Saw a local add for someone wanting a Mexican chef, so I called and the guy asked me to come in, see the place and chat. This was Friday.
It turns out, the guy was starting a completely new Mexican restaurant, has a ten-year lease on site and building and is really still just developing everything, so the job is not a position where they'd be trying me out as part of an established team. His concept, that would differentiate his place from others, was twofold: first, to use authentic recipes for authentic Mexican dishes and to offer delivery (i.e. as one would usually have for pizza or for Chinese food).
I told him that I am definitely not qualified to be his head chef to run the whole kitchen, take care of ordering and manage some cooks, but that I'd be happy to work as one of the cooks once he has a chef and the place gets going.
He was still interested, so he asked me to make a burrito for him and to take it to him on Sunday afternoon, so he could not only see how well I'd do it, but also how it would taste.
Well, believe it or not, with all the different things I have made from different countries and regions, I have never actually made a burrito before, so I did my usual research method for this kind of thing and searched websites in Mexico for an authentic recipe.
Many burritos in the States are Tex-Mex variations, so I went straight to recipes from Chihuahua (no, not the small dog - it's the name of a state in Mexico near the Texas border), since the original burritos were from Chihuahua - especially Juarez.
The particular recipe I chose had three options for the fillings. I chose the one with the shredded beef, but I have translated the entire recipe, below.
These burritos were DEE-licious and I'll definitely be making these again and again!
The guy starting the restaurant loved the burritos and really loved the Salsa de Molcajete I took along with them, so he told me I got the job!
That's not the end of the story, though, since this place is still just getting started. For that matter, I'm not even sure if or how the place will do, considering he still has to paint the place, install the new hood system (it's already there - just needs installing), etc. Thus, this is starting just about from the ground, up.
Also, another guy, who could become the head chef, apparently hasn't been responding to the owner's phone calls or text messages, even though he had seemed interested and had said he could cook and run everything, so not all of the personnel have been established, yet.
For that matter, it's even possible that the whole Mexican concept may change, since a guy we met, yesterday, who could be interested in being not only the chef, but an investing partner (i.e. by helping with some of the initial expenses mentioned earlier, such as the painting and hood installation), is actually Peruvian and used to have a Peruvian restaurant of his own in Wisconsin. Given all of that, the owner is even entertaining the idea of having a Peruvian place instead of a Mexican place. That would certainly differentiate this place from the Tex-Mex restaurants around!
Whatever direction he decides, I'm still in the picture, so it all seems good, so far, although that doesn't mean I'll stop looking or turn down a more-immediate job offer.
Either way, this "job-interview" recipe is, absolutely, one that I'll be making many times. As mentioned, this first time, the only filling I made was the shredded beef, but they all sound wonderful. For the record, I couldn't get chiles colorados or chiles chilacas, so I used the suggested substitutions of guajillos and poblanos.
Chihuahua-Style Burritos
Makes 10 - 15
Ingredients:
It turns out, the guy was starting a completely new Mexican restaurant, has a ten-year lease on site and building and is really still just developing everything, so the job is not a position where they'd be trying me out as part of an established team. His concept, that would differentiate his place from others, was twofold: first, to use authentic recipes for authentic Mexican dishes and to offer delivery (i.e. as one would usually have for pizza or for Chinese food).
I told him that I am definitely not qualified to be his head chef to run the whole kitchen, take care of ordering and manage some cooks, but that I'd be happy to work as one of the cooks once he has a chef and the place gets going.
He was still interested, so he asked me to make a burrito for him and to take it to him on Sunday afternoon, so he could not only see how well I'd do it, but also how it would taste.
Well, believe it or not, with all the different things I have made from different countries and regions, I have never actually made a burrito before, so I did my usual research method for this kind of thing and searched websites in Mexico for an authentic recipe.
Many burritos in the States are Tex-Mex variations, so I went straight to recipes from Chihuahua (no, not the small dog - it's the name of a state in Mexico near the Texas border), since the original burritos were from Chihuahua - especially Juarez.
The particular recipe I chose had three options for the fillings. I chose the one with the shredded beef, but I have translated the entire recipe, below.
These burritos were DEE-licious and I'll definitely be making these again and again!
The guy starting the restaurant loved the burritos and really loved the Salsa de Molcajete I took along with them, so he told me I got the job!
That's not the end of the story, though, since this place is still just getting started. For that matter, I'm not even sure if or how the place will do, considering he still has to paint the place, install the new hood system (it's already there - just needs installing), etc. Thus, this is starting just about from the ground, up.
Also, another guy, who could become the head chef, apparently hasn't been responding to the owner's phone calls or text messages, even though he had seemed interested and had said he could cook and run everything, so not all of the personnel have been established, yet.
For that matter, it's even possible that the whole Mexican concept may change, since a guy we met, yesterday, who could be interested in being not only the chef, but an investing partner (i.e. by helping with some of the initial expenses mentioned earlier, such as the painting and hood installation), is actually Peruvian and used to have a Peruvian restaurant of his own in Wisconsin. Given all of that, the owner is even entertaining the idea of having a Peruvian place instead of a Mexican place. That would certainly differentiate this place from the Tex-Mex restaurants around!
Whatever direction he decides, I'm still in the picture, so it all seems good, so far, although that doesn't mean I'll stop looking or turn down a more-immediate job offer.
Either way, this "job-interview" recipe is, absolutely, one that I'll be making many times. As mentioned, this first time, the only filling I made was the shredded beef, but they all sound wonderful. For the record, I couldn't get chiles colorados or chiles chilacas, so I used the suggested substitutions of guajillos and poblanos.
Chihuahua-Style Burritos
Makes 10 - 15
Ingredients:
- 10 - 15 Large flour tortillas
- 3 Cups cooked pinto beans
- 1/2 Cup Bean-cooking liquid
- 3 1/2 Oz. Lard
- 1 Large Onion, cut into strips
- 4 Chiles Colorados (or soaked guajillos), cut into rounds
- Salt to taste
- 5 1/3 Oz. Lard or 1/2 Cup Corn oil
- 2 1/4 Lb. Pork leg meat ("fresh ham"), cut into small dice
- 1 Large potato, cut into small dice
- 4 Chiles Colorados (or soaked guajillos), cut into rounds and fried in oil
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1 1/2 Cups Chicken stock
- Salt to taste
- 6 Jalapeños (or to taste), roasted, deveined and chopped
- 20 Tomatillos, peeled
- 1/2 Cup Water
- 3 Tbsp. Lard
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 1 Sprig Epazote (optional)
- 9 Oz. Pork rinds, cut into medium chunks
- 1 1/3 Lb. Top or Bottom round of beef
- 1 Onion, quartered
- 1 Clove Garlic
- Water, as needed
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 3 Tbsp. Corn oil
- 4 Large Tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
- 4 Chiles Chilacas (or poblanos), roasted, peeled, deveined and cut into strips
- Salt to taste
- Heat the tortillas.
- Spread refried beans onto the tortillas.
- Add the desired filling.
- Roll.
- Mash the beans with their cooking liquid.
- Separately, sauté the onions in the lard until dark golden.
- Transfer the onions from the lard to the beans.
- Add the chiles to the lard.
- Fry for 2 seconds.
- Transfer the chiles from the lard to the beans.
- Purée the bean mixture, but not too smooth.
- Return the mixture to the pot.
- Add salt to taste.
- Cook to blend the seasoning well.
- Lightly brown the meat.
- Add the potatoes.
- Fry a few minutes more.
- Add the chiles colorados, garlic, salt and chicken stock.
- Cook until the potatoes are done and the seasoning is well blended.
- Cook the chiles, tomatillos and salt in the water until soft.
- Allow to cool slightly.
- Purée the mixture.
- Separately, heat the lard.
- Cook the onions in the lard until translucent.
- Add the tomatillo mixture.
- Add the epazote, if desired.
- Cook until the seasoning is well blended.
- Add the pork rinds.
- Allow the pork rinds to pick up the flavours of the sauce.
- Put the beef, garlic, quartered onion and salt into a pot.
- Add enough water to cover.
- Cook until very tender.
- Allow to cool.
- Shred the beef.
- Fry the chopped onion in the oil until translucent.
- Add the chiles.
- Fry for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes.
- Cook until the tomatoes have stewed-down completely.
- Add the meat.
- Add salt, to taste.
- Cook until the seasoning is well blended.
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?