Rice is the common accompaniment to most ‘south of the border’ meals, but spare the grain in my burrito. It’s a side, and belongs on a plate. The burrito is fist food, something to g’nosh as you walk. Beans are essential in a burrito, rice is excess. Give me flavor, not filling.
Beans make the burrito! They’re the flavor and texture that holds the thing together. Seasoned beans are the essence, and with the addition of some kind of meat, the flavor is quintessence. Try this filling.
Ingredients [For 2 very hungry people]
1 chorizo sausage [the Portuguese version is spelled chorico]. Take off the casing and chop to 1/4″ size bits.
1 small can of pinto, kidney, or small red beans, rinsed [I prefer Goya].
1/4 lg. onion, chopped small. 2 lg. cloves garlic, chopped fine.
Your favorite chunky salsa; I like Green Mountain Gringo medium [careful, non hot-heads, the chorizo has some spice too].
Grated cheese, lots [jack… colby… muenster… any soft cheese]. Add a little sharp cheddar too.
Cumin powder.
Chopped pickled jalapeños if you like hots. [I like Vlasic if I can find it.]
Lime juice.
Fresh chopped tomatoes, if you think the salsa isn’t enough tomato flavor.
2 to 4 scallions, chopped.
Sliced avocado is good too.
Burrito size tortillas.
Any color bell pepper*
The Procedure – Add some oil to a skillet [bacon fat is better] and add the onions. When they start to soften, push them to the edge of the pan and add the chorizo. ‘Brown’ without burning. Turn down the heat and add the beans. Add a good splop of salsa and mush the whole thing with a wooden spoon. It’s mostly the beans you want to mush.] If the mixture dries out, add a little beer or water. When you’ve got a chunky mush texture, add cumin, black pepper, and salt to taste. Make a small clear space in the hot part of the pan, add a little oil and the garlic. When you smell it [a minute], mix the whole thing together; you’re ready to serve.
– Sprinkle the grated cheeses over a burrito size tortilla on a plate and microwave until the cheese just starts to melt
– Schmear the filling in a strip on the front third of the tortilla.
– Add the scallions, a squirt of lime juice, more cheese, chopped jalapenos, if you like it hot [I do, so I add some hot sauce too], tomatoes, if you like it juicy, [and avocado].
Hopefully, you know how to fold a burrito! [Fold away from you to envelop the filling, close in the sides and make the final fold/roll.
– Microwave the prepared burrito if you like. [The veggies will cool the burrito a bit.]
[If you don’t have a microwave, section portions of the mix in the pan, add the final ingredients, cover the pan and heat until the cheese melts. Fwamp each portion on a tortilla], fold, eat, enjoy!
You might even like to take your burrito for a walk.
*NOTE: I recently tried this addition to give the sandwich some veggie crunch…
Slice some bell pepper EXTRA THIN. Microwave it for a very short time to take out the rawness. Add as much as you like when you assemble the burrito. It will hold up to any heating you do and still provide a nice crunchy texture.
Grumpy Davich 