Street tacos. Photo by Han Nguyen Dinner is served at our house every night at 5:30 and everyone is welcome. I cook for an army.
I came from a big family and our table was always loaded. No one need worry about going hungry at my house. Everyone in my family has a hand in helping with meal preparation and cleanup.
I have two grown children, four grandchildren who are in their mid-20s and sundry of their friends who regularly come by to eat and socialize. All my family members are excellent cooks and bakers, and my husband, Marshall, is my reliable sous chef. While we eat, if there is no guest, we wax rhapsodically over the food being served – and what is on the menu for the next night.
Dinner isn’t just dinner. After we eat, we clean up the kitchen and then catch up with each other in the living room for about half an hour. The oven, a big electric skillet and the outdoor grill are the mainstays of my meal preparation.
I prepare meals to reflect the seasons. Come June, rhubarb will be made into pies and sauce. I have old cooking utensils, some of which came from my mother’s kitchen.
The handle on one of the spoons is loosening, but I won’t give it up until the handle literally falls off. Whisks serve a purpose because I like sauces and soups to be smooth. Last year, I became obsessed with creating the perfect sauerbraten roast.
All in all, it’s a four-day project, and I made it multiple times over the course of the winter and fall. I won’t be able to make sauerbraten again until fall returns because it’s too hot to have the oven on all day. At this time of year, I pick vegetables from my own garden and bring them inside to be the focus of my meals.
Growing my own food is in my genes. My great-grandfather was a vegetable farmer in Ohio. He grew so many cabbages that in the prime of the season he was able to can thousands of jars of sauerkraut.
It was written in genealogical reports that this grandfather brought truckloads of melons to family reunions. In the summer, with help from anyone I can grab, I preserve pickles, jams, jellies and salsas. What does nourishment me to me? That’s a complicated question.
My answer would be an amalgamation of all the hereditary threads of my background. My mother made haddock chowder, and it was the same chowder made by her own mother and my aunts. My German grandmother gave me a craving for dark bread made with molasses, and my mostly Scottish father ate pickled pig’s feet and sweetbreads with scrambled eggs.
I am passionate about preparing meals for my family, and I have been doing it for 55 years. There’s nothing I enjoy more than gathering over good food and conversation. The evening meal sustains me.
STREET TACOS If I want everyone to be at our home for dinner, all I need to do is send a family text announcing that street tacos will be served. My family loves this freewheeling dinner, and my grandson Marshall is always on board to help. He handles the marinating of the meat and shrimp and grills them both to perfection.
Tacos are convenient because you can customize them for meat lovers, pescatarians and vegetarians alike. Fill these build-your-own beauties with whatever pleases your palate or food plan. Our taco choices for just one meal may range from carne asada to shrimp to refried beans.
Street tacos, typically sold by street vendors, come by their name because they are small and easy to carry around. We use the street taco tortillas that are sold in most grocery stores. You’ll need at least 1 package.
These tortillas are small, soft and pillowy. Either fry the tortillas individually in a skillet with a small amount of oil or tightly wrap them in aluminum foil and warm them in a 375-degree F oven for about 15 minutes. To top the taco with any of the following, alone or combined: Shredded Mexican cheese, sour cream, guacamole or sliced avocado, thinly sliced radishes, lime wedges, chopped fresh tomatoes, chopped romaine lettuce, jumbo pitted black olives, chopped red onion, chopped cilantro and any red or green salsa.
CARNE ASADA This spicy, savory meat is marinated overnight, grilled, then cut into bite-sized strips. The recipe was created by my grandson, Marshall Abbott. For the Marinade: 2 pounds of flank or skirt steak 1 cup olive oil 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 1 bunch cilantro, chopped 1⁄2 cup soy sauce 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon ground paprika 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon dried oregano Place all the ingredients into a large food storage bag.
Squeeze together so they are well mixed. Seal, then place the bag into the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. When ready to serve, remove the meat from the bag and wipe off loose marinade.
Discard the marinade. Grill the steak on a hot grill for about 5 minutes on each side. Place the steak on a cutting board and let it rest 8 -10 minutes before slicing it across the grain.
Arrange the steak slices on a platter. GRILLED SHRIMP You will need about 6 skewers for the shrimp. 2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed 1/3 cup olive oil 4 teaspoons fresh lime juice 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 1⁄2 teaspoon each salt and pepper Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and let the shrimp marinate about 20 minutes.
Thread the shrimp on skewers and grill until done. The timing can vary depending on the size of the shrimp and heat of the grill, but when the shrimp turns pink and opaque, it is done. REFRIED BEANS OR CHICKEN Two cans of refried beans, heated, provide either a base for the other taco elements or the tacos themselves for some diners.
For chicken tacos, shred a rotisserie chicken into bite-sized pieces. Anne Holliday Abbott with her grandson Marshall Abbott. Photo by Han Nguyen.
Photo by Han Nguyen MEET THE COOK, Anne Holliday Abbott I earned a degree in journalism from The University of Arizona with an emphasis on feature writing and photography. I wrote and took photos professionally for 50 years. In my retirement, I create thread and watercolor paintings.
I have also just published my first novel, “Every Lifetime,” an intergenerational story of family love and loss that is set in Maine. The novel is based on the story of a foundling left on a front porch. This actually happened in my husband’s Maine family in the late 1920s.
I’ve lived in Portland for 21 years. In the kitchen, I am gradually passing the torch to my daughter and my four grandchildren, as they have all become creative home cooks. Modify your screen name Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below.
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