if scaling up the recipe for >1 person, use your favorite tortilla warmer - I use a terra cotta garlic baker pre-warmed in the microwave with damp paper towels)
5. Once the filling is cooked, assemble your tacos - some prefer doubling up the tortillas but the ones I buy are thick enough to use one-per-taco.  Distribute the sausage/mushroom mix evenly, then add your cheese.  Turn the avocado cubes out of the skin and add to the tacos, then finish each with a light squeeze of lime juice.
6. Feel free to experiment with finely diced white onion, cilantro, or pico de gallo, but keep it simple and light! Taco sauce, etc. would easily muddy the flavors here.

Makes 2-3 small tacos for a very satisfying small meal.