Recipes Comfort Food Fideos Secos Tacos Be the first to rate & review! These griddled tacos are filled with fideos secos, a Mexican dish of thin spaghetti cooked in a chile-based tomato sauce until the pasta has absorbed the flavor and rich red color of the sauce. By Claudette Zepeda Claudette Zepeda Claudette Zepeda is an award-winning Mexican-American chef from San Diego known for her bold culinary style. She was the executive chef and creative force behind the critically acclaimed regional Mexican restaurant, El Jardin. Claudette competed on Top Chef Mexico Season 2 and Top Chef Season 15.Experience: Claudette Zepeda's distinctive culinary style was born out of a life lived on the border of two worlds and two food traditions, Tijuana and San Diego. She first came into prominence working under celebrated chef/restauranteur Javier Plascencia, a master of Baja Mediterranean cuisine and a native of Tijuana. Claudette describes her time at his restaurant, Bracero Cocina de Raiz, as attending "Caesar Academy" and that "it was a practice of discipline and perfection."When she partnered with Johan Engman's Rise & Shine Restaurant Group to open the upscale El Jardin Cantina in 2018, Claudette put her stamp on regional Mexican cooking. She designed a menu that paid homage to the women in her family who taught her how to cook and the ones she's met through her travels who keep Mexico's culinary traditions alive. Esquire named El Jardin one of the best new restaurants of 2018. In 2019, it was included on the Michelin Guide's Bib Gourmand list.Claudette's work has also been featured in The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Forbes, Thrillist, Munchies, and San Diego Magazine, among others. She parted ways with El Jardin in 2019 and became the consulting executive chef of VAGA at Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas in 2020. In addition to appearances on shows like Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, Claudette devotes her time to helping women break out of generational poverty. She founded Viva La Vida in 2019, establishing micro-businesses with single mothers throughout Mexico so they can support their families by exporting their heirloom ingredients to the U.S. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 1, 2020 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Greg Dupree Active Time: 40 mins Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins Yield: 14 tacos Ingredients Chile Base 2 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded 1 dried chipotle chile, stemmed and seeded 1 1/2 cups boiling water 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce (such as Pomì) 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems 2 teaspoons kosher salt Fideo Filling 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil 1/2 pound fresh Mexican chorizo, casings removed 8 ounces uncooked fideo (spaghettini) 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic 1 fresh or dried bay leaf 1 dried chile de árbol 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish 3 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup) 14 (6-inch) fresh corn tortillas 1 cup Mexican crema 1 large avocado (about 8 ounces), sliced 5 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (about 1 1/4 cups) Directions Make the chile base Heat a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet over medium. Add chiles; cook, turning occasionally, until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 4 minutes. Transfer chiles to a blender; add 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Let stand 30 minutes. Add tomato sauce, cilantro, and salt. Process until smooth, about 20 seconds. Set aside. Make the fideo filling Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add chorizo, and cook, stirring occasionally, until crumbled and browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in fideo, garlic, bay leaf, and chile de árbol. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fideo is lightly toasted and turning opaque, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in chile base. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until fideo is tender and liquid is fully absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once after 8 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf and chile de árbol. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl, and stir in cilantro. Let cool 20 minutes. Stir in Monterey Jack cheese. Top each tortilla with 1/3 cup fideo filling; fold each tortilla in half, pressing gently. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high. Working in batches, toast tacos until tortilla is lightly charred and filling is warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Top tacos with Mexican crema, avocado slices, and crumbled queso fresco. Garnish with cilantro. Serve immediately. Make Ahead Chile base can be made up to 3 days in advance. Notes Use fresh tortillas; they’re less likely to tear or crack when charring. Suggested Pairing Spicy, peppery Syrah. Rate it Print