Middle Hawthorne and Beau are
finally home this summer,
after summer school immersion,
and my son is an appreciative gustatory companion.
Middle Hawthorne's tastes run towards
a southwest spectrum.
Youngest Hawthorne's tastes veer
in the direction of seafood, sauteed or baked,
never fried.
He especially loves that scallop dish he requests.
Excellent dish, that.
Mid Haw: "Mama, are you making anything for lunch?"
Rosie: "What would you like?"
Mid Haw: "How 'bout a burrito?"
Rosie" "Not a prob."
What I did was took a burrito
and made a chimichanga.
I've never made chimichangas before
but "chimichanga" happens to be my new favorite word.
I say it over and over again,
with the em-PHA-sis
on different syl-LA-bles.
I say it very dramatically.
with bizarre facial expressions.
It's a fun, happy word.
And I have fun saying it.
My family doesn't like it when I get into my
CHIMMMMEEEEEECHAHNNNNGGGGGAAAAAAAHHHHH mood.
I sound like a lunatic Chinaman
and look like a deranged person with my facial contortions
when I start on CHIMEEEECHAHHHNGAHHHHHHHS!
I so want to go to a Mexican restaurant
and order CHIMMEEEECHAHHNGAHHHHHHHHS!
But I digest,
back to the chimichanga.
My mise en place for the filling:
4 large hamburger patties
squash
zucchini
onion
peppers
cumin
granulated garlic
powder
oregano
adobo seasoning
I chopped the onion, peppers, zucchini, and squash
into a tiny dice.
1/2 cup onion
1/4 cup pepper
1/4 cup zucchini
1/4 cup squash
Maybe.
After sauteeing the meat and breaking it up
into tiny pieces,
I added in the onion ...
... the peppers ...
... and the squash and zucchini.
Mix well.
I added a teaspoon of cumin and adobo seasoning
and 1/2 teaspoon each granulated garlic,
onion powder, salt and pepper.
Just heat the vegetables through.
And this is the consistency I like for ground beef.
Scoop some filling onto a tortilla
and place a few slices of Monterey Jack on top.
Pull up the bottom edge over the filling.
Tuck in the sides
and roll up.
Saute in a heavy skillet over medium heat
using a combination of oil and butter.
I use the butter for flavor
and the oil for a higher smoke point,
so the butter doesn't burn.
Just enough oil and butter to skim the pan.
Roll the chimichangas to brown evenly.
Drain on paper towels.
Serve atop a delicious pool of cheese sauce,
which Mr. Hawthorne made.
He started with maybe half a cup of milk,
then added about a quarter cup of grated Monterey Jack.
Stirred over low heat to melt the cheese.
Next he added in some of that
Mexican shredded cheese mixture, stirring,
until he got the consistency he wanted.
A squirt of lemon juice and a pinch of sugar
completed the cheese sauce.
Mr. Hawthorne, a bit of cumin and a pinch of cayenne
would not be unwelcome here.
Just sayin'.
I had two different sauces I served with this.
One was the deep, rich, complex chile sauce
I made for my tamales.
The other is Mr. Hawthorne's fresh, bright Salsa Ranchero.
And don't forget to sprinkle on more shredded cheese
and the cilantro -
parsley for the anti-cilantro crowd.
Ooey gooey cheese.
Mighty meaty hamburger.
Middle Hawthorne gave this a thumb's up.
And that cheese sauce is terrific.
What's not to love?
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