Something Differently Good

Mexican Food.  What's not to love?  Bold, hearty, flavorful, it is as vibrant as its people.  I have heard Mexican food compared to Indian food, what with the liberal use of spices like cumin, chile powder and garlic in both cuisines.  Both Indian and Mexican food have rice or tortillas, or in the case of Indian food - chapattis, to accompany them.  My first ever attempt at Mexican cooking found that to be far from true.  Each cuisine has its own complex flavors and is quite different from the other.

There is a show on PBS called Pati's Mexican Table.  Although I have never watched the show, someone I know stumbled upon it and watched Pati make Chilorio Burritas.  They suggested that the dish was simple to make and I should try my hand at it.  Thus began my adventure.  There were two things I found really interesting about this recipe.  It blew away all the myths I had about Mexican food.  I always thought Mexican food involved tomatoes and beans.  Neither of these were part of the recipe.  Also, the base for the sauce in this recipe was rehydrated ancho chiles.  

Whenever I attempt to make something I've never cooked before, I follow the recipe to a T the first time around.  During the second attempt I make modifications to the recipe to suit my personal taste. During my first attempt at this recipe, I used lean pork because that was all I had in the refrigerator.  I think the lean pork made a significant difference to the dish overall, because it felt like it was lacking a certain something.  I also discovered that the amount of spices called for in the recipe were way too little for me.  Additionally, serving them with whole wheat tortillas did not allow for the flavors of the dish to come through.  Don't get me wrong, it tasted wonderful.  It just felt like I could make many tweaks to the recipe to make it much more enjoyable to me.

My second attempt had me use chicken thighs instead of pork.  I used skinless, bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed of all visible fat.  I cooked them in orange juice, without water.  I think a beef brisket will also work very well for this recipe.  It will need more time to cook, of course.  The other change I made was instead of blending the onions and garlic raw with the other spices, I sauteed them in a little oil first.  I also upped the spice ante big time.  I left the seeds and veins in while hydrating the ancho chiles.  I even added some crushed red peppers.  Finally, I served the dish with flour tortillas, sprigs of cilantro, chopped green onions and slices of avocado.   The result was an amazingly piquant, delicious filling in a soul-satisfying warm tortilla.  It just made me want to get up on on the table and dance.  Almost.  My only regret is that I didn't take pictures so I could post them here.  Oh well, there's always a next time.

If you prefer your food mild to moderately spicy, I recommend you go with the original recipe, but here is the modified recipe I used.


CHILORIO BURRITAS


4 lbs skinless chicken thighs, bone in, trimmed of all visible fat
1 1/2 cup freshly squeezed or high-pulp orange juice
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
3 dried ancho chiles, tops and seeds removed
1 cup boiling water
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 onion, roughly chopped
6-8 garlic cloves
1/2 cup fresh parsley
3 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
2 tbs vegetable or canola oil

Place the rinsed chicken thighs in a large heavy pot.  Pour in orange juice, add a teaspoon of salt and set over high heat.  Once it comes to a boil, bring the heat down to medium and let it simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the meat is thoroughly cooked.

Meanwhile, remove the stems from the chiles.  Place them in a bowl, cover them with boiling water, and let them sit and rehydrate for about 10 to 15 minutes.  Saute the onions and garlic in a little oil.  Place the chiles and  their soaking liquid in the blender along with the onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, cumin, black pepper, salt and vinegar, and puree until smooth.

Once the meat is ready, place it in a bowl along with any remaining cooking broth.  Once it is cool enough to handle, remove the bones and shred the meat with your hands or using two forks. 

In the same pot in which the meat was cooked, heat the oil over medium heat.  Pour in the chile sauce and let it simmer for 6 to 8 minutes.  Toss in the shredded meat along with any of its remaining cooking broth.  Let the meat cook, stirring often, until it has absorbed most of the chile sauce, which will have thickened and changed color to a much darker tone. Add more salt if necessary.

Spread 2-3 tablespoons of the chilorio down the center of a warmed flour tortilla.  Garnish with sprigs or chopped cilantro, chopped green onions and two slices of avocado.  Roll into a burrito and serve.