Firehouse recipes…corned beef tacos

You read it right, corned beef tacos. Not only is the title memorable, but the taste is also one you will never forget.

Maricopa firefighter/paramedic Ryan Powell’s corned beef taco recipe has converted many non-believers over the years and has grown to legendary culinary status. Once people get past the idea of mixing a Mexican food classic with a staple Irish ingredient, they quickly realize what a treat it is to have Powell cook these for you.

Powell learned this recipe from his father, a Phoenix Fire Department captain (retired), and for the past two generations firehouses all over the Valley have enjoyed this real Powell treat.

“I got this recipe from my dad who got it from my grandma,” Powell said. “It’s been a family and firehouse favorite for as long as I can remember. I hope you all enjoy the tacos as much as my family, friends and co-workers have.”

Powell offers a note of caution. “Be careful of splatter; cooking with hot oil is always a challenge and sometimes dangerous. So please let the experienced cooks do the frying.”

Powell has been employed in the fire/EMS service for the past 15 years. In 1995 he started working for Southwest Ambulance and as a reserve firefighter with the Guadalupe Fire Department. He joined Maricopa Fire Department three and a half years ago. Along with a passion for cooking, Powell is an avid fisherman and talented musician.

Ingredients:

. Arizona brand yellow or white corn tortillas [taco size]
. Corned beef in a can
. Mexican-style shredded cheese
. Cabbage
. Tomatoes
. Diced black olives
. Olive oil
 
Instructions:

Heat the corned beef up in a saucepan with a little bit of water. Chop the cabbage and dice the tomatoes. Heat the oil up in a frying pan. Put a little bit of the heated corned beef in the tortilla (too much corned beef in each taco gets a little overpowering) and fry it to a taco shape to desired taco hardness. The longer the taco is fried, the harder the taco will be. Drain out excess oil, put cheese in it and let it cool. Put desired fixings in it and enjoy the strangest, most delicious taco you’ll ever have.

“I like to serve it with refried or black beans, and a veggie or Spanish rice,” Powell said. “The fixings I like to put in it are diced tomatoes, chopped cabbage and diced black olives in that order. I fry each side a couple seconds…not too hard, not too soft.”

By Michael K. Rich