Only in Los Angeles can your Taco Tuesday obsession be this clean. Petty Cash in West Hollywood is a local favorite and a must-taste destination for visiting foodies, but it’s so much more than a cool kid hang. This casual, but innovative street food restaurant, a collaboration between celebrated Chef Walter Manzke (Republique) and restaurateur Bill Chait (Bestia, Sotto), is setting the pace other foodie hotspots by using top local, seasonal and eco-friendly ingredients right on down to their GMO-free corn tortillas.
About GMOs: when it comes to genetically modified organism foods corn is one of the worst offenders – quite the bummer, since it’s in so many of our favorite snacks and entrees. Petty Cash, however, is one of the first to marry our love for Mexican food and responsible dining by making their own fresh, non-GMO tortillas.
Not near L.A? Good news – you can whip up Petty Cash’s non-GMO tortillas yourself! Try Chef Manzke’s recipe – then take it up a notch by using them to create the restaurant’s OMG-inducing acorn squash tacos at home…
Acorn Squash Tacos
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For taco filling:
1/2 acorn squash, thinly sliced
2 cups of baby spinach
2 Tbsp of pistachios
red salsa
Manchego cheese
For tempura batter:
1 beer
1 cup of corn starch
1 cup of rice flour
1 Tbsp of baking powder
For tortillas:
5 lbs of masienda corn
1/4 teaspoon of lye
water to cover
Directions:
For the tacos:
Thinly slice the acorn squash. In a bowl mix the corn starch, baking powder and rice flour. Add beer. Mix the acorn squash with the tempura batter and deep fry for 40 sec (or until golden brown). Chiffonnade the raw baby spinach. Warm up the tortilla, add the salsa roja, add the tempura acorn squash, lightly salted. Top with baby spinach, grated Manchego cheese and pistachios.
For the tortillas:
Combine ingredients. Cook for 45 minutes. Let it rest for 4 hours. Drain and grind. Then, knead the masa with 1 tablespoon of filtered water. With your hand or a tortilla press, make the desired shape and thickness of your tortilla. Place the tortilla on the griddle for 30 seconds, and flip for another 30 seconds. Enjoy!
