Purslane and Avocado Tacos with Pico de Gallo

This chile pepper gets its name from its origin. In Spanish, serrano is an adjective meaning “from the mountains” which is where it originated-in the mountains of Hildalgo, Mexico. The serrano is normally about twice as hot as Jalapeno (about 10,000 to 15,000 Scoville units).It is the second most popular chile pepper in Mexico. This chile is used mostly for salsas but can also be used in soups, sauces, chili or stews.Try these as a hotter substitute for Jalapeno.

Heat Scale
Submit Recipe

Makes 8 tacos (4 servings)

Purslane has long been considered a weed, but it is increasingly showing up for sale in bunches at farmers markets. Meanwhile, Mexicans have known about its healthful properties for hundreds of years and they eat it both raw and cooked. In Mexico it’s called verdolagas. Cooking mellows its tang and shrinks it, which means you can eat more of it! Paired with avocado and a tomato relish, this is a super-healthy vegetarian snack or main dish.

Ingredients

For Pico de Gallo:

  • 1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
  • 1/2 cup chopped white onion
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice, or to taste
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh Serrano chile, or to taste
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground pepper

For Tacos:

  • 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 lb purslane, including tender upper stems, chopped (about 6 cups)
  • 8 fresh corn tortillas
  • 2 avocados
  • 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese (about 3 ounces), or to taste
  • cilantro sprigs and lime wedges for serving

Preparation

Make Pico de Gallo:
Combine tomatoes, onion, lime juice, chile, and cilantro in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Let it stand while assembling the tacos.

Cook garlic in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring, until pale golden. Add purslane with salt to taste and cook, stirring, until wilted and tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a sieve set over a bowl and let it drain.

Have a folded kitchen towel ready for the tortillas. Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat until hot, then heat a tortilla, keeping the others covered, flipping it occasionally with tongs, until it puffs slightly and gets brown in spots, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer tortilla, as toasted, to towel, enclosing it, and repeat with remaining tortillas. Keep them warm in towel.

Quarter avocados lengthwise and remove pit, then peel. Cut each section into thin slices (lengthwise or crosswise, it doesn’t matter) and season with salt.

Assemble tacos by spooning some purslane into a folded taco and topping it with avocado slices, cotija cheese, cilantro sprigs, and pico de gallo. Serve with lime wedges.

Epicurious  | June 2014