Like many foods, a beef chimichanga was created by chance. When in the kitchen setting out to make a dish, you often have a recipe, concept, or idea in mind to come up with the dish you have in mind. Whether you are setting out to feed your family or you are working in a restaurant or food service, your task is to feed someone. It may be that someone is you. In the case of the popular chimichanga, we would need to examine other Mexican-style foods.
Homemade Beef Chimichanga
I would portray that because of the name and the meaning, that the first claim may indeed be the founder of the chimichanga. Chi-mi is a slang curse word that essentially supports the fact that the result was an unintended accident. Whichever means that they did come about, they truly became a staple on many menus.
While the menu item is documented, discussing how foods came about through the ways cultures handled food products is an interesting conversation. While many third-world countries don’t have the conveniences that we come to expect here in the US, refrigeration only became widely available to the general population in the US in the early 1920s.
Mexico, like most cultures of the time, preserved foods in the ways they knew how. With the intense heat of the central and southern American climate, it became natural to dry foods. Peppers, a big part of the Mexican diet, are dried in many varieties as a staple of the diets of these people. These peppers are now widely available through retail outlets and commercial grocery stores: Ancho, Pablano, Jalapeno, to name a few.
These dried peppers are ground and serve as the source for our chili powders, which we use. They come in a variety of options from dark ancho to blends of several varieties.
Irish Potato Famine
Ireland has always been a land of hardworking people, and the potato found its perfect home in the Irish countryside. Sir Walter Raleigh’s introduction of the potato in the mid-1500s marked the beginning of a culinary revolution. The potato, once it became a staple, became an integral part of Irish culture, much like the relationship between Asian culture and rice.
The Irish became closely associated with the potato, from Irish Beef Stew to Colcannon, Boxty (a potato pancake made with mashed potato and raw shredded potato), potato farl, potato leek soup, potato bread, coddle, and shepherd’s pie, to name a few.
This doesn’t consider some of the more common recipes that may not be as associated with the Irish as they are with the potatoes. For example, bread made with potatoes, such as the East Martins potato bread line, tends to be sweeter and richer than traditional white rolls and bread. Lyonnaise potatoes, which are more French, are also au gratin and escalloped, to name a few potato dishes created outside of Irish culture. twell.
The Irish potato famine came to fruition due to a plant disease called a “late blight.” Like many plant diseases, the blight took hold of a crop that had become a massive staple of Irish culture. It was such a part of the culture that it devastated the crop, which in turn created a seven-year span during which more than 2 million people either died or fled the country.
The Best Beef Chimichanga Recipe
There is no reason to look any further for a recipe. The Best chimichanga recipe is here. Take a moment to anticipate a crisp, delicious, decadent, flavorful, and savory Southwestern treat. While you expect, I will review the recipe for a chimichanga. Take your tortilla, use a spoon, and spread some refried beans, seasoned meat, and cheese in the center line of the tortilla. You will fold the tortilla ends over one inch on each end. Roll the middle up, starting with your thumbs. Pan-fry or deep-fry the wrapped tortilla and serve with queso and salsa.
This recipe is one version of a chimichanga. The chimichanga, being a deep-fried burrito, offers several options. Chicken, pork, and even vegetarian options for meat selections. Different cheeses, maybe some salsa Verde, perhaps a slice of jalapeno, or some spiced rice. The meal is yours, make everyone love it. Don’t you like to say chimichanga?
Beef Chimichanga
Ingredients
- 4 each Tortilla 10 inch
- 4 oz Cheese, Pepperjack grated
- 12 oz. Beef, Ground Cooked seasoned with Taco Seasoning
- 6 oz refried beans
- 4 oz Rice, Spanish cooked cooled
- 1 cup Vegetable Oil
Instructions
- Lay out a tortilla, spread 1 T. or refried beans in the center along a horizontal axis line leaving 1″ at either end of the tortilla the entire time
- layout 1 oz. rice, then 2 oz. drained seasoned meat, along the same line as above
- spread 1oz. of cheese on top of the same line
- take the ends of the tortilla that were left unfilled, fold to cover over top with your middle and index finger, roll, starting with your thumbs over the top. Once wrapped put aside for frying
- Heat oil on medium heat, in skillet. Gently place filled tortilla wrap in oil, tongues work well. Let simmer in the oil for 2 – 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Check internal temperature should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Once heated serve with sauce, queso and salsa or either
