Rick Bayless Beef Burrito Food

RED CHILE STEAK WITH BEANS

Steps:

• Seed the chiles and toast in a large, dry skillet over medium heat until aromatic, 10 seconds per side. Rehydrate by placing in a large bowl and covering with hot tap water; weigh them down with a plate to keep submerged, 30 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over high heat. Add the cubed meat to the pan in a single layer; do not crowd the pan. Season the meat with salt. Stir and turn regularly until browned all over, about 4 minutes.
• Drain the chiles and place in a blender along with 1 cup of water (use the soaking liquid if it doesn't taste bitter). Purée until smooth. Meanwhile, remove the browned meat from the skillet to cool. Slice the onion and add to the skillet; cook, stirring regularly, until onion softens and begin to brown, 4-5 minutes.
• Strain the chile purée into a medium bowl. Mince and add the garlic to the skillet and toss until aromatic, about 1 minute; transfer to the plate with the beef.
• In the same skillet, over high heat, add ¼ cup of the chile purée and cook, stirring constantly, until no longer "raw" in flavor; it should be the consistency of tomato paste. Add the cumin, oregano, tomatoes with their juice, and beef broth. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Add the meat and onions to the pan, along with the strained beans. Simmer to heat through, 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and stir. Transfer to bowl and serve. Optional: Add the sugar to round out the flavors if necessary.

CORN MASA POCKETS WITH CLASSIC SHREDDED BEEF: GORDITAS CON CARNE DESHEBRADA

Steps:

• The Shredded beef filling: In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine the meat with 2 quarts salted water, about 1/3 of the onions, and half of the garlic and simmer until the meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Strain, reserving the broth for another use. When the meat is cool enough to handle, shred it into coarse strands with your fingers or 2 forks--don't worry that there are bits of onion and garlic mixed with the meat.
• Wash and dry the saucepan, set it over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. When the oil is hot, add half of the remaining onions and cook until golden, about 6 minutes, then stir in the remaining garlic and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes and chiles and cook until most of the juice has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Stir in the shredded meat and simmer for a few more minutes, then taste and season with about 1/2 teaspoon salt. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Forming, filling, and griddle-baking the gorditas: Heat a well-seasoned or nonstick griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat. Knead the masa (fresh or reconstituted) to make it pliable, adding a little water if necessary to achieve a soft-cookie-dough consistency. Knead in the flour, baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Divide the dough into 10 portions and roll into balls; cover with plastic to keep from drying out. Line a tortilla press with 2 pieces of plastic cut to fit the plates (to be on the safe side, cut them from a food storage bag; the thicker plastic usually works better for beginners). Gently press out a ball of dough between the sheets of plastic to about 4 inches in diameter (it'll be about 1/4 inch thick). You've now made a gordita, which is what you call a fat tortilla. Peel off the top sheet of plastic, flip the gordita, uncovered side down, onto the fingers of 1 hand, and gently peel off the second piece of plastic. In one flowing movement, roll the gordita off your hand and onto the heated griddle or skillet. Bake for about 1 1/2 minutes, then flip and bake for another 1 1/2 minutes on the other side. The gordita will be lightly browned and crusty on the top and bottom, but still a little uncooked on the sides. Remove to a plate. Continue pressing and griddle-baking the remaining gorditas in the same manner.
• Finishing the gorditas: When you're ready to serve, warm the shredded beef. Rinse the remaining onions in a small strainer under cold water and shake to remove the excess moisture. Have the cheese and cilantro at the ready.
• In a deep heavy medium skillet or saucepan, heat 1/2-inch of oil over medium to medium-high until the oil is hot enough to make the edge of a gordita sizzle sharply, about 350 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. One by one, fry the gorditas, turning them after they've been in the oil for about 15 seconds, until they're nicely crisp but not hard, about 45 seconds total. When they're ready, most will have puffed up a little, like pita bread. Drain on paper towels.
• Once they all are fried, use a small knife to cut a slit in the thin edge of each one about halfway around its circumference, opening a pocket. As you cut them, fill each gordita with about 1/4-cup shredded meat and a sprinkling of the onions, grated cheese, and cilantro.
• Line up the filled gorditas on a serving platter and pass them around (with plenty of napkins) for your guest to enjoy.

RICK BAYLESS'S CHILE COLORADO

Steps:

• Wash the pork, remove excess fat, cube and set aside.
• Take the New Mexico chilies (or use dried California chilies which are also mild) and remove the stems, veins, and seeds. Break the chilies into big pieces.
• Heat a nonstick fryng pan over medium heat. When hot, add 1/3 of the chilies and cook just until they start to change color, pressing down occasionally with a spachula. Flip over the chilies and repeat on the second side. Remove. Repeat with the last two batches of the chilies.
• Put the toasted chilies into a pie plate, fill part-way full with water and top with a salad or other smallish plate. Let the chilies soak for 30-45 minutes.
• Once the dried chilies are done soaking, put them into a food processor or blender along with the onion, garlic, oregano and cumin. Add some of the soaking liquid (at least one cup or more) and puree. Strain through a wire mesh. Set the red chili sauce aside.
• Meanwhile, in the same nonstick frying pan, heat it over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot add 1/4 cup oi and when the oil is warm, add half of the meat cubes. Use a spachula to turn over the meat as it cooks. When the meat gets brown spots, remove the first batch, and repeat with the remaining meat cubes.
• Readd all of the meat back into the frying pan. Add the red chili sauce and cook until the sauce has thickened.
• Next, put the meat and sauce into a medium-largish size saucepan. Add 1 1/2 - 2 cups water.
• Bring the liquid to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook about one hour or until the meat is very tender and the sauce is thick.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• If the sauce is too runny because there is too much liquid, increase heat to high and boil away the liquid unti the sauce thickens. You can also add 1-2 Table. masa to the sauce to thicken it as it boils.
• If desired, you can reduce the amount of meat to 1 - 1 1/2 lbs. and add one 16 oz. can drained pinto beans the last 15 minutes of cooking.

RICK BAYLESS CARNE ASADA

Steps:

• 1. Rinse steak in cold water, rub with some oil, and salt and pepper all surfaces liberally. 2. Blend all ingredients briskly and marinate steak overnight in a plastic bag. 3. Grill steak to your liking, being careful not to overcook (flank steak is very pink even when cooked). 6 mins on one side, 4 on the other @ medium-high grill should be way enough. 4. Cut across the grain into chunky slices and serve in your favorite mexican dish (burritos, tacos, etc.) You can turn leftover marinade into a sauce by bringing it to a boil and simmering on low for 10 mins or so.

RICK BAYLESS SHREDDED BEEF

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine the meat with 2 quarts salted water, about 1/3 of the onions, and half of the garlic and simmer until the meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Strain, reserving the broth for another use. When the meat is cool enough to handle, shred it into coarse strands with your fingers or 2 forks--don't worry that there are bits of onion and garlic mixed with the meat.
• Wash and dry the saucepan, set it over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. When the oil is hot, add half of the remaining onions and cook until golden, about 6 minutes, then stir in the remaining garlic and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes and chiles and cook until most of the juice has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Stir in the shredded meat and simmer for a few more minutes, then taste and season with about 1/2 teaspoon salt. Remove from the heat.