Chimichungas in Africa
I’m not sure I can adequately express my love for chimichungas. When I come home in June, it has been decided that that will be my first meal off the plane.
I had not realized that chimichungas were something a single person could actually produce… (single non-mexican person?) but I have been shown that just about anything can be deep fried, including burritos. I must say, it was such an enormous process that I feel I need to share the extent of it all with my readers.
Black Bean Chimichungas
Ingredients: black beans, Mexican rice, tortillas, cheese, tomatoes, ranch dressing, deep fried
Black beans: The beans come dry. I boiled for a minute in the morning, then let them soak for a few hours. Later, I pressure cooked (always a little bit frightening… especially when you’re pressure nozzle wont rock because you put it down in varnish one time and it likes to stick to the little hole) the beans for 50 minutes with a few cups of water, salt and a chicken boullion cube. My pressure cooker is like… 18 quarts or something. Thanks, mom for sending me such a practical pot.
Mexican rice: Seasoning packet, onion, tomato and rice for 20 minutes on a simmer. Made that in the morning.
Tortillas: Made fresh and thin and not cooked so long that they would be crisp and unrollable. I am a queen when it comes to tortilla making. My rolling pin is always dusted with flour and ready to go.
Cheese: I was out of cheese on chimichunga day. And a chimichunga needs some kind of dairy. So, we decided to make cheese. I dissolved about a cup of powdered milk in water, heated it to a boil… which takes a bit (so not to scald). Then added a few spoons of vinager to the hot milk to separate the curds from the whey. Then drain off the whey with two different sizes of strainers and voila, cottage cheese for chimichungas.
Tomatoes: More difficult than you would think. I scrubbed them with my brush then let them soak in bleach water for thirty minutes. Standard for raw, unpeelable veggies in Africa.
Ranch dressing: Delicious. Travelled a long way to arrive in Africa.
Deep Fried: Rolled them up and added a little egg wash to seal one side. Under the guidance of my deep frying mentor, I let them cook until golden brown, pulling them out with tongs before eating very hot off the blotting paper. And that is how you make a chimichunga in Africa.
I had not realized that chimichungas were something a single person could actually produce… (single non-mexican person?) but I have been shown that just about anything can be deep fried, including burritos. I must say, it was such an enormous process that I feel I need to share the extent of it all with my readers.
Black Bean Chimichungas
Ingredients: black beans, Mexican rice, tortillas, cheese, tomatoes, ranch dressing, deep fried
Black beans: The beans come dry. I boiled for a minute in the morning, then let them soak for a few hours. Later, I pressure cooked (always a little bit frightening… especially when you’re pressure nozzle wont rock because you put it down in varnish one time and it likes to stick to the little hole) the beans for 50 minutes with a few cups of water, salt and a chicken boullion cube. My pressure cooker is like… 18 quarts or something. Thanks, mom for sending me such a practical pot.
Mexican rice: Seasoning packet, onion, tomato and rice for 20 minutes on a simmer. Made that in the morning.
Tortillas: Made fresh and thin and not cooked so long that they would be crisp and unrollable. I am a queen when it comes to tortilla making. My rolling pin is always dusted with flour and ready to go.
Cheese: I was out of cheese on chimichunga day. And a chimichunga needs some kind of dairy. So, we decided to make cheese. I dissolved about a cup of powdered milk in water, heated it to a boil… which takes a bit (so not to scald). Then added a few spoons of vinager to the hot milk to separate the curds from the whey. Then drain off the whey with two different sizes of strainers and voila, cottage cheese for chimichungas.
Tomatoes: More difficult than you would think. I scrubbed them with my brush then let them soak in bleach water for thirty minutes. Standard for raw, unpeelable veggies in Africa.
Ranch dressing: Delicious. Travelled a long way to arrive in Africa.
Deep Fried: Rolled them up and added a little egg wash to seal one side. Under the guidance of my deep frying mentor, I let them cook until golden brown, pulling them out with tongs before eating very hot off the blotting paper. And that is how you make a chimichunga in Africa.
posted by K at 11:05 AM
4 Comments:
Say now... that sounds perfect!! Almost makes, walking into the local Mexican joint, sitting down in a nice cool ( air conditioned ) spot, ordeing up an ice cold Corona or two or three and a Chimichunga with "fresh" chopped lettuce, tomatoe, onion & extra slasa, walking out an hour later, fatter, dumber and happier, seem wrong...you keep up the great work and I promise you'll be so sick of Chimi's about a month after you get home, you will be dreaming about those " African Days".
Loveyameanit, Thom
P.S. At least your mom got you a presure cooker...it could have taken 8 hours to boil the beans.
But make it fall carelessly over your shirt-front, advised the student of Hints and Helps. lamisil. He protested, at first, with vigorous whiskings of his tail and levitra a rapid shifting of his ears.. The morning expanded, and the old man expanded with it; for zocor while a vigorous leader in his church, the elder at home was, it must be admitted, an uncomplaining slave...
You're on your way to becoming Julie (like in that book, you know what I'm talking about, right?)...I'll be friends with you until you start having freak outs like she did. But, it'd make a damn funny book. I get a chapter, at least! You're right about that picture of Lindsay's blog...why are we so mean to everyone? They probably deserve it :)
Darn...I posted on the wrong blog...but I said that I am searching all Chicagoland for the best Chimichunga. Your creation sounds great, except the homemade cheese part...
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