Burritos you have known and loved

Yeah, that Church Street Cafe was less than impressive, and our waiter put me in mind of Tiffany in that New Orleans style restaurant.

We have a good local burrito available at the 7 to 11 stores. L&G is the brand. I seldom buy them as the lady that cuts my hair is feuding with the lady that makes the burritos. Long story behind that, of course.

I have never made a great burrito for myself. I can make decent burritos.

I like vege burritos - rice, black beans, cheese, guacamole, hot sauce. I have them add lettuce and salsa if it looks good. The rice I like best is made with chicken broth. I just had one at a new place that had rice flavored with cilantro and lime: awesome! If there is chipotle tabasco, I use it with gusto.

When I make my own, I fry black beans with oil, coriander and cumin. I cook the rice with some kind of broth. I layer that on a tortilla, add chopped cilantro, chilis, and cheese. The problem is that I usually can't find tortillas as big as they use in the restaurants.

I just looked in the fridge for dinner. Chinese spinach and rice, chipotle tortilla. Perfect!

Chipotle tortilla - that reminds me, the old Raley's had some good tortillas with varying things added to the flour.. sort of "gourmet" tortillas. I liked them. Hmm, maybe I should mention that to the Albertson's manager, Albertson's having taken over that store.


So I'll check out a local 7-11, just in case, Roger.

Littlek, your homemade burrito sounds good to me..

Tonight we're having burritos and it's kind of an experiment as the beans are chugging along in the slow cooker as we speak. Might have to drain them a bit before using but they should be good and filling. We've got whole wheat tortillas.

I make my own pretty regularly. Perfectly adequate, but no great shakes. Since you recently decided Trader Joe's isn't PURE evil ;-), I'll say that I make burritos with their carne asada sometimes -- yummy.

Usually make my own guacamole, serve with refried beans, cheese, and salsa. Sometimes sour cream.

As for restaurants -- can't really go wrong in L.A., right, but the place just around the corner from our house... oh my goodness. SO good. (Family-owned, multi-generation, amazingly delicious.)

when I spent a lot of time in New Mexico, I was impressed with the localized cooking rather than their interpretation of "burrito'. I remember dishes with fried pork and chicken in a sour sauce (dont know the makeup except that it had a lime flavor and was thick.)This was overlain by a steamed unfolded Sandia Chile peppr and topped with a fried egg. It was delicious. And there were two kinds of sopaipillas to eat with the meal. Youd cover these with hoiney and that kept the heat at bay.

Lots of cervesa. followed by a flan or two.
Hearty, simple yet worth the trip. I recall really well done beef ribs at some cellar joint in Taos and a local bake shop across from the Adobe Holiday Inn near the square in Santa Fe. They had ancho pepper croissants and some kind of baked breakfast eggy thing that was eaten in hand.

The worst BBQ pork ribs I had EVER, was at a joint called Poydrills in Old Town Albuquerque. I remember that as a single bad meal because the ribs were a bit off , I sent em back nd left. I later went there and the food was pretty good(not great but pretty good)

We have a lot of Mexicans that live and work in the mushroom industry in nearby Kennet Square. There are 3 or 4 really good Mexican food places that serve excellent burritos. They dont spare the cilantro and they steam it first so it has a really soapy flavor. It, by itself, really sucks, but it adds something to a burrito.
The burritoos we get around here are a finger food. A rolled up filled burrito in a steamed corn tosta.

Thanks for your input, Farmer.. That first dish sounded great except for the egg part (I'm weird about eggs).

I've been chasing around Google..
Just found a burrito that sounds good, if sorta complicated, except that I'd not use canned refried beans, I don't think - would rather copy littlek's home fried black beans. Or even my own previously cooked cranberry beans, fried.

From Epicurious/Gourmet -

Panfried Bean Burritos
Gourmet | November 2004


Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

Servings: Makes 4 servings.



2 medium tomatoes (10 oz total)
1 large white onion, cut crosswise into 4 thick slices
1 red bell pepper, trimmed, then quartered lengthwise
2 garlic cloves, left unpeeled
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon minced fresh serrano chile including seeds
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 (16-oz) can refried beans
4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
5 oz Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated (1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Special equipment: a well-seasoned 10- to 11-inch cast-iron comal or skillet
Accompaniment: sour cream


preparation

Preheat oven to 200°F. Put an ovenproof platter in oven to warm.
Heat dry comal over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, and garlic, turning with tongs, until all are blackened in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, then transfer tomatoes and 2 onion slices to a blender. Peel garlic and add to blender along with lime juice, chile, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend until coarsely puréed, then transfer salsa to a bowl.

Cut bell pepper into 1/2-inch-wide strips, then halve remaining 2 onion slices and separate layers. Toss bell pepper and onion with oregano, pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl.

Spread one fourth of refried beans on a tortilla, leaving a 1-inch border all around, then sprinkle with one fourth of cheese. Arrange one fourth of onion and pepper mixture in a horizontal strip across center, then fold side nearest you over them and roll up tortilla. Make 3 more burritos in same manner.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then fry 2 burritos, seam side down, until lightly browned on undersides, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn over with tongs and fry until golden, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly, then keep warm on platter in oven. Fry remaining 2 burritos in same manner. Serve with salsa.




Haven't heard of Poydrills.. might not be there anymore.

Another one from epicurious (Bon Appetit) --

Black Bean And Vegetable Burritos
Bon Appétit | January 1996

Servings: Serves 4.


ingredients

4 9- to 10-inch-diameter flour tortillas
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
2/3 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 medium carrot, coarsely grated
1 2/3 cups canned black beans, rinsed, drained
1/2 cup drained canned Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
2 teaspoons minced seeded jalapeño chile
8 tablespoons grated Monterey Jack cheese (about 2 ounces)
4 tablespoons nonfat sour cream
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap tortillas in foil. Warm in oven until heated through, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine onion and oil in large nonstick skillet. Stir over medium-high heat until onion is golden, about 6 minutes. Add cumin and chili powder; stir 20 seconds. Add bell pepper, corn and carrot; sauté until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes and jalapeño; bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. remove from heat.

Place warm tortillas on work surface. Spoon filling down center, dividing equally. Top each with 2 tablespoons cheese, then 1 tablespoon each of sour cream and cilantro. Fold sides of tortillas over filling, forming packages. Turn each package, seam side down, onto plate.

Next up, also from epicurious/bon appetit --

Pork And Root Vegetables Burritos With Chili Colorado
Bon Appétit | September 1996
Restaurant: RoxSand; Phoenix, Arizona

At the restaurant, the burritos are filled with smoked pork, but this version, using roasted pork, also works well.

Servings: Makes 8.


ingredients

Sauce
3 ounces dried ancho chilies* (about 6 large), stemmed, seeded
2 pounds red bell peppers
2/3 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeño chilies
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
*available at Latin American markets and some supermarkets.


Filling
2 1-pound pork butt strips
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled russet potatoes
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled rutabagas
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled banana squash
8 10-inch-diameter flour tortillas
8 tablespoons chopped cilantro

preparation

For sauce:
Place ancho chilies in bowl. Cover with hot water; let stand until soft, about 1 hour. Drain. Coarsely chop chilies. Char bell peppers over flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Wrap in paper bag. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel, seed and quarter peppers.
Puree ancho chilies, bell peppers, chicken broth, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño chilies, balsamic vinegar and cumin in processor. Season with salt and pepper.

For filling:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add pork and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Cover pot; place in oven and roast pork until tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool pork; chop coarsely. (Sauce and pork can be made 1 day ahead. Chill.)

Melt butter with 2 tablespoons oil in another heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped onions and sauté until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add potatoes and sauté until beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in rutabagas and squash. Cover pot; reduce heat to medium-low and cook until all vegetables are tender, stirring frequently, about 30 minutes. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper.

Butter large baking pan. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 flour tortilla to skillet and cook until beginning to brown, about 45 seconds per side. Transfer to plate. Spoon 1/2 cup pork in 4-inch-long log down center of tortilla. Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce over pork. Top pork with 1/3 cup vegetable mixture. Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce over vegetables. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cilantro. Fold tortilla sides over filling, then roll up to enclose completely. Place seam side down in prepared baking pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Cover with foil. (Burritos can be prepared 6 hours ahead; refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake burritos (covered) until hot, about 30 minutes. Serve burritos with remaining sauce.

Easier - from Epicurean.com

I think I'd prefer to put that sauce and cheese inside the burrito..



Chili Potato Burritos Recipe - Tex Mex Vegetable


Ingredients:

2 cups leftover homemade mashed potatoes
1 cup shredded Colby-Jack cheese
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
8 (6 inch) flour tortillas
3/4 cup red enchilada sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In either a small pot on the stove, or in a microwave-safe bowl, heat the mashed potatoes. In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup of cheese, chili pepper, cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic. Spoon evenly into tortilla shells and roll up. Place rolls side by side in a 8x8 inch baking pan. Spread enchilada sauce evenly over the top and sprinkle remaining cheese on burritos. Bake at 350 degrees F until cheese is melted and bubbly. Makes 4 servings.

Here's a spinach, rice, beans, cheese burrito recipe - I'll just give the link since I like the photo (and also the idea for the indian cilantro sour cream) --

http://goldilocksfindsmanhattan.blogspot.com/2006/12/spinach-burrito.html

Go on with your burrito discussion but please mind it's not a Mexican creation.
It's actually an fusion of a taco de machaca with flour tortilla and US ingredients (rice, sour sauce, even cheese, garlic, spinach!).
I have eaten several flour tortillas tacos, but honestly, I have never ever eaten a burrito.

machaca!



mmmmmmmm

I believe you, Fb. I never saw a burrito in Mexico, at least that I can remember.

Maybe we need a machaca thread... (another mmmmm..)

Back in LA (sort of like the Beatles' Back in the USSR...) burritos were a staple food, not only for people buying off of trucks (Rico's Tacos, etc.) from construction jobs and office buildings, for lunch, but also for breakfast.. even, as Roger mentioned, from 7-11. Well, with our building's truck, the burritos had to vie with the small tacos with octopus, squid, etc. Mariscos?

There's been a recent bruhaha in east LA re the trucks, as small restaurants are suffering/complaining. This is disturbing to me from afar, as they are part of LA.. though I get the restaurants' view too.


To Fb, I wasn't thinking when I lumped them in with Mexican food. Though in CA they are lumped.


Re the trucks - http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tacotruck14apr14,0,4600263.story

It passed, and then,
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-taco16apr16,0,5795853.story

Yum. Truckfood.

A truck comes by work at 9:30 am. For almost a year I got a scrambled egg burrito -- just eggs wrapped in a tortilla. Good breakfast. Then they changed my schedule and now I don't get here until 11.

Osso, most of your recipes seem to call for cooking the burrito after it's wrapped. Never done that -- just relied on the hot ingredients to melt the cheese. A fried burrito is called a chimichanga, in these far-from-the-Border climes.

A few months ago I was in Vancouver BC, and I went to a little pub with some BC friends. Huevos Rancheros was on the menu, and I just had to try it...

It turned out to be two softboiled eggs sitting on an 8-inch flour tortilla, with a scoop of sour cream, a scoop of guacamole, and a scoop of salsa on the side. None of the scoops lost their shape before I forked into 'em. All this was accompanied by Tater Tots.

It was a decent breakfast, but any self_respecting Mexican ranchhand would have laughed out loud.

I've never ordered a chimichanga.. I think of them as Arizonan, as I first heard the word in Phoenix.

I agree, Wy, re the frying/baking the burrito later. That is all news to me.
Indeed, thinking, in restaurants here, burritos come on a plate with forks.. far as I can tell.