Shepherds' Tacos / Tacos Al Pastor

10 g achiote paste (see Note) 

3½ tablespoons dried guajillo chilli powder  

2 teaspoons table salt  

50 ml white vinegar  

1 kg boneless pork leg, cut into 5 mm thick slices 

500 g beef cheeks, cut into 5 mm thick slices  

2 white onions, thinly sliced  

2 x quantities tortilla dough (option to include recipe below or say “40 small (11cm) store-bought corn tortillas”) 

¼ pineapple, peeled, cored, thinly sliced  

lime wedges to serve 

1 white onion, diced  

25 g chopped coriander leaves  

300 ml salsa taquera (recipe below) 

1. Place the achiote, chilli powder, salt and vinegar in the small bowl of a food processor and process to make a thick marinade. 

2. Place the pork and beef cheek in a large bowl and rub the achiote marinade into the meat. Set aside in the fridge to marinate for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight. 

3. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the marinated pork and beef in a roasting tin in a single layer and add the onion in between the slices of meat. Cover the tin with foil, then place in the oven and roast for 1 hour. 

4. Meanwhile, make your tortillas! Follow the instructions below to make forty 11 cm tortillas. REMOVE THIS STEP IF RECOMMENDING STORE-BOUGHT TORTILLAS. 

5. Remove the roasting tin from the oven and discard the foil. Place the pineapple over the pork and beef and return the tin, uncovered, to the oven and roast for a further 30 minutes. 

6. Once the pastor is ready, slice the meat as thinly as you can (like shaved kebab meat) and divide it among 20 double-thickness tortillas. 

Top the tacos with the onion, coriander, roasted pineapple and salsa taquera. Serve with lime wedges on the side. 

ACHIOTE - Sold in small blocks, this paste made from annatto seeds is often used to give a radiant colour and sour flavour to food. It is one of the signature ingredients of Yucatan cuisine. 

TORTILLAS - Makes about 20 corn tortillas 

500 g masa flour 

600 ml warm water  

Pinch table salt  

50 ml vegetable oil  

vegetable oil spray for cooking 

1. Combine the masa, warm water, salt and oil in a bowl until you have a soft and non-sticky dough.  

2. Lightly spray a comal or heavy-based frying pan with oil spray and place over medium–high heat. 

3. Place a square of plastic wrap over the bottom half of a tortilla press. To make 16 cm tortillas, roll 50 g of the dough into a ball and place it in the middle of the tortilla press. Cover with another square of plastic wrap (this stops the dough sticking to the press), then close the tortilla press and gently press to flatten the dough into a 3 mm thick tortilla. If you are making 11 cm tortillas, reduce the quantity of dough to 35 g for each tortilla. 

4. Open the tortilla press, remove the top layer of plastic wrap and flip the tortilla onto your hand. 

5. Remove the bottom layer of plastic wrap and place the tortilla in the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes, then flip over and cook for another 2 minutes.  

6. Transfer the tortilla to a tortilla warmer or folded tea towel and repeat with the remaining dough, using more oil spray as needed. 

TACO SALSA / SALSA TAQUERA – Makes about 250ml  

300 g fresh or tinned tomatillos  

½ white onion, halved  

2 garlic cloves  

1 tomato  

100 ml vegetable oil  

2 dried guajillo chillies  

10 dried chillies de árbol (alternatively use fresh cayenne or thai red chillies) 

10 g table salt  

1. If you are lucky enough to find fresh tomatillos, remove the husks and thoroughly wash the fruit.  

2. Place half the onion, the garlic, tomato, tomatillos, 1 tablespoon of the oil and 500 ml (2 cups) water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil over high heat and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover the pan and set aside to cool to room temperature.  

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil in a frying pan over low heat. Add the guajillo chillies and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes on both sides, making sure the chillies don’t burn. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chillies and add them to the ingredients in the saucepan. Repeat this step with the chillies de árbol. 

4. Meanwhile, finely chop the remaining onion. Transfer the contents of the pan to a large mortar or blender, add the salt and pound with a pestle or blend to a chunky salsa. Place the salsa in a serving bowl, stir through the finely chopped onion and serve. 

5. Store the salsa in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. 

Recipes extracted from Comida Mexicana by Rosa Cienfuegos, published by Smith Street Books, RRP$45. 

Photography © Alicia Taylor, Food Stylist © Deborah Kaloper