PREPARATION

1. Chop the onion and garlic into thin slices (but don’t worry too much as it will be blended anyway eventually)
   
2. Take out the contents of the can of chipotle peppers and chop the peppers up into smaller pieces (make sure you keep the adobo red seasoning liquid on the side)
   
3. Take out half the contents of the can of tomatoes and store the rest in the fridge (you’re only going to need half a can of tomatoes)
   
4. Pour the oil in a cooking vessel (ideally a saucepan with a lid) - Bring oil to medium hot setting on stove - Add the garlic and onions
   
5. Add in the other spices (cumin, coriander, oregano, cinnamon
   
6. Stir the spices into the onion / garlic and keep on medium heat until onions are softened
   
7. Stir in the ketchup
   
8. Let the mixture simmer until it becomes bubbly and a thick paste
   
9. Deglaze the pan with the 1/3 cup of red wine and keep stirring until dissolved all the little brown bits at the bottom of the pan
   
10. Keep the pan uncovered and keep stirring until the mixture becomes thick once again
    
11. Add he chipotle peppers and he 1/2 can of tomatoes, salt
    
12. Give it a stir until it is all nicely homogeneous - If you have a potato masher, use this to mash the tomatoes and chipotle peppers into the mixture (if you don’t, then just cook for 5 min longer so that the whole thing melts together) - Mix really well so that there are not huge chunks of tomato (crush as much as you can so that it’s a good chunky mixture but not too big pieces of anything)
    
13. Simmer for 10 min on lower heat (covered, else you will have sauce all over the kitchen!)
    
14. Once it’s done, you should have a chunky consistency and not watery
    
15. Put the sauce in the blender (or use a stick / immersion blender) and give it a big whirl for like 30-45 seconds (or more / less until you have the consistency that you like). - Taste it for salt and spice
    
16. If too spicy, add more tomatoes and cook for another 5 min, mashing the tomatoes into the mix well - If not spicy enough, then add in the adobo chili liquid or add more spice to it - If not salty enough, then add more salt - If too salty you’re screwed! (Just kidding - just add more tomatoes and the reserved adobo liquid from the peppers).
    

INGREDIENTS

For the beef:
100g of beef per person, as a heuristic.
1 handful of cilantro - chopped roughly (use half for the beef - stemmy part, and half - leafy part for the guac)
1 large onion - 3/4 chopped in slices (half-moons) for the beef; the rest 1/4 finely diced for the guacamole
2 large garlic cloves, slivered
1 tbsp Lawry's seasoned salt (or regular salt)
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp worchestershire sauce
1 tsp smoked paprika powder
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 a Hungarian paprika (use bell-pepper if you want, but it's more watery) - finely julienned.

For the beans:
1 can refried beans (black / pinto - don't care)

For the guacamole:
2 ripe avocados - deseed and scoop out using a fork.
1/4 onion (from your beef prep step) - finely diced
1/2 handful of cilantro leaves (leafy part - from beef prep step)
1/2 lime - squeeze well into the guac
1 tsp salt (Lawry's if you have it, else regular)
1/2 birds eye chili pepper

For the assembly (from pantry or store):
1 packet soft shell tacos
1 packet hard shell tacos
Chipotle sauce

PREPARATION

The beef:
Cut the beef into thin strips against the grain ensuring a good absorption of the marinade.  Add the salt.  Put in the garlic, sliced onions, and paprika strips.  Add in the spices, then add in the sauce and finally the cilantro leaves and oil.  Mix it well by hand.  Wash your hands carefully after, letting the marinade sit while you make the other stuff.

The guacamole:
Add the onions to a bowl, add the cilantro leaves, chillies, and then the avocado bits.  Then squeeze in the lime and add the salt.  Mash it well with a fork and let it sit.

Final Assembly:
Start by putting a generous 'shmear' of a creamy-chunky guacamole (no tomatoes - just avocado, shallots, green chillies, Lawry's seasoned salt, freshly chopped cilantro, and a sprinkle of lime) on a soft tortilla (home made is best - will be discussed in another recipe - but store-bought is fine too).  Then, here's where the plot takes a twist - put a warm (oven-warmed), hard taco shell in the middle! Add your refried black (or pinto) beans into the hard taco and layer in your beef onto them.  Throw in a little chipotle sauce for good measure, and then take a big bite through the hard shell and soft shell goodness together - it's fantastic!!