If you can find Ortega’s Red Bell Pepper Taco Shells*, you can make Valentine Tacos (photo #1).

Or, arrange conventional tacos in a heart shape (photo #2).

In either case, top Valentine tortillas with your favorite red garnishes, such as:

 
Top fish tacos with rosy pink imitation crab leg (photo #3)—or real crab, if you’re flush.

While many people enjoy tacos with a soft tortilla shell, for others the crunch of a hard shell is part of the taco experience.

The hard shells are simply a soft tortilla folded into a taco shape, then fried until golden and hardened. (The hard, pre-fried corn tortilla shell is not authentic, but created in the U.S.A. See the history below.

 
TORTILLA HISTORY

Tortillas, a flatbread, have been a staple in Mexico for thousands of years. They were eaten plain as well as a to hold cooked foods.

The oldest-known tortillas date back to approximately 10,000 B.C.E., made of the local staple food, corn.†

Many thousands of years later, in 1519, Hernán Cortés and his Spanish troops arrived in the Aztec empire (modern-day Mexico) and noted that the locals ate “flat corn bread.”

The Aztec name for the flatbread is tlaxcalli (tlox-cah-YEE); the Mexicans used the name tortilla, “little cake.”

The original tortilla was made from nixtamalized‡ maize/corn flour. However, today’s tortillas are commonly made from less nutritious, less flavorful wheat flour. Wheat is easier to work with.

While maize/corn tortillas have a heartier texture, flavor and better nutrition, the gluten in wheat flour tortillas enables them to be made larger and thinner without breaking.

By the same token, corn tortillas they can be gluten free, depending on the manufacturer (Mission tortillas are gluten free).
 
 

[1] Valentine tacos in red taco shells (photo © Elegant Affairs Caterers).

[2] Some people place conventional tacos in a heart-shaped baking pan. At Rosepepper Cantina in Nashville (photo © Rosepepper Cantina).

[3] Use rosy imitation crab leg to top fish tacos (photo © Trade Korea).

[4] Look for red (bell pepper-colored) taco shells from Ortega.

Authentic or not, within 50 years the United States had shipped hard taco shells worldwide, from Australia to Mongolia—redefining the taco in the eyes of millions, if not billions.

And Taco Tuesday?

This American event was begun in in 1982 as a successful promotion by Taco John’s. It encouraged people to go out for tacos on Tuesday nights, and offered specials like $1 fish tacos.

________________

*They are available on Amazon, but the one reviewer noted that though they tasted good, many arrived broken.

†The original varieties of corn, hybridized by the Aztecs, were far more nutritious than today’s corn, which has been bred over the years for yield rather than nutrition.

‡Nixtamalization is a process that prepares the maize/corn, in which the grain is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution, usually limewater, and hulled.

‡‡Bell was the owner of hot dog and burger stands in southern California. In 1954, he added tacos to the menu, and based on demand, opened three Taco Tias in the San Bernardino area. He eventually sold them and opened four El Tacos with a partner in the Long Beach area. In 1962, he sold the El Tacos to his partner and opened his first Taco Bell. It grew to 868 restaurants and was sold to PepsiCo in 1978 [more].

[1] Magnum’s Ruby Mini Ice Cream Bar (photo © Magnum Ice Cream).

A few months ago we wrote about ruby chocolate, the fourth type of chocolate after dark, milk and white.

Ruby is the first new chocolate in 80 years. The pink-colored chocolate gets its hue naturally, from a particular type of cacao bean.

Of the three longstanding chocolate types, ruby most resembles white chocolate—but with a unique berry fruitiness that has a bit of tartness. It’s a unique chocolate experience.

Here’s more about ruby chocolate.

Confectioners have begun to introduce ruby chocolate in cookies and chocolate candies.

But the first ice cream we know of—and a perfect treat for Valentine’s Day—is Magnum Ruby Mini Ice Cream Bars.

Appropriately pink, with a cracking ruby chocolate shell, get some to treat:

Magnum Ruby Minis are a delight year-round.

Thanks, Magnum!
 
 
>>>Check Out Our Chocolate Glossary<<<
  

Many people grow herbs at home. How about peppercorns?

If your Valentine has a green thumb, a peppercorn plant is a different kind of gift.

You can grow one as a houseplant (photo #1); or if you live in a semi-tropical climate, you can grow it outdoors (here’s what you need to know to grow the plant outdoors).

When grown as a houseplant, all it needs is moderate light in an east or west window.

Why grow a peppercorn plant at home?

 
 
THE MOST POPULAR SPICE IN THE WORLD

Black pepper is the most commonly used spice in the world. It has been used since antiquity for both seasoning and as a medicine.

Some might have guessed that salt is the most commonly used “spice,” but:

 
 
The Origin Of Peppercorns

The black peppercorn plant (Piper nigrum) is native to India and is grown in other Southeastern Asian countries.

It is cultivated for its fruits—tiny berries with the peppercorn (the seed) inside. The berries mature from green to red (photo #2).

The berries are dried, and the fruit on the outside is removed, leaving the seed.

 
There are numerous varieties of pepper. Check out our Pepper Glossary.

The spiciness of pepper is due to the organic compound piperine. (Chiles get their heat from capsaicin, an unrelated compound.)
 
 
WHO WANTS A PEPPERCORN PLANT?

 
You can easily find black peppercorn plants online.

[1] Your plant (or seed pack) arrives, ready for tender loving care—and in the case of this plant, a good pruning (available at Logee’s)

[2] Piper nigrum grown into a full, glossy plant. The peppercorn clusters ripen at different rates, thus both reddish and green on this plant (available from Eternal Cover | Amazon).

[3] Black and white peppercorns. The white peppercorns are the actual seed inside the black exocarp, which is removed so as not to leave black specks in elegant dishes (photo © Adam Kozlowski | iStock Photo).

[1] Creamy heaven, half mashed potatoes, half melted cheese. The recipe was developed by Cheryl Bennett of Pook’s Pantry (recipe and photos #1 and #2 © Idaho Potato Commission.

[2] Pommes Aligot is stretchy, like fondue.

[3] Laguiole, the original cheese used for Pommes Aligot. It’s difficult to find in the U.S., but there are substitutes (photo © Au Fromager De Rungis).

Ready for some affordable luxury?

Pommes Aligot (pum AH-lee-go) is a whipped mashed potato dish blended with butter, cream, crushed garlic, and almost as much melted cheese as potatoes.

This is not “cheesy mashed potatoes.” It’s a cross between whipped mashed potatoes and cheese fondue.

It’s luxurious, rich, and a perfect marriage of silky potatoes with creamy melted cheese (photo #1).

Like fondue, Pommes Aligot (Aligot Potatoes) is ready to eat when it develops a smooth, elastic texture (photo #2). Like fondue, as it cools, the elasticity wanes.

Pommes Aligot originated in the southern Massif Central of France. It is commonly found in three regions—Auvergne, Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées—and the départements of Aveyron, Cantal and Lozère.

 
THE HISTORY OF POMMES ALIGOT

Potatoes came to Europe from the New World in the 16th century, engendering the development of many potato dishes, including numerous recipes that included cheese.

But Pommes Aligot is not that old. Created in the Aubrac area of France, the recipe is distinguished by the type of cheese used: a local cheese, laguiole (LAY-ole). It’s also called tomme de laguiole or tomme d’auvergne, after the shape of the cheese (photo #3).

Laguiole cheese is said to have been created in the 19th century at a monastery in the mountains of Aubrac, a plateau in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southern France.

The milk came from cows in the alpine pastures. According to historical accounts, the monks shared their recipe with the local buronniers—the owners of burons, or mountain huts, where cheeses were once made, rather than transporting the milk down to the towns below [source].

Laguiole received Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (A.O.C.) protection in 1961. It can’t be made anywhere else.

Cantal cheese, made in a different part of the Auvergne, tastes similar and is used as a substitute. Since laguiole and tomme d’Auvergne are hard to find outside of the region, it’s a better bet; as are gruyère and/or mozzarella, often used in the U.S.
 
 
RECIPE: POMMES ALIGOT

Serve Pommes Aligot with roasted meat or poultry, more casually with sausages, or with a mixed grill.

This is just one of many delicious recipes from the Idaho Potato Commission. Browse through the collection for more potato perfection.

Ingredients

1. ADD the potatoes to a large pot and cover with cold water. Add a large pinch of salt (the water should taste a little salty).

2. BRING to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 15-18 minutes, or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a knife. While potatoes are cooking…

3. HEAT the cream and garlic over low heat in a small saucepan. When the potatoes are ready…

4. DRAIN the potatoes and push them through a potato ricer while still hot. Stir the potatoes for one minute over low heat with a wooden spoon or a heat-resistant spatula. This lets some of the moisture evaporate.

5. STIR in half of the butter, half of the cheeses and half of the warm garlic cream. Add the salt and pepper. Continue stirring until cheese has melted.

6. STIR in the remaining butter, cream, and cheese. Stir vigorously until smooth and stretchy. Garnish with the chives and serve hot.
 
 
Variations

Today, a sonata on the Dirty Martini, offering a different interpretation for its fans.

Dirty Martinis are typically made with green olive brine and a green olive garnish.

This twist on the Dirty Martini recipe below is black olive brine and black olives.

For a touch of heat, it infuses the vodka with black peppercorns and adds a ground black pepper rim.

The idea and recipe are from Lindsay Olives.

Why infuse the vodka. Can’t you buy it?

You can buy “pepper”-infused vodka like Absolut Peppar, but the commercial products are infused with hot chili peppers, a different flavor,

Here, you get to infuse your own plain vodka with black peppercorns. It’s as easy as tossing cracked peppercorns into a bottle of vodka, and letting it sit for seven days (you can get away with less infusion time).
 
 
CHILES VS. PEPPERCORNS

Food 101: Chile peppers are not related to black peppercorns. Here’s the difference.

Their names have been confused since Columbus landed in the West Indies. One of his crew tasted a hot chile and called it “pepper,” relating the heat to the black pepper known in Europe.

The confusion engendered three terms: chili peppers vs. peppers vs. chiles.

And how about chile vs. chili vs, chilli? Here’s the scoop.
 
 
RECIPE: DIRTY MARTINI WITH BLACK OLIVES & BLACK PEPPER

Ingredients

Infuse the vodka in advance (step 1 below). Just as with plain vodka, the pepper vodka will keep indefinitely.

As with the salt rim on a Margarita, if you want less pepper, only coat half the rim.

For a gathering, you can prepare the Martinis in advance by making them in a pitcher and rimming the glasses. Prepare olive picks, or just add one or two olives before pouring the drink.

For The Pepper Vodka

 
Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the black pepper-infused vodka: Add the cracked peppercorns to the bottle of vodka. Place in a cool dark place for 7 days, gently shaking every 2 or 3 days. If you don’t have 7 days, you can infuse for as long as you have (at least 1 day); but it will be less peppery.

2. REMOVE the solids by straining the vodka through a fine mesh strainer into a clean* container. Discard the peppercorns and use a funnel to add the pepper vodka to the original vodka bottle.

3. PREPARE the ground pepper rim for a coupe or Martini glass. Place the pepper in a small dish or saucer and run the lemon wedge along the rim (or half rim). Dip the rim into the pepper and twist to coat. Set aside.

4. COMBINE the vodka, olive brine and vermouth in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled and strain into the glass. Garnish as desired and serve.
 
 
HOW TO CRACK PEPPERCORNS

The whole peppercorns need to be cracked slightly to release the piperine in the seed (piperine is the organic compound that provides the pungency).

Yes, peppercorns are a fruit, a drupe. The tiny red fruits grow on a vine; the peppercorn is the seed of the fruit. Here’s a photo: You can buy a plant and grow peppercorns at home.

Cracked is different from crushed, the latter of which are large pieces than ground pepper. Essentially, the cracked peppercorn remains whole, with an opening from the crack.

To crack peppercorns:

1. PLACE the peppercorns in a mound in the center of a cutting board.

2. PLACE a large pot or a second cutting board on top of the peppercorns, and press firmly for 10 seconds. Then check; if the peppercorns don’t have cracks, try again.

 
DIRTY MARTINI HISTORY

A traditional Dirty Martini is made of gin, vermouth, a small amount of olive brine and an olive garnish.

The olive brine clouds what is a clear drink, and makes the Martini look “dirty.”

[1] The black olive, black pepper Dirty Martini. The recipe is below (photo and recipe © Lindsay).

[2] Aren’t these peppercorns beautiful? They’re top-quality Tellicherry black peppercorns, available from Silk Road Spices. Tellicherry peppercorns are left on the vine longer, which produces berries with bolder, more robust flavor. They have a bright, almost citrusy taste that make them really stand out as something special, and are the preferred black peppercorn of many fine chefs.

[3] Lindsay sells organic and conventional olives, in cans, mixes and in grab-and-go snack packs. Check out all the varieties here (photo © Lindsay Olives).

[5] A conventional Dirty Martini: green olives and brine. These green olives are stuffed with blue cheese (photo © Ruth’s Chris Steak House).

[4] Blue-cheese-stuffed olives are a popular garnishe for the classic Dirty Martini. Here’s the easy recipe from Martha Stewart (photo © Martha Stewart Living).

However, using olive brine doesn’t appear in the written record until 1930. The drink, called the Perfect, consisted of half gin, half vodka, dry vermouth, three types of bitters and one teaspoon of olive brine.

The Perfect dropped out of sight until after World War II, transforming into a Martini recipe requiring two parts gin, one part vermouth and a teaspoon of olive brine [source]. That’s our modern Dirty Martini.

But where did it go? We hadn’t heard of it until about 20 years ago, when a colleague ordered it at a bar. We, an olive lover, ordered one of our own.

The garnish, then and still, is blue cheese-stuffed olives. Some like it hot, and opt for jalapeño-stuffed olives.

Don’t like blue cheese or chiles? Classic pimento-stuffed olives do just fine.

Here’s the history of the original Martini.

_______________

*To avoid any contamination, we rinse the transfer container twice boiling water.