Recipes Comfort Food Crispy Ricotta-Kale Tacos 5.0 (1) Add your rating & review Be sure to heat the tortillas in a hot skillet before stuffing them with the ricotta-kale mixture. Warming them up first makes them more pliable and less likely to break during the stuffing and cooking process. Opt for high-quality organic yellow corn tortillas; they tend to be chewier and more satisfying when fried. By Paola Briseño González Paola Briseño González Paola Briseño González is an avid cook from Puerto Vallarta, México, who wrote her first recipe for a Key lime cookie pie at age six. Her cooking is a reflection of her coastal roots and is fueled by her background in food anthropology and classical culinary training. When she is not organizing food festivals or cooking the perfect soft-scrambled eggs for singer J Balvin as his personal chef, she is the Director of Awards and Culinary Events at the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, a punk rock food writer, and her Old English Sheepdog, Fig. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines and Javier Cabral Javier Cabral Javier Cabral is a food writer from the barrios of East Los Angeles who has been covering Los Angeles culture and Mexican food for 15 years. He served as a valiant restaurant scout for the late Pulitzer Prize–winning restaurant critic Jonathan Gold at the Los Angeles Times. His first cookbook documenting Guelaguetza's James Beard Award–winning Oaxacan recipes will be out in fall 2019 from Abrams Books. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 1, 2019 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Victor Protasio Active Time: 20 mins Total Time: 45 mins Yield: 4 Ingredients SALSA 1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks removed 1 unpeeled garlic clove 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt 1/3 cup chopped salted roasted pistachios 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 small serrano chile, finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon) 1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallion TACOS 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cups packed thinly sliced kale 1 teaspoon plus a pinch of kosher salt, divided 1/2 teaspoon plus a pinch of freshly ground black pepper, divided 8 (6- to 8-inch) corn tortillas 1 (15-ounce) container requesón or whole-milk ricotta cheese, drained in a colander 15 minutes 1/3 cup canola oil Directions Make the salsa Preheat broiler to high with oven rack in upper third of oven. Place tomatillos and garlic in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Broil in preheated oven on upper rack, turning often, until evenly charred and tomatillos begin to release some of their liquid, about 10 minutes. Remove from skillet, and set aside. When garlic is cool enough to handle, remove and discard peel. Place tomatillos, garlic, and salt in a molcajete or mortar and pestle; mash until pulpy in texture. (To use a blender, pulse until roughly chopped, about 3 times, keeping some of the texture.) Transfer tomatillo mixture to a bowl, and stir in pistachios, lime juice, chile, and scallion. Make the tacos Heat olive oil in a clean 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium. Add kale, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Cook, stirring often, until kale is slightly wilted, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, and set aside to let cool slightly. Wipe out skillet. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, place tortilla in skillet. Cook over medium until pliable, about 15 seconds per side. Wrap warmed tortillas in a clean kitchen towel, and set aside. Add drained requesón, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to kale; stir until combined. Spoon about 1/4 cup cheese filling down center of each tortilla; fold in half. Add canola oil to skillet, and heat over medium-high until oil is shimmering but not smoking. Add a few tacos at a time, and fry until golden and lightly crisp, 20 to 30 seconds per side. (You’re not deep frying until jaggedly crispy; you’re only pan-frying for a little texture.) Drain tacos on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Serve immediately with salsa. Suggested Pairing Hoppy, piney IPA: Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA. Rate it Print