ThinkProof Cooking^TM
Chicken Tacos: Meal Guide

A. Menu

Type	Snack Meal
Food	Chicken Tacos
Booze	Beer
Serves	Four diners; Starting 6.30pm
Sources	"Old El Paso Mexican Cook Book", Broadway Marketing Services, Wokingham, p14 [only copy in existence: previous one destroyed in the great fire at Alexandria]

B. Ingredients Checklist

Stuff to have or buy:

*Ingredient*	*Already have*	*To buy*
Onion (one medium)
Red pepper (one)
Garlic bulb (one)
Spring onions (three)
Iceberg lettuce (one)
Butter (45g/1½oz)
Milk (90ml/6tbsp)
Soured cream (125ml/¼pt)
Cheddar cheese (c.60g/2oz)
Chicken breast (500g/18oz)
Taco shells (pack of 12)
Sweetcorn (tinned; 60g/2oz)
Taco sauce (c.115g/4oz)
Cornflour (two teaspoons)
Raisins (30g/1oz)
Flaked almonds (30g/1oz)
Crystallised ginger (30g/1oz)
Black pepper
Beer

C. Pre-Preparation

When?: Timeline minus c.four hours (e.g. c.2pm)

How long?: Pre-preparation takes about 1 minute

Ö
	1	Put beer in fridge

D. Preparation

When?: Timeline minus thirty minutes (e.g. c.5.15pm)

How long?: Preparation takes about 25 minutes

Food Preparation

Ö
	1	Blend 90ml (6tbsp) of milk with 2 teaspoons of cornflour
	2	Chop the onion
	3	Core, deseed, wash and chop red pepper
	4	Prepare toppings for tacos; As you prepare each, place it in a suitable bowl and cover with clingfilm – Grate 60g (2oz) of cheddar cheese; Wash and fine-chop three spring onions; Pour out 115g (4oz) of taco salsa; Measure out 60g (2oz) of tinned sweetcorn; Wash and chop a few leaves of iceberg lettuce; Measure out 30g (1oz flaked almonds); Measure out 30g (1oz) of raisins; Measure out 30g (1oz) of crystallised ginger (ensure it's not all one big lump)
	5	Clear away

Note: Keep food fresh in containers; Any dairy/fish/meat in fridge

Timeline Preparation

Ö
	1	Get cooking implements ready:	Frying pan and spoon; Plate for onion mixture; Oven tray; Food processor; Garlic press
	2	Get serving implements ready:	Spoons and small bowls/containers for each one of the toppings; Medium bowl and serving spoon for chicken mixture
	3	Get eating implements ready:	Large plates for first course; Beer and other glasses
	4	Make sure ingredients are all to hand:	All prepared items; Chicken; Taco shells; Butter; Garlic; Soured cream; Black pepper

E. Timeline Cooking^TM

Ö	*Abs*	*Rel*	*Your*
	5.51	0		Chop chicken in a food processor until it looks like mince; Wash hands, etc.
	5.56	+5		Melt 30g (1oz) butter in frying pan
	5.57	+6		Put chopped onion and pressed garlic into pan, and fry until soft
	6.03	+12		Add red pepper and cook until golden brown
	6.07	+16		Remove onion/pepper mixture onto a plate
	6.08	+17		Melt 15g (½oz) butter in frying pan
	6.09	+18		Fry chicken in pan over a medium heat, turning frequently until cooked through; pull apart any large chunks
	6.15	+24		Add onion/pepper mixture back into pan; Add a grind of pepper if you wish
	6.17	+26		Add milk/cornflour mixture gently into pan, stirring continuously; Then simmer until it thickens
	6.22	+31		Put oven on to 180^oC/350^oF/Gas Mark 4
	6.24	+33		Add 125ml (¼pt) soured cream into pan and heat through
	6.26	+35		Put taco shells in oven on oven tray, open side down
	6.28	+37		Remove taco shells from oven
	6.30	+39		Fill taco shells with mixture; add toppings and sauce to taste

F. Post-Serving Notes

The Meal

A good kids snack meal: they like filling their own shells.

Variations

· Use other toppings such as avocado, or chopped tomatoes, or mango chutney, or coleslaw.

· Use chicken thighs instead of breast: tastes the same but cheaper.

· Use beef instead of chicken: in that case, put the beef on to fry at the same time as the onion and garlic; don't remove any ingredients from the pan; and drain off any excess fat from the frying pan half-way through.