Burritos

The burrito lunch special in Mexico City in Los Burros de la Condesa

According to the package of my burrito-sized tortillas, the idea of the burrito was invented during the Mexican Revolution (ca. 1910) in Ciudad Juarez, Chihauhau (near the border of Texas). The story goes that a local food vendor wrapped whatever filling in large flour tortillas to keep the food inside warm during transportation. So popular was this new food that he had to get a burro (a donkey for those super gringos out there) to carry all of his orders. Eventually, people started asking for the food from the burrito - and thus a new handheld food was born and named. (I don't know how true this is; I could not confirm on wikipedia, but why would Tia Rosa lie to me?)

With that story, the definition of a burrito is open to a broad range of interpretations - as long as whatever is completely wrapped in a giant flour tortilla. Here in Mexico City, the schmear of beans and the small quantity of cheese and meat served with fresh salsa and lime tastes delicious, but falls a bit flat (literally - there is not enough filling) next to the over-stuffed burritos of the American tradition.

Anything goes with burritos, so try this recipe (which I developed when jones-ing for a Qdoba 3-cheese burrito) or use it as a template for your favorite meats and salsas.

Ingredients
large (10-inch) flour tortillas
white rice
refried beans
steak, cut in thin strips
raw onion, diced
cilantro, chopped
cheese sauce (see 9/26 post)
(*all of the above should be warm or heated before assembly*)
salsa verde (see 2/16 post)
media crema, or sour cream
shredded Mexican cheese (see 8/1 post)


 Directions

1 - Heat tortilla 20 seconds in the microwave or on a comal. (Be careful on the comal that it doesn't get crispy, or it will be difficult to fold up.)

2 - Add a scoop of rice to the center.

3 - Add a spoonful of beans and the strips of steak to the rice.

4 - Sprinkle on some raw onion and cilantro.

5 - Add the cheese sauce, salsa verde and media crema.

6 - Sprinkle on some additional shredded cheese.

7 - Now, for the fun part - trying to roll it up! Fold in two opposite sides so that they meet in the middle, or even better overlap. Then, fold the other sides in to the middle in the same way, and flip it over to sit on its seam. (This is not how the professionals do it, but with only a 10-inch burrito and the amount of filling that I put in, you pretty much got to do whatever you can to keep it closed.)

8 - Enjoy! (And although ideally it should be handheld, I recommend having a spoon nearby for any rogue filling that escapes.)