Tacos de jamaica (Hibiscus tacos)

Mexican food has a heritage that extends back to pre-Columbian times. However, it is still a living cuisine, and new dishes make their appearence every now and then. Some dishes are passing fads, some have the combination of flavors that make them new classics. I think this is one of those dishes. The part that I like the best is that it reuses an ingredient used in another recipe.

Ingredients

2 cups reconstituted hibiscus flowers (from the hibiscus-ade recipe).

3 tbsp olive oil

¼ medium white onion, chopped finely

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 oz good balsamic vinegar

1 jícama, sliced super-thinly (enough that you can roll the jícama slices)

salt and pepper, to taste

Wash the hibiscus flowers well to remove any sugar. Place on a colander and let drain until flowers are fairly dry.Chop the flowers.

Sauté the onion in the olive oil until wilted. Add the minced garlic and continue sautéing for a couple minutes.

Add the hibiscus, salt, pepper and vinegar. Continue sautéing, moving the mixture occasionally, until the flowers are somewhat crisp.

Place some of the hibiscus over the jícama slices and roll the jícama to make tacos. Serve immediately.

Notes

You will probably need a food slicer to get the jicama thin enough to make them flexible. However, if you don't have one, just slice the jícama as thinly as you can and make tostadas (flat open).

I like to serve them with salsa verde (tomatillo sauce).