Hearts of Palm Street Tacos

So, guys.  Gals.  Friends.  We need to talk. This taco is LIFE.  CHANGING. I'm not one to be overly dramatic (haha...no, seriously) about food, but holy-fried-middle-of-a-palm-tree-leaf, this is a tasty, tasty taco. Uh, yeah.  The guts of this taco are totally fried palm tree leaves.  Wikipedia says so.  Well, if we're being technical, they're actually the inner core of certain types of palm tree leaves, but either way, I had no idea that they were even a thing.  Especially an edible thing. PS, they're also called swamp cabbage, so do with that what you will. I think I'll fry 'em up and eat 'em in a corn tor-till-uh. Life changing.  Not. Even. Kidding. So, this taco is a pretty darn close replica of my favorite taco at a local restaurant here in Kansas City called Taco Republic.  I've been there many times before, and in fact they're one of my new favorite places to eat.  BUT, the only location is across town and not really conducive to a weekday lunch, so I don't get to indulge as often as like. Last time I was there, I realized that there were only about four or five ingredients, and surely I could replicate it at home. So I did.  And it TOTALLY worked. The recipe isn't really a recipe, it's more of a method.  With the exception of the salsa golf, the rest is just frying and assembling. Ok, so I can't just leave that out there.  Yup, the pink creamy sauce is called salsa golf. You'll never guess what's in it.  Definitely nothing salsa-y. Ketchup and Mayo.  And lemon juice. Brilliantly, wierdly simple.  Still not sure why it's called salsa golf, but after the hearts of palm research, I was kind of over it.  Plus, it's mysterious.  A delicious, mysterious, life-changing street taco. This is why you read my blog.  ;) So - tips and tricks?  A few...first, use fresh corn tortillas if you can find them.  They're way better than your grocery-store version. Second, try to fry your hearts of palm in small batches so you keep the oil temperature up around 350-375.  If you put too many in at once, you'll cool the oil too much and they'll be greasy. Also, when you make the salsa golf, taste as you go.  It shouldn't taste like mayo OR ketchup - but a tangy combo of both.  If you taste one or the other, add the opposite to balance it out.  I put mine in a plastic squeeze bottle and it made it much easier, but you can just as easily drizzle it over the top with a spoon. And finally, if you can find the pre-cut hearts of palm, they're much quicker - you might have to cut a few in half, but they're already almost the perfect size. Apparently you can buy hearts of palm fresh, but definitely not in my little Kansas grocery store.  Canned worked just fine, so don't hesitate to go that direction. I'm not exaggerating when I say this is one of my favorite all-time recipes.  My husband agreed that they were delicious, too - so even the carnivores out there can appreciate this one. Give these a go and let me know what you think.  Hope you love them as much as I did! Enjoy!

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♥erin