Thursday, May 11, 2006
Mixed Seafood Burritos
We had a quiet day in the office today. Most of my colleagues were off to a meeting, but I stayed behind and continued to work. Don't get me wrong, I had volunteered. I much prefer a good day at work to sitting in a dark stuffy room
listening to presentation after presentation. And with the sun shining on my desk, a soft spring wind blowing through the window and no on distracting me, I definitely had a good day.Cycling home was a little less fun. The town was packed and people were behaving as if they had never been in busy traffic before. I don't know what influences it, but on some days the ride home is totally smooth, and then there are those days when you feel as if someone had offered money to every unlicensed idiot willing to drive their car into the city centre during rush hour. But I made it home all right, which is more than can be said about many other cyclists in Dublin. So I guess I should be happy, especially as I forgot to wear my helmet today.
The sun was still shining when I got in and I was ready to face the hardship of making the perfect summer dinner. I discovered a new cookery program last week - The Hairy Bikers' Cookbook. I think I only just caught the last two episodes of the season, but their trips through Mexico inspired me. When Lofty and I were living in LA, we ate a lot of Mexican food. Not just Taco Bell, although we did go there occasionally. I used to buy the odd bean and cheese burrito from small Mexican run kiosks, too, and believe me, despite their low price they are wonderful. So, if you ever go to Southern California and need a snack, don't be put off by the silly comments that Mexican street food is cheap, nasty, unhealthy, dirty or any other accusation that members of mainstream society occasionally lever towards snacks they are too scared to try. Have yourself a nice, big burrito; it's well worth it. We didn't only eat out though. In LA, I first learned to make my own Mexican food. We had a large supermarket just down the road that was catering mainly to a Mexican clientele. It was cheap and stocked things I had never seen before - the perfect combination for a learner to experiment.
In any case, today I felt inspired to dig up the experiences I had made back then and concoct a nice Mexican dinner. The result was quite pleasant, but then it is difficult to get the basics of Mexican food wrong if you've got good ingredients. So, for a foolproof, albeit time consuming dinner give burritos a try.
For the burritos:
2 large flour tortillas (I guestimate 1 burrito per person; if you're a big eater, I recommend you double that, but don't underestimate how filling they are)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
½ red bell pepper, chopped
1 handful of mushrooms, chopped
2 large handfuls of spinach, washed
150g cooked prawns
100g hot smoked salmon
(obviously this filling mixture can be adapted to match your taste; the beauty of burritos is that you can put almost anything in them as long as you make sure the ingredients go together)
¼ tsp cumin
a pinch of chilli powder
1 tsp fresh mint, chopped
1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tsp fresh cilantro (coriander), chopped (optional)
½ lime, juice only
100g grated queso blanco or mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp sour cream (optional)
For the salsa fresca:
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
½ onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
2 cilantro sprigs, chopped
¼ lime, juice only
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and chilli powder to taste (if you like it spicy, use a chopped jalapeno instead of chilli powder)
For the guacamole:
1 ripe avocado
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
½ lime, juice only
For the salsa, combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Toss thoroughly. Let the mixture stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.
For the guacamole, halve the avocado and remove the pit. Discard the pit. Scoop the flesh into a small bowl and mash with a fork. Stir in the remaining ingredients, season with salt to taste, and set aside.
To make the burritos, heat the oil in a shallow frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and fry until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, bell peppers and mushrooms and fry until lightly browned. Add the chilli and cumin followed by the spinach. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach has collapsed. Add a few drops of water if the spinach is drying out. Stir in the prawns, salmon and herbs and heat through thoroughly. Season to taste with salt.
Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds in a dry skillet until pliable. Place some of the seafood mixture down the centre of a tortilla and top with sour cream and grated cheese. Roll up the burrito and serve with the salsa and guacamole.
Christine at 9:29 pm
