May 18: Lettillas: Mix-n-Match Lettuce Tacos

BEEF FILLING
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground sirloin
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup tomato sauce

SHRIMP FILLING
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 pound small shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper
   Zest and juice of 1 lime
   A handful of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, your choice

1 large head of iceberg lettuce, cored, then cut into quarters
1 sack shredded Cheddar cheese
4 scallions, chopped
1 cup chopped green olives with pimientos

Prep all the ingredients for the fillings before you heat up the skillets at the stovetop so you can work two pans at once. Start the shrimp pan last; it takes just 5 minutes to cook. The meat filling takes double that time or more.

For the beef filling, add the EVOO to a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and brown the meat. Add the onions, garlic, and bell peppers and season with Worcestershire, chili powder, salt, and pepper.

Cook the beef mixture for 5 minutes more, then add the tomato sauce, stir to combine, and turn off the heat.

For the shrimp filling, heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the EVOO. Add the garlic, jalapenos, then shrimp and cook, stirring constantly, until the shrimp are pink and firm, 3 to 4 minutes.

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, lime zest and juice, and chopped parsley or cilantro.

Serve the fillings in bowls with the lettuce and toppings of cheese, scallions, and olives in smaller bowls all alongside.

Take a piece of lettuce, place a heaping serving spoonful of filling on it, top with cheese, scallions, and olives, fold up the sides of the lettuce leaf, and eat.

4 SERVINGS

This is a fun meal. It tastes great and it is a plus that my husband likes it. We both agreed, it would have been better with real taco shells, but the lettuce is ok. I used an orange bell pepper because that's what I had. I forgot to buy chili powder, so I used a dash of hot sauce with equal parts cumin and oregano. I used jalapeno and parsley, and I forgot to get more scallions, so we skipped those. The fillings were really good, and the toppings were just right.