And yet we San Diegans love our veggies. These days, few restaurants can get away without having vegetarian dishes on their menus. And that includes Mexican eateries.
When Trey Foshee opened Galaxy Taco in La Jolla Shores in July, he included plenty of vegetarian options on his menu. Its where we are, he said. A lot of people, whether vegetarian or not, choose to eat vegetarian when they have the option.
Foshee, whom diners know as the longtime executive chef and partner of La Jollas Georges at the Cove, decided to open Galaxy Taco after 30 years of traveling to Mexico initially to surf and then to focus on the food.
Theres a strong demand for tacos in San Diego, he said. Were known as a fish taco town. You can fight it or you can embrace it. Its how Georges Ocean Terrace came about and its how Galaxy Taco came about. There are a lot of places in San Diego where you can get a great taco and a lot of places where you can get a great cocktail. But think about it; there arent that many where you can get both.
Chef Trey Foshee makes Potato Chorizo Verde-Kale Tacos at Galaxy Tacos.+Read Caption
Chef Trey Foshee makes Potato Chorizo Verde-Kale Tacos at Galaxy Tacos.
Foshee has loaded his $5 and $6 tacos with not just lamb Barbacoa, lengua and grilled fish, but also Delicata squash adobo surrounded by jack cheese, arugula, and salsa arbol. Theres a grilled avocado with a creamy bean pure taco. And a potato chorizo verde taco with kale. Plus, a grilled blue corn tortilla quesadilla with huitlacoche (a tasty inky black fungus that grows on corn sort of the truffle of corn), squash blossoms when theyre in season, corn, Oaxacan cheese, and salsa arbol. All wrapped in house-made tortillas made from heirloom blue corn masa, which Foshees chefs make daily. They run 60 pounds of corn through the grinder every morning.
The masa is the foundation of what we do. We transform all sorts of things, including tacos, he said. Its always been a love of mine. I had the visual idea of what I wanted to do and I didnt see it being done in that way in San Diego.
I spent some time with Foshee in his new kitchen as he made the potato chorizo verde kale taco. He uses potatoes here, but you can substitute them with mushrooms or turnips or some other vegetable. The focal point is the chorizo verde sauce, which has no chorizo in it at all. Foshee pointed out that pork chorizo and potatoes are a standard pairing in Mexican cuisine. Remove the pork for vegetarians and you have potatoes that readily soak up the flavors of the chili poblano, chipotle, tomatillo, Serrano chilies, cayenne and garlic. And, he said of the taco with a grin, Youve gotta have kale.
Dont let the long list of ingredients put you off. The preparation is actually rather simple. Once you prep the chilies and other ingredients, many of them go into a blender to be pured into a sauce. For the chorizo verde sauce, Foshee fried the poblano chili first to blister the skin but you can instead put it under the broiler or over a gas burner and then steamed the chili to loosen the skin. While the poblano steamed, he fried the chipotle chili just 30 seconds to enhance its flavor before dunking it in a bowl of water to hydrate it. They joined the other ingredients in the blender to make a vibrant sauce with a restrained but welcome kick.
After that, its a matter of putting the taco together.
Foshee often incorporates an adobo rub in his dishes. Its something hes been doing at home for his family for years. In fact, he came up with his Adobo Squash Taco at home. Like home cooks who find meal inspiration based on what theyve got in the larder, Foshee found himself with a Delicata squash and experimented with it. He sliced the squash and rubbed it with his adobo sauce, then grilled it. The now soft and browned squash was perfect in a tortilla with his salsa arbol, another easy-to-make sauce. The result is a meaty, sweet bite of squash enveloped in cheese and peppery arugula, just dripping in a rich, spicy sauce.
Meaty tacos arent going anywhere anytime soon. But vegetable tacos are a great way to get the flavors and texture you love sans any guilt.
Grilled Corn-Zucchini-Huitlacoche Quesadilla
Serves 6
2 ears of corn1 zucchini, cut into -inch-thick strips 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil2 shallots, peeled and sliced thin1 medium garlic clove, peeled and sliced thin6 ounces huitlacoche (also called corn smut or corn fungus; available in Mexican grocery stores)6 ounces Oaxaca cheese, shredded fine2 ounces Jack cheese, shreddedSalt and fresh black pepper6 large corn tortillasSalsa arbol (recipe follows)
Rub the corn and zucchini with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill them (preferably over wood). Alternately, you can remove the corn kernels from the cob and saut in a pan. Dice the grilled zucchini and combine the corn and zucchini in a bowl.
Heat a small saut pan, add a little grapeseed oil and sweat the shallots and garlic together until theyre translucent. Add the huitlacoche and cook down approximately 10 minutes. Place the huitlacoche mixture in a blender and pulse until pured but not smooth.
In a bowl add enough of the huitlacoche mixture to the corn mixture to make it moist. Taste and adjust seasonings. Combine the two cheeses. Lay out 6 tortillas; place some cheese mixture in an even layer on each, then the corn mixture on half of the tortilla and fold over carefully. Place the quesadilla on a grill (preferably wood) and grill until crisp and lightly browned, turn and repeat on the other side and serve with salsa arbol. Alternately, you can cook in a pan or on a griddle.
Potato Chorizo Verde-Kale Taco
Serves 6
For the potatoes6 creamer potatoes (such as Yukon gold)1 tablespoon grape seed oilSalt to tasteFor the chorizo verde spice1 cup grapeseed oil8 ounces chili poblano6 dried chipotle peppers8 ounces fresh tomatillo, peeled and sliced7 ounces cilantro 1 ounces serrano chilies1 ounces pepita seeds, lightly toasted4 garlic cloves, peeled teaspoon cayenne ground teaspoon black pepper cup champagne vinegar teaspoon fresh Mexican oregano tablespoon saltFor the kale8 ounces kale 1 tablespoon grapeseed oilSalt to tasteTo finish2 tablespoons grapeseed oil6 corn tortillas4 ounces queso fresco
Prepare potatoes: Coat the potatoes in grapeseed oil and salt. Roast the potatoes for 20 minutes at 350 degrees until tender. Remove and cool to room temperature.
Prepare spices: Heat the grapeseed oil in a medium sauce pan. Fry the poblano peppers in the oil until lightly blistered and remove to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 20 minutes. (Alternately, you can roast the peppers in the broiler or over a gas flame.) Add the chipotles to the oil and fry for about 30 seconds, careful not to burn them. Then place them in a bowl of water and reserve. Rub the blistered skin off the poblanos and remove the seeds and stem. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender and pure. Tear the hydrated chipotles into a few pieces and add them and the poblano to the blender to finish pureing.
Cook kale: In a saut pan, heat the oil and saut the kale and set aside.
Finish and assemble tacos: In a medium saut pan, heat the grapeseed oil, add the roasted potatoes and crush them with the back of a wooden spoon. Saut until the potatoes get lightly brown and crisp. Add enough of the verde spice mixture to moisten the potatoes well, taste and adjust seasonings.
Heat 6 tortillas (preferably freshly made). Place a spoonful of the potato mixture in the center and top with the sauted kale and queso fresco.
Wood Grilled Adobo Squash Taco
Serves 6
For adobo 6 guajillo chilies1 chipotle chili4 ancho chilies1 cup grapeseed oil1 cup boiling water8 whole all spice seeds1 teaspoon ground cumin1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano5 garlic cloves2 tablespoons sugar2 roma tomatoes, pan roasted or carefully broiled until skin blisters, then peeled cup apple cider vinegar teaspoon freshly ground pepper tablespoons saltFor the squash2 each Delicata squash, skin onSalt and fresh black pepperTo finish6 corn tortillas8 ounces Jack cheese, grated1 tablespoon grapeseed oilSalsa arbol (recipe follows)4 ounces arugula
Prepare adobo: Using gloves, remove the seeds and stems from the chilies. In a medium sauce pot, heat the oil to approximately 350 degrees. Add the guajillo chilies and fry approximately 30 seconds, then remove to a bowl of water. Repeat with the other chilies.
Place all the ingredients above in a blender and pure until smooth.
Heat a medium saut pan until hot and carefully pour in the adobo (be careful because it splatters). Cook for a few minutes and remove from the heat and cool. This can be stored in the refrigerator for at least a week.
Prepare squash: Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Clean the inside, removing the seeds and fibers. Rub the adobo on the inside and outside of each half and season of each with salt and pepper. Heat a grill (preferable wood burning) and grill the squash until its soft and nicely browned. Cool and slice into quarter-inch slices.
To assemble tacos: Line up six corn tortillas. Place a thin layer of jack cheese on each tortilla and top with the adobo grilled squash in a single layer. Top with a little more cheese. Heat a griddle to medium high heat or alternately you can do them one or two at a time in a saut pan. Add the oil to the griddle and place the tortilla, cheese side up. Let heat until the cheese just begins to melt, approximately 45 seconds and carefully flip over. Cook another 45 seconds or until the cheese has turned light brown. Remove the tacos, drizzle some arbol salsa on top and place a small mound of arugula in the center and fold into a taco shape.
Salsa Arbol
2 roma tomatoes 6 medium garlic cloves9 arbol chilies teaspoon dried Mexican oregano teaspoon salt teaspoon toasted, ground cumin
Make the salsa: Pan roast the tomatoes and garlic until skin blisters and peel both. Toast the chilies in a dry pan until fragrant; combine all salsa ingredients in a blender. Pure and reserve.
Recipes from Trey Foshee of Galaxy Taco
