But seriously, things are different in this day and age. You can get some fantastic guacamole, fajitas, and a margarita in the East Village with little to no effort. (Queso and breakfast tacos, however, seem to be lost on the North East. SOMEDAY, God willing.)
Anyway, now that I'm in Germany, I know how my mother once felt. While Berlin offers a fairly diverse array of cuisine, I have not stumbled upon any place that fulfills my South of the Border desires. This might be due to the fact that every place with a semblance of Mexican offerings also has Indian or Chinese-inspired dishes on the menu. They don't go together, people! Thus I have been forced to go without.
Until I discovered that my local supermarkt sells flour tortillas. And Mexicanisch seasoning. And jalapenos and avocados. So I've taken matters into my own hands. Literally.
This all came in handy when I offered to cook dinner for The German last night. What would we be having? Food from my homeland: Burritos!!
And ya know what? I was actually pretty proud of how the meal turned out. I'll be honest, not all meals with me are homeruns. Some aren't even base hits. This may or may not be directly linked to the fact I refuse to use any sort of recipe (my wise friend Ashley - who is coming to visit next week!!!! - once suggested this was because 'I don't like to be told what to do.' Like I said, she is wise!). But I have watched enough Food Network to have a decent sense of how long things need to cook and what flavors go well together.
So instead of a recipe - I am not Rachael Ray - mostly because I spell my name the normal, Biblical way - I am offering you a dinner suggestion. Take it with a grain of salt. (No really, you might want to add some salt. I tend to under-season.)
German Burritos (aka 'I Don't Have a lot to Work with So Go with It')
Ingredients:
- Four flour tortillas
- Three skinless chicken breasts
- Half a package of frozen spinach
- A container of mushrooms (I used baby bellas), chopped
- A shallot or two, diced
- Garlic, diced
- Jalepeno, chopped (I'll let you decide if you want to take the seeds out, you baby)
- Mexican seasoning
- White cheese (I didn't translate the German so I really have no idea what kind)
- Plain yogurt
Don't confuse these with actual instructions:
1. Season and cook the chicken in a pan with some oil. After it gets a little brown on both sides, add water. How much? I don't know, check a recipe, I do not have time for things like that. Once it is cooked all the way through, i.e. not pink, get out some forks and start shredding it. It's not rocket science. What you do with the extra liquid is none of my business. Then mix it with a few spoonfuls of yogurt to make it moist. Ew I know, that word is the worst. (FYI: This is a good step to do ahead of time. Like the night before, while you're also doing some half-assed yoga. Multi-task, people!)
2. Saute the mushrooms, jalapenos, shallots and garlic with oil. Add the spinach. Some water? I don't know? Does it look like it needs some? You don't want it sticking to the pan, but also not runny. (That word is also terrible!)
3. Mix it all together. If you cooked the 'filling' the night before, maybe zap it a little bit to warm it back up. Add in the cheese. Be generous. It's almost winter, no one can tell if you're fat.
4. Place the tortillas in a baking pan. Fill each with your delicious concoction. Delicately fold the tops down and then the sides, sort of like you're wrapping a present. A present for your stomach! No need for a gift receipt! Then flip them over. Be delicate, princess.
5. Mix together some yogurt (half cup? that sounds legit) with more cheese and some salt. Oh yeah, feel free to salt every thing else. I would go back and add it into the other steps, but I am too lazy. The mixture might look kinda ehhh, but I promise it'll be good. Now laddle this over each burrito. That's right, a big ol' spoonful.
6. Pop 'em in the oven. My oven is currently in Celsius so who the hell knows how warm it was. Hot enough to make me regret sticking my face directly in front of it when I opened it later. Leave them in for 10 minutes maybe. Long enough to give a recap of your day and pour something to drink. Let everything melt on top, start to bubble and get toasty. And then when you think they're done, maybe move your face out of the way when you open the door. Just sayin'.
Voila. You could have done a lot worse.
Also, if your ambition continues, a good side dish to serve with this is a 'Corn, avocado and tomato relish.' I'm not totally sure if relish is the right word, but it sounds pretty Barefoot Contessa and who doesn't like to channel Ina Garten when they cook?
Basically just get a bunch of fresh stuff veggies, e.g. the aforementioned avocado, tomato and corn plus some scallions and a little jalapeno. (Pro tip: boil the corn, then stand the cob on an upside down bowl within a larger bowl, use a sharp knife to cut it off the kernals!). Once everything is chopped, mix it together, and add some sea salt and lime juice. The flavors do the work for you, would be something annoying I would say if I had my own cooking show.
Anyway, all in all, it was a delicious meal that The German and I both very much enjoyed. You can decide if this was due to lack of knowing better and total Tex-Mex mirage fantasy, respectively, or if it's a legit crowd pleaser.
No comments:
Post a Comment