Taco Salad with Fresh Salsa

1 pound ground beef
1 cup onion, finely chopped
½ cup celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1¼ teaspoons chili powder
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
1½ Tablespoons flour
½ cup tomato sauce
¼ cup water
1 head lettuce, shredded
2 tomatoes, diced
1 green onions, chopped
Jalapeño pepper slices
Shredded cheddar cheese
Fresh salsa
Tortilla chips
Sour cream

Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain in colander and rinse well with hot water until water runs clear. Rinse with cold water; break pieces of meat into very small pieces by taking a handful and rubbing between your hands; repeat until all ground beef is in very fine pieces. Wipe skillet with paper towel to remove any excess grease. Return ground beef to skillet; add onion, celery, garlic, salt, chili powder, cumin oregano and flour. Mix well; cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and water. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes; cover; reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 1 hour. If mixture becomes too dry, add more water. Remove from heat.

To serve, place individual bowls of lettuce, tomato, cheese, green onion, jalapeño pepper slices, ground beef mixture, fresh salsa, tortilla chips and sour cream on table. Allow each person to assemble the salad of choice, e.g., a bed of lettuce, surrounded with tortilla chips and topped with ground beef mixture, tomatoes, onions, shredded cheese, salsa and sour cream). Yield: 4 servings.