Foodie Chap With Tacolicious' Executive Chef Telmo Faria
(credit: Foodie Chap/Liam Mayclem)
KCBS radio "Foodie Chap" and KPIX 5 television "Eye On The Bay" host Liam Mayclem introduces us to the culinary stars behind the food and wine loved by so many in the Bay Area.
The son of Portuguese immigrants, Telmo spent the early part of his childhood on the island of Faial in the Azores, Portugal, where his father operated two restaurants. He then moved to San Jose, CA, where he grew up in a Latino neighborhood eating well. Telmo has been the executive chef at La Salette in Sonoma, as well as Tropisueño in San Francisco. He joined the Tacolicious team in 2010 opening the Fillmore street store first. Then three more T-lish restaurants followed on Valencia Street, another in North Beach and the latest one in Palo Alto.
As explained via their website – Tacolicious is by no means a traditional taqueria—you won't find burritos there. What started out in the summer of 2009 as a little taco stand at the Thursday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market with a fittingly frivolous name, has become a sit-down, cocktail-driven restaurant, 120 tequilas strong. Tacos anchor a menu that extends to dishes such as beet salad with grapefruit and pumpkin seeds, tuna tostadas, grilled squid served Veracruz-style, albondigas, shrimp a la diabla, and toasted coconut flan. I am proud to say I once served as a "guest line cook" at the busy Thursday market stand. After two hours, more than 100 tacos prepped ( though it felt like 1000) and much sweat on my fevered brow, I quickly tipped my hat to the T-lish team for serving quality tacos at a rapid, gun-fire speed ...... no easy task indeed. Interestingly as the first non-chef to guest chef I have not been asked to return!!
Now to 2014 and the release of the Tacolicious cookbook penned by writer and Food editor (SF Magazine & 7×7) Sara Deseran. Sara and husband Joe Hargrave are biz partners with Chef Telmo and Bar guru Mike Barrow. "Tacolicious: tacos, snacks cocktails and more" is a bright, accessible book stacked to the gills with great recipes and brilliant photos and all you need to know to throw a terrific taco party. It's a book already being used in my house for sure.
I cannot sign off here without mentioning the other things I love about Tacolicious – of course the TACO of the day which could be short rib one day and 3 spiced chicken the next – it is always an inviting option. My local T-lish joint is on SF's Valencia street. Next door is MOSTO – a tequila bar – also part of the Tacolicious family. For tequila fans this is the spot to go to. However back at Tacolicious my fave cocktail on the menu is "Pasion"(radicional silver, passion fruit, habanero). I brought two Canadian pals by not too long ago; Jason Priestly (yes the star of 90210 came to the 94110) and actor/broadcaster Terry David Mulligan for a TV shoot to enjoy cocktails and eats. They both remarked that the tacos were "among the best we've ever had" and as for the Pasion? "I will call this the deep throat" said Priestly – "it goes down smooth, tickles as it goes and then lingers a little and burns deep in the throat". You heard it here first.
Enjoy the foodie chap chat with Chef Telmo and enjoy the book too. You will find it in bookstores NOW and at all four Tacolicious locations.
Cheers!
KCBS Foodie Chap Podcast:
(credit: Foodie Chap/Liam Mayclem)
Tuna Tostadas Contramar-Style
If you can't find small tortillas to fry, take normal sized corn tortillas and use kitchen scissors to cut them down to size. Another, easier, alternative is to just buy premade tostadas. They might not be quite as good but they'll save you some hassle. To make a down and dirty chipotle mayo just take regular mayonnaise and stir in a little adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chilies.
Makes 12 tostadas; serves 6
Ingredients:
2 cups canola oil
12 four to five-inch yellow corn tortillas
½ cup trimmed, cleaned and sliced leeks, white and light-green part only (sliced 1/8-inch thick) soak the leeks in water once cut to clean off any dirt inside the layers
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1 ½ pound sashimi grade sustainable tuna, cut into 1/8 inch thick slices
2 avocados, peeled, cut in half and cut into 36- 1/8 thick slices
kosher salt to taste
12 wedges of lime (about 2 limes)
½ cup chipotle mayo (see recipe below)
Pour the oil into a deep frying pan over medium heat (think we need the oil temp for a frying recipe; can you tell me what it is? the oil should be at 350). Fry the tortillas two at a time until they are a deep golden color and crispy, about 60-90 seconds per side, using tongs to turn them. Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel–lined plate to absorb excess oil. Set aside.
Remove the pan from the heat, reserving the oil in the pan to fry the leeks.
Place the leeks in a small sauce pot with just enough water to cover them. Over high heat bring to a boil and then remove them from the heat. Strain them in a colander and run under cold water for 30 seconds, gently pressing out excess water. Place them on a paper towel lined plate to wick away excess moisture.
Place the frying pan with oil (might have to add another ½ cup or so at this point depending on if the tortillas absorbed a lot–what depth of oil are you looking for? 1 inch? we need to give that info it needs to be enough to submerge the leeks, so it will depend on the size of the saute pan, but I imagine saying 1 inch or enough to submerge the leeks would be good ) back over medium-low heat. Once the oil is hot (when frying the leeks, I always turn the oil down to 325 to ensure getting a nice golden brown color on the leeks, otherwise they tend to get slightly burnt), carefully add the leeks to oil, and fry them until golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes. Stir them often during cooking and be careful not to let them burn. Transfer them to a paper towel lined plate to soak up extra oil.
Mix the soy sauce and lime juice together in a glass or ceramic bowl, and gently place the tuna slices in the bowl, stir gently to make sure all the tuna is covered in the marinade. Let the tuna marinade for 4-5 minutes, then pour out the excess marinade.
To assemble the tostadas, place the fried tortillas (tostadas) on a flat surface and spread about 2 teaspoons of the chipotle mayo on each one. Place 2 ounces (3-4 slices) of the marinated tuna on top of the chipotle mayo. On top of the tuna place about 2 teaspoons of the crispy leeks. Top the entire thing with 3 slices of avocado, season the avocado with a tiny pinch of salt.
Serve with wedges of lime to squeeze over the tostadas (we like it like this anyways...).
Chipotle Aioli
Ingredients:
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cloves garlic minced
1½ cups, canola oil
¼ cup chipotles in adobo sauce, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
In a food processor, place the egg yolks, lemon juice and minced garlic. Blend for about 30-45 seconds.
While the food processor is running, pour in the oil in a slow steady stream until it has emulsified and becomes thick. It's important to note to start very slowly with the oil as it will break quickly in a food processor, since the food processor heats up all the ingredients. I would suggest using a cold egg yolk and alternating drops of ice water with the oil to start until it emulsifies.
Once the aioli is "set", add the chipotles and salt and process for an additional 30 seconds, until the chipotles are fully incorporated.
Place in a plastic container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Enjoy!
For more on Tacolicious, visit tacolicious.com
