Trip # 48 Arizona (Southwest) Chimichangas, Arizona Southwest Rice Pilaf

Arizona’s Date of Statehood – February 14th, 1912

One of the things I’ve learned through doing this and my international cooking blog (EDIBLEUN.wordpress.com) is that so many of our favorite things began as accidents. Chocolate chip cookies? Accident. Potato Chips? Vindictive accident. One of my favorite Mexican restaurant staples, chimichangas? Accident! While the origins of the chimichanga is up for some debate, the most circulated story is of Monica Flin, the founder of the Tucson, Arizona, restaurant El Charro, accidentally dropping a burrito into the deep-fat fryer in 1922. These fried burritos became so popular across, they are considered the unofficial state food of Arizona!

Tips and Tricks

1. When deep frying, temperature control is key. Adding food, taking food away, etc. changes the oil temperature. So, to get the best end result, be sure to raise and lower the temperature as need to keep it evenly between 350-375 degrees.
2. You have to use flour tortillas. Corn tortillas will crack when you try to roll them up.
3. Enchilada sauce is usually found in the Mexican section of your grocery store.
4. Be sure to assemble your chimichangas RIGHT before you fry. So, if you are making 6 Chimichangas, only put 2 together at a time (you should only fry 2 at a time.) If you assemble them all, the sauce from the filling will soak into the tortillas, making them mushy and fragile.

Chimichangas

Serves 6

• 6 Flour Tortillas, 12-14 inch in diameter
• 1 lb. Ground Beef
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion, peeled and diced
• 1/2 Cup Mild Red Enchilada Sauce
• Salt and Pepper, taste
• Vegetable Oil, to fry
• 2 Cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 2 Cups Iceberg Lettuce, shredded
• 3 Green Onions, root removed and chopped
• 1 Red Tomato, stem removed and chopped

Step 1: Place a large, metal rack in the oven. Place a large cookie sheet under the rack. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. You’ll need to fry 2 chimichangas at a time. Once they are golden brown, you’ll remove the chimichangas from the oil and set them on the rack in the oven to drain and keep warm until all chimichangas are fried.

Step 2: Place a large skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the ground beef and cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is browned.

Step 3: Drain all the fat, leaving the beef in the skillet. Add the diced onion, enchilada sauce, salt, and pepper to the beef. Stir until everything is well combined. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onions are soft. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.

Step 4: Place a deep skillet over medium-low heat and add 2 inches of vegetable oil. Heat the oil to 365 degrees.

Step 5: Place the tortillas on a microwave safe plate and cover them with a damp paper towel. Microwave on high for 15 seconds, or until the tortillas are warm.

Step 6: Take 1 tortillas from the stack and replace the warm, damp paper towel over the other tortillas. Place 1/6 of the filling into the center of the warm tortilla. Pull the bottom of the tortilla up and cover the filling. Then, fold the left side of the tortilla into the center, followed by the right side. Roll the chimichanga into a fat tube until the filling is completely covered by the tortilla. Secure each end with toothpicks so the chimichanga stays closed in the oil. Repeat with one more tortilla so you have two completely assembled chimichangas.

Step 7: Lower the two chimichangas into the oil and fry for 1 1/2 minutes. Flip the chimichangas over and fry the other side for 1 1/2 minutes or until everything is golden brown and crispy.

Step 8: Using a slotted spoon, remove the chimichangas from the oil and allow them to drain on the metal rack in the warm oven. Repeat steps 5-7 until all of the chimichangas are fried.

Step 9: Place a hot chimichanga on a plate and sprinkle 1/6 of the cheddar cheese over it. Serve with shredded iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, and chopped green onions.

Arizona Southwest Rice Pilaf

Serves 4-6

• 3 Tbs Olive Oil
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion, peeled and diced
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, stem and seeds removed and diced
• 1 Carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 Stalk of Celery, leaves and root removed and diced
• 1 Cup Long-Grain White Rice, uncooked
• 1 Can (14.5 oz.) Beef Broth
• 1 Tomato, diced
• 1 Jalapeno Pepper, stem removed and diced

Step 1: Place a large skillet with high sides over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the olive oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the onion, red bell pepper, carrot, and celery.

Step 2: Cook the vegetables until the onions start to turn brown and are softened, about 7 minutes.

Step 3: Add the uncooked rice to the skillet and stir to thoroughly combine.

Step 4: Add the beef broth to the skillet. Once the broth starts to boil, cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes, or until all of the broth is absorbed.

Step 5: Once the rice is cooked, add the diced tomato and diced jalapeno and stir to combine.

Step 6: Serve warm.

Fun Facts about Arizona: 1.  The McDonald’s in Sierra Vista, Arizona opened the company’s first drive-through window. 2. In 1968, Robert P. McCulloch, Sr., the founder of Lake Havasu City, bought the world’s largest antique, The Original London Bridge, for $2.46 million. The structure was dismantled, each of the 10,276 granite blocks were numbered, then shipped from London to Arizona, and painstakingly reassembled. The deal also included ornate lampposts made from Napoleon Bonaparte’s cannons captured at Waterloo. 3. Arizona leads the nation in copper production. The amount of copper on the roof of the Capitol building is equivalent to 4,800,000 pennies. 4. Arizona is home of the Grand Canyon National Park. 5. The world’s largest solar telescope is located at Kitts Peak National Observatory in the city of Sells.