Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Carrots, Corn, and Chiles - Turkey Burritos

We've always enjoyed a good burrito. Nothing fancy. Just a simple combination of ingredients in a tasty wrap. Over the years, we eaten primarily bean burritos, then beef, then chicken, then mixtures of any or all of these. We've made the burrito shells by hand, bought traditional varieties from Mexican groceries, and tried the low carb-high fiber wraps that have become so popular.


Tonight's Burrito Story begins with four Anaheim chilies. I was perusing the produce section and saw a large basket of chilies. Wouldn't they be perfect roasted?



This is a simple process. Remove the grate covering the burner on your gas stove. Hold the chilies directly in the flame until the skins pops, crackles, and blisters its way to a coal black. Cool. Remove the skins by gently scraping the chilies with a knife edge. Chop. Toss with a tiny bit of oil and salt. Refrigerate until needed.


Next decision. What should the filling be? I turned to an old favorite - ground turkey. Then turned my attention to the fridge.


The Method

  1. Saute chopped onion, red pepper, and the green chilies until they soften.
  2. Add 1# ground turkey. 
  3. Add oregano, black pepper, cumin, salt & pepper, and any other seasonings you like.
  4. When the turkey has browned, add 1 can of unsalted corn. (Fresh would also be great.)
  5. Simmer to meld the flavors.

We lined each whole wheat burrito shell with refried beans (canned and made especially tasty by the efforts of a certain young cook in the family - who would have imagined mustard and horseradish could improve upon the original, but they were quite delicious!). 



Shredded cheddar cheese formed the second layer. I like to use it to melt-secure the burrito filling to the beans. 


The Turkey filling comes third. Then a little guacamole. Drizzle of good salsa...and...


Shredded OPO carrots. We love shredded carrots for the sweetness and crunch they add.


The Result

The roasted chilies were an excellent addition, and paired nicely with the sweet corn and carrots. Moreover, Familiar favorites - even when updated - don't last long on our table. It was, therefore, not surprising that mealtime passed in relative quiet.


Depending upon the day the parents may have had, this could be viewed as the perfect accompaniment. But, as it happens, we enjoyed yet another OPO cucumber and tomato salad - tossed with a bit of olive oil and red wine vinegar.

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4 comments:

ellen said...

Suggestion for the roasting peppers bit.

For easier skin removal, immediately put your blackened peppers into a bowl w/ plastic wrap sealed tightly around it. Let the peppers sit in there for a few minutes. The steam within the bowl helps to release the skins from the flesh of the pepper. You can then go about the task w/ a knife more easily.

Also, I've read/tried to use a paper bag - grocery - to let the peppers rest in there and then shake in order to remove the skins but didn't find this to be more than a kitchen myth.

Unknown said...

My plan next time is to use the pressure washer. We're looking for either really sturdy gloves, or longer-handled tongs.

I'm interested in figuring out what to do after the chilies are roasted. The oil and salt treatment was fine. I thought adding some garlic would be a good idea, but may overpower the flavor of the chilies. Thoughts?

Anonymous said...

well, in general, i think it's easiest to through peppers on a grill to char. that makes the whole bit about holding/rotating the things less painful and constant. try using roasted garlic for a milder accompaniment. also, a nice yogurt sauce made out of the peppers would be the way that i'd most likely go. greek yogurt, roasted garlic, roasted anaheims, s & p, maybe a touch of lime zest or juice - cuisi it up. now i want that for dinner. thanks!

Anonymous said...

by the way. this whole - add your profile bit is silly. it doesn't even offer my name! so i selected 'anonymous' b/c i don't even know what the other things mean.

and this is your sister again.

 
Kudya Bwino Bwino (Eating Well) © 2009