Friday, December 15, 2006

Impromptu Mexican Dinner

One of the most difficult decisions for me to make,next only to "my aim in life", is - what to cook for dinner ;)... so when something helps me to arrive at this super difficult decision, i am so very grateful... and yesterday a very simple term decided what we are going to have for dinner.. and that was : expiry date!

We had got a packet of tortillas some time last week and completely forgot about it...when i was cleaning the kitchen i discovered the packet comfortably hiding ad mist other provisions and found that the expiry date was the next day... so "Mexican dinner" it was going to be! for once we also had all other ingredients in stock... with that settled, i decided to prepare guacamole and burritos...thus i went about making the dinner and it turned to be real authentic! Here go the recipes....

Chunky Guacamole



Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados
1 small red onion (finely chopped)
Juice of half a lemon
1ripe but firm tomato (seeded and finely chopped)
1 fresh jalapeno pepper (finely chopped)
1 tsp ground cumin
chopped coriander (cilantro) for garnish
salt to taste
A dash of pepper ( optional)

Method:

1.Mix the finely chopped onion, jalapeno , tomato and coriander in a medium-sized bowl.

2.Cut around the avocados lengthwise , then twist the halves in opposite directions to separate.Remove the seed and scoop the avocado flesh from the skin with the help of a spoon.
Mash together with a fork till it forms bite size chunks ( but not very smooth).

3.Add the avocado chunks to the mixture in Step 1. Add salt,ground cumin, pepper and lemon juice and mix well.

4. Serve immediately. Or cover the guacamole with a sheet of plastic wrap to inhibit browning and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours to let flavors blend.

Burritos:

I had not soaked any beans overnight and as usual i turned to my saviour - the web - looking for the recipes that do not require soaked beans and managed to find one here... I modified the recipe replacing pinto beans with kidney beans and adding some tomato paste, vegetables and spices...and it tasted great...

Ingredients:

6 medium size tortillas
Sour cream ( optional )
Shredded lettuce
Shredded cheese
1 small tomato ( seeded and chopped)

For Bean filling:

1 1/2 cups of kidney beans
7 cups of water
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped vegetables ( i used green bell pepper & mushroom) - optional
1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder
Salt to taste



Method:

Make the filling:

Rinse the beans in water.

Put beans into a Pressure Cooker; cover with at least 2 inches of water and cook for 40 - 45 minutes,until the beans are soft and the skins are barely breaking open.
( They can also be cooked in a pot. But it will take a long time ,about 2 1/2 hours.)

Strain the beans from the cooking water.

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add onions and cook on medium high heat until onions are translucent . Add the finely chopped vegetables and saute for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and sprinkle salt, chili powder and cumin powder. Add 1 cup of water and let the mixture boil for 3 - 5 minutes.

Add the strained beans. Using a potato masher, mash the beans in the pan, until they are a rough puree. Add water as required. Simmer till the flavors have blended ( about 10 - 12 minutes) . Turn off the heat and let it cool a bit.

Assemble the burrito:

Assemble burrito by spooning approximately 2 Tbsp bean filling into the center of each tortilla and top with 1 Tbsp sour cream, shredded lettuce, chopped tomato and shredded cheese. Fold in the bottom end and then the sides.

Cook the burrito:

Place burritos seam side down on heated pan and cook for 1 minute. Flip it and cook for another 2 minutes till golden brown.

We actually dabbed with some ghee ( i know its so very un-mexican, but taste is our aim right? ;) ) and had it with guacamole.

Ultimate Foodie at 1:34 PM

5comments

5 Comments

at December 16, 2006 at 7:13:00 AM PST  FH said...

That is one beautiful wrap! Love Mexican food:))

 

at December 18, 2006 at 2:39:00 PM PST  Ultimate Foodie said...

Thanks Asha & Scott! Glad that u liked it...

 

at December 19, 2006 at 7:45:00 AM PST  Anonymous said...

Love the idea of serving the guac in the avocado shells. Spicy mexican food is always a winner.

 

at December 19, 2006 at 9:42:00 AM PST  TNL said...

This is lovely! I just love Mexican food...and your guacamole looks great in the avocado shell.

Cheers,Trupti

 

at December 19, 2006 at 10:32:00 AM PST  Ultimate Foodie said...

Hi Gini and Trupti!
I always like the idea of serving in the coconut shell...jus tried to implement it with avocado... happy that u liked it!

 

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