Tacos De Cecina (pounded Lamb Tacos)

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 guajillo chilies, stemmed and seeded (see note)
• 2 (1 lb) lamb tenderloin
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried mexican oregano
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus
• more extra virgin olive oil, for coating the pan
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 16 corn tortillas
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 limes, cut in wedges,for serving

Recipe

• 1 bring 1 cup of water to a boil, in a dry cast-iron skillet, toast the chilies over medium-low heat for 2 minutes, until fragrant; turn them and shake the pan so they don't scorch.
• 2 put the toasted chilies in a bowl, cover with the boiling water, and let them soak until softened and reconstituted, about 15 minutes.
• 3 using a sharp knife, make a deep slit down the length of the tenderloins and open them up so they lay flat.
• 4 with the smooth side of a mallet, pound the lamb between two pieces of plastic to a 1/4-inch thickness.
• 5 transfer to a platter.
• 6 in a blender, combine the toasted chilies, vinegar, oregano, 2 tablespoons of oil, salt, and pepper, and puree to form a paste.
• 7 rub the paste on both sides of the lamb.
• 8 cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• 9 preheat grill or ridged grill pan.
• 10 brush grill grates with a little oil to prevent meat from sticking.
• 11 scrape off excess chili paste from lamb and grill for 2 minutes per side.
• 12 remove to cutting board and let rest for 2 minutes.
• 13 slice into 1/4-inch pieces.
• 14 heat a large dry skillet over a medium flame.
• 15 warm the tortillas for 30 seconds on each side, until toasty and pliable.
• 16 to make the tacos, stack 2 warm tortillas, lay about 4 ounces of lamb down the center, and sprinkle with some onion and cilantro.
• 17 drizzle 1 1/2 teaspoons of salsa on top of each taco and garnish with lime wedges.
• 18 note: guajillo chili is the dried form of the fresh mirasol chili.
• 19 can be found at latin markets.