Burp! Where Food Happens

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Make In, Don't Take Out: Easy Baked Chimichangas

Some nights you just don't feel like cooking. Face it, it probably happens more often than you'd like to admit. And it's kind of like not being able to find the right outfit to wear in the morning... it's seriously frustrating.

If you're like me, you get home from work, change clothes and waste a few minutes getting your bearings. Then you spend about 45 minutes standing around in the kitchen, opening up the cupboards and staring into the refrigerator. Maybe you consult one of your many cookbooks. Or you start puttering around, looking at recipes on Pinterest -- all of which require some sort of random ingredient that you know you don't have in the house. Eventually, you realize that inspiration is simply never going to hit. And that's when you begrudgingly pick up the phone to call for takeout (which always ends up to be "not quite what you wanted," doesn't it?)

It's on those evenings when you need some seriously awesome "Make In" recipes. These are the types of things that almost always sound delicious, don't require too much fussing, and can be pulled together on the flip of a dime -- even on a busy weeknight.

In addition to keeping frozen chili, tomato soup, and pasta sauce on hand, I have a small cadre of recipes in my repertoire that can be whipped up in 30 minutes or less. And these are one of them.

The fact is, I'm a sucker for Latin-American food. Give me Cuban, Puerto-Rican, Mexican, or Tex-Mex and I'm generally a pretty happy camper. Chicken chimichangas are one of my favorite indulgences. Crispy, deep fried tortillas filled with chicken and cheese. Calories galore, but never short on flavor.

Interestingly enough, these baked chimichangas are pretty killer, and they don't require you to haul out the deep fryer (and don't let the nay-sayers fool you... a little bit of cooking oil in a very hot oven gives even the most stubborn of tortillas a perfectly respectable crispy crust). As an added bonus, since you control exactly what goes into them, you can make them even easier, healthier, or more creative with a few small tweaks of your own.

We've been known to make ours with canned (or leftover homemade) refried beans, leftover roasted or rotisserie chicken, or (my favorite) Cuban pulled pork. Any which way is delicious. It just depends what you have on hand and how much work you're willing to put into it.

I like to serve meat-filled chimichangas with a side of refried beans & some sauteed kale. But, you could be even simpler and serve them with a quick chipotle-lime dressed side salad. Or a quick slaw. The point isn't to be fancy. It's to make good food, fast.

Got leftover meat or beans and tortillas? Make chimichangas. Dinner will be on the table in 40 minutes flat, and your kids will think you're a super hero.

Easy Baked Chimichangas

©BURP! Where Food Happens

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Creamed Celeriac Soup with Potatoes, Sausage, and Kale

I always learn something from Soup Night.

This month, after I realized that we'd unintentionally scheduled our first soup event of the year right smack dab on top of a Packers' play-off game, I re-learned one of the initial lessons that apply when you don't require RSVP's: it doesn't matter how many people turn up, it's still a party.

The fact of the matter is, Soup Night always attracts just the right number of people. Not too many, and never too few. Though I make three pots of soup every time, it always seems to become the perfect amount. And I'm always surprised by how everything just works out.

Some guests wandered in and out of the dining room, checking the score of the game. Others stood near the table, nibbling and visiting like old friends. All the while I was moved by the goodness of friends -- not only in the joy they brought to the event, but by the way new guests were welcomed into the fold and embraced -- often by strangers.

I was also reminded about the beauty of simplicity. Although I made a lovely beef stock for the French onion soup, and tweaked a number of elements (including roasting the broccoli and garlic) for creamy broccoli soup, it was the hearty, seasonal peasant-inspired creamed celeriac soup with roasted potatoes, sausage, and kale that won the most accolades.

Diced celeriac, cooked in chicken stock and blended into a smooth puree, forms the base for this lusciously creamy soup. Sauteed Hungarian sausages provide seasoning, while roasted potatoes and chopped lacinato kale serve to give the soup a stick-to-your-ribs quality.

Celeriac is a gnarly vegetable -- often misunderstood simply for its looks, and likely avoided for the same reasons. But, this root vegetable has a gentle flavor, reminiscent of celery and parsley, and isn't nearly as starchy as many of its counterparts. It's hearty, stores well, and is delicious boiled, sauteed and roasted.

If you've never cooked with celeriac, this soup is a nearly perfect way to try it out for the first time. You'll be shocked by its sweet richness, and bewitched by its easy-going personality. Celeriac marries perfectly with potatoes. But it gets along with sausage and kale just as well.

Simple. Delicious. And no RSVP required.

Creamed Celeriac Soup with Potatoes, Sausage, and Kale

Using Summer Herbs

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Make In, Don't Take Out: Easy Baked Chimichangas

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Creamed Celeriac Soup with Potatoes, Sausage, and Kale