Hello,

Does anyone know a good recipe for chicken chimichangas or a good site to find
one?

"Ruthc9" > wrote in message
...
> Hello,
>
> Does anyone know a good recipe for chicken chimichangas or a good site to
find
> one?

here is a really easy recipe:

Chimichanga
Filling:

3 lb. boneless shoulder chuck roast

salt and pepper

2 T. bacon drippings or vegetable oil

3 garlic cloves minced

1/2 C. chopped onion

1 C. beef stock

10 10-12 inch tortillas

Rub the salt and pepper on the roast. Saute in the oil. Add onion and
garlic. Add the beef broth. Cover tightly and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours,
until roast is very tender. Cool until you can handle the roast. With 2
forks shred the beef into small pieces.

Add the meat to the broth and add another 1/2 C. diced onion. Cook until all
liquid is out of the beef. The beef should remain moist but not juicy.

Warm the tortilla enough so that you can roll it. Place 3/4 C. of the
mixture in the center of the tortilla. Fold in sides and roll up. Secure
with toothpicks.

To serve: Warm 5 inches oil in Dutch oven or other large pan to 375°F. Fry
until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Drain.

Top with cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, guacamole and salsa. Serve
immediately.

Chicken chuck roast??


"La Reina" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Ruthc9" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Hello,
> >
> > Does anyone know a good recipe for chicken chimichangas or a good site
to
> find
> > one?
>
> here is a really easy recipe:
>
> Chimichanga
> Filling:
>
> 3 lb. boneless shoulder chuck roast
>
> salt and pepper
>
> 2 T. bacon drippings or vegetable oil
>
> 3 garlic cloves minced
>
> 1/2 C. chopped onion
>
> 1 C. beef stock
>
> 10 10-12 inch tortillas
>
> Rub the salt and pepper on the roast. Saute in the oil. Add onion and
> garlic. Add the beef broth. Cover tightly and simmer for about 1 1/2
hours,
> until roast is very tender. Cool until you can handle the roast. With 2
> forks shred the beef into small pieces.
>
> Add the meat to the broth and add another 1/2 C. diced onion. Cook until
all
> liquid is out of the beef. The beef should remain moist but not juicy.
>
> Warm the tortilla enough so that you can roll it. Place 3/4 C. of the
> mixture in the center of the tortilla. Fold in sides and roll up. Secure
> with toothpicks.
>
> To serve: Warm 5 inches oil in Dutch oven or other large pan to 375°F. Fry
> until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Drain.
>
> Top with cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, guacamole and salsa. Serve
> immediately.
>
>

On 10 Mar 2004 13:28:23 GMT, (Ruthc9) wrote:

>Hello,
>
>Does anyone know a good recipe for chicken chimichangas or a good site to find
>one?

Search with

chimichanga recipe

Over 2000 hits.

<snip>

I had my first Chimichanga (de carne seca) in downtown Tucson,
Arizona. It was a little hall-in-the-wall.

I liked going there as a freshman in college because they didn't i.d.,
and I could get a beer with the food. Truly necessary as Mexican food
almost requires beer . . . that's another post altogether.

The cook, and waitress, and busboy and owner, used shredded beef
(machaca). Incredible taste. And the whole mess was wrapped in a 18
inch, and thin flour tortilla. Rolled up burrito style and then
deep-fried to perfection.

I've never forgotten those chimichangas, and now that I post this, my
mouth's watering from the mere memory.

The chimichanga is a specialty of the State of Sonora, Mexico.

I found the following for the machaca, you'll have to play around with
the spice profile to make it authentic Sonoran.

From Texas Cooking Online
© 2003 Texas Cooking Online, Inc. -- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

http://www.texascooking.com - Printed On: 03/20/04
If you are looking for a nice gift for someone, visit Texas Cooking's
Food Gift Store

Beef Machaca
by David Bulla
In the wheat fields and cattle ranches of Sonora, Mexico, we can find
culinary history that is a major influence in Tex-Mex cuisine today.
In Sonora, wheat flour tortillas and traditional Machaca come together
to make burritas. They are an every day type of taco there.

Machaca in its traditional form is the Mexican equivalent of beef
jerky. It is basically beef that has been marinated, cooked, shredded
and dried. The drying process preserved the beef, made it easy to pack
on the trail, and it also gave the machaca a unique texture when
prepared in the traditional fashion.

In Tex-Mex cuisine, an adapted version of the traditional machaca is a
staple that can be served alone with tortillas and taco fixings, or as
the basis for many other dishes. Many people still call it machaca,
yet it also shows up on menus as "shredded beef." The main difference
being that the beef is not dried after cooking. There are many subtle
differences in how it is prepared from recipe to recipe. Much like
meatloaf, it is hard to find two recipes exactly alike.

Machaca is a great example of cooking with one of my favorite cooking
techniques called braising. Braised dishes use a combination of
cooking methods. You start with a high heat sear to develop flavor and
add texture and color, then add moisture and reduce heat to a low
simmer. The long slow simmer breaks down connective tissues and fats,
resulting in a very tender, moist and flavorful product when it's all
said and done.

I put Machaca in the category of chili. When the weather outside is
right, I like to make a batch of it so that I have plenty to freeze
and use when I don't have time to cook. It's great for tacos,
burritos, chimichangas, enchiladas, quesadillas, taquitos, chili
rellenos, and any recipe that calls for taco meat. In my opinion,
machaca is so superior in flavor and texture to ground beef taco meat
that it makes me wonder why anyone would use ground beef for tacos. It
is also very easy to make. So, leave the ground beef tacos to your
local fast food joint, and make a batch of machaca for your favorite
Tex-Mex dishes.

Big Dave's Beef Machaca

This is a basic machaca recipe. You can add to it or take away from
it. Spice it up a little by adding chili powder or chili paste. Finish
with some diced potatoes for "Machaca con papas." You could also make
a version of this recipe with leftover roasts or fajitas. Skip the
marinade step and the searing step. Simply simmer the meat with the
other ingredients until it is falling apart then shred it.

Marinade:

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
Juice of two limes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ cup vegetable oil or olive oil
Machaca:
2-3 lb Chuck Roast or Skirt Steak, trimmed and cut into ¼ lb portions.
1 Large Texas Sweet Onion (yellow onion) diced
½ green bell pepper diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 Fresh Jalapeno Pepper, minced
1 14oz can diced tomatoes or tomatoes with green chilies
¼ cup beef broth
1 Tb dried oregano
1 Tb ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce such as Tabasco
salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil for searing the beef
For the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a bowl then whisk
them to form an emulsion. Add the beef making sure every piece is
evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate.
Marinate the beef overnight in a bowl in the refrigerator. Before
preparing, drain thoroughly and allow meat to come up to room
temperature for about 30 minutes.

In a large soup pot, heat a few tablespoons of oil over medium-high
heat until very hot. Sear the beef a few pieces at a time to develop a
rich brown color on all sides as well as on the bottom of the pan. Do
this in several batches if the pot is too crowded.

When all the beef is browned nicely and removed from the pan, add the
onions, peppers, and garlic to the hot pan. Sauté for a few minutes
then add the remaining ingredients to the pan along with the beef.
Bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer slowly for about 2 hours. The
meat should be very tender and should easily fall apart when pricked
with a fork.

Remove from heat, remove meat to a cutting board and shred with a pair
of forks. Return to the pot and bring to a simmer, uncovered. Reduce
the liquid until very thick, almost dry. At this point, adjust the
seasoning with salt, pepper, and whatever additional heat you want to
add if any.

Serve with tortillas, cheese, salsa, lettuce and guacamole for a great
beef taco. Portion and freeze the remaining machaca in zip lock bags
for later use.

One of my favorite things to do with machaca is make enchiladas. Once
you have the machaca, it's really easy. I like a fairly hot sauce with
this, so I make a nice sauce out of chipotle peppers, canned diced
tomatoes, and beef broth. It's easy to make your own sauce, but if you
are in a pinch for time you can also buy canned sauce from the store.

Machaca Beef Enchiladas with Chipotle Sauce

10 corn tortillas
½ cup vegetable oil (Or you can use a deep fryer)
1 ½ cup Machaca
2 cups Chipotle Sauce (Recipe Follows)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Heat the oil in skillet over medium high heat (or in your deep fryer
at 350degF). Quickly fry the corn tortillas one at a time by
submerging in the hot oil just until soft, about 5 seconds. Tongs work
great for this. If you cook them too long, they start to get crisp and
this is not what you want. You want them to be a little soggy from the
oil. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. Do this to all the tortillas.
This does two things. It makes the tortilla soft, and it gives a nice
texture to the exposed ends of the tortillas after baked. For those
that are worried about fat intake, you can also achieve a similar
result by dipping the corn tortillas in boiling chicken broth for a
few moments. This will moisten and soften the tortillas. But
seriously, try the oil. You will use less fat then what is in a
typical serving of salad dressing.
When the tortillas are cool enough to handle, fill and roll each with
about 2 ½ tablespoons of machaca. Roll tightly. Place the enchiladas
side by side in the pan, seam side down. Cover across the middle with
the chipotle sauce and top with the cheese. Bake at 350degF until the
cheese is melted, the sauce is simmering and the enchiladas are heated
through, about 20-25 minutes. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes before
serving. Serve with Spanish rice and pinto beans or refried beans.

Chipotle Sauce for Enchiladas

1 14oz can beef broth
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 chipotle peppers from a small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt and white pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat and sauté the onions until
soft. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook for about 20
minutes. Place the sauce in a blender and blend until smooth. Check
the thickness of the sauce. It should be the consistency of gravy. If
the sauce is too thin, return to a simmer and reduce to desired
thickness. If it is too thick, add more stock to thin it out a little.
Once you have the right consistency, adjust the seasoning with salt
and pepper.
Quesadilla Machaca

Still have some machaca? Well, try a quesadilla made with 2 flour
tortillas, 1/4cup grated cheddar cheese and about 2 tablespoons of
machaca. Cook like a grilled cheese sandwich in a skillet over medium
high heat until the tortilla is golden brown and crispy and the cheese
is melted through. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and your favorite
salsa. Enjoy!


David Bulla is a chef living in Austin, Texas.
URL for this article:
http://www.texascooking.com/features...eefmachaca.htm
Texas Cooking Front Page - Search Grandma's Cookbook

We add new original articles, recipes and reviews monthly. Visit Texas
Cooking for quality, kitchen-tested recipes. If you are looking for a
nice gift for someone, visit Texas Cooking's Food Gift Store © 2003
Texas Cooking Online, Inc. -- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

"Mark Preston" > wrote in message
om...
> <snip>
>
> I had my first Chimichanga (de carne seca)

That is not how I would define chimichangas. In fact I seem to be very
confused by this whole post! You mention "shredded beef", then call it
machaca. I have understood these differently. I understand "machaca" as
dried beef. The recipe below titled machaca is in no way a recipe for dried
beef. Am I completely wrong or what? Please de-confuse me.

Charlie

> in downtown Tucson,
> Arizona. It was a little hall-in-the-wall.
>
> I liked going there as a freshman in college because they didn't i.d.,
> and I could get a beer with the food. Truly necessary as Mexican food
> almost requires beer . . . that's another post altogether.
>
> The cook, and waitress, and busboy and owner, used shredded beef
> (machaca). Incredible taste. And the whole mess was wrapped in a 18
> inch, and thin flour tortilla. Rolled up burrito style and then
> deep-fried to perfection.
>
> I've never forgotten those chimichangas, and now that I post this, my
> mouth's watering from the mere memory.
>
> The chimichanga is a specialty of the State of Sonora, Mexico.
>
> I found the following for the machaca, you'll have to play around with
> the spice profile to make it authentic Sonoran.
>
> From Texas Cooking Online
> © 2003 Texas Cooking Online, Inc. -- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
>
> http://www.texascooking.com - Printed On: 03/20/04
> If you are looking for a nice gift for someone, visit Texas Cooking's
> Food Gift Store
>
> Beef Machaca
> by David Bulla
> In the wheat fields and cattle ranches of Sonora, Mexico, we can find
> culinary history that is a major influence in Tex-Mex cuisine today.
> In Sonora, wheat flour tortillas and traditional Machaca come together
> to make burritas. They are an every day type of taco there.
>
> Machaca in its traditional form is the Mexican equivalent of beef
> jerky. It is basically beef that has been marinated, cooked, shredded
> and dried. The drying process preserved the beef, made it easy to pack
> on the trail, and it also gave the machaca a unique texture when
> prepared in the traditional fashion.
>
> In Tex-Mex cuisine, an adapted version of the traditional machaca is a
> staple that can be served alone with tortillas and taco fixings, or as
> the basis for many other dishes. Many people still call it machaca,
> yet it also shows up on menus as "shredded beef." The main difference
> being that the beef is not dried after cooking. There are many subtle
> differences in how it is prepared from recipe to recipe. Much like
> meatloaf, it is hard to find two recipes exactly alike.
>
> Machaca is a great example of cooking with one of my favorite cooking
> techniques called braising. Braised dishes use a combination of
> cooking methods. You start with a high heat sear to develop flavor and
> add texture and color, then add moisture and reduce heat to a low
> simmer. The long slow simmer breaks down connective tissues and fats,
> resulting in a very tender, moist and flavorful product when it's all
> said and done.
>
> I put Machaca in the category of chili. When the weather outside is
> right, I like to make a batch of it so that I have plenty to freeze
> and use when I don't have time to cook. It's great for tacos,
> burritos, chimichangas, enchiladas, quesadillas, taquitos, chili
> rellenos, and any recipe that calls for taco meat. In my opinion,
> machaca is so superior in flavor and texture to ground beef taco meat
> that it makes me wonder why anyone would use ground beef for tacos. It
> is also very easy to make. So, leave the ground beef tacos to your
> local fast food joint, and make a batch of machaca for your favorite
> Tex-Mex dishes.
>
> Big Dave's Beef Machaca
>
> This is a basic machaca recipe. You can add to it or take away from
> it. Spice it up a little by adding chili powder or chili paste. Finish
> with some diced potatoes for "Machaca con papas." You could also make
> a version of this recipe with leftover roasts or fajitas. Skip the
> marinade step and the searing step. Simply simmer the meat with the
> other ingredients until it is falling apart then shred it.
>
> Marinade:
>
> ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
> Juice of two limes
> 1 tsp garlic powder
> 1 tsp ground cumin
> 1 tsp chili powder
> ½ tsp salt
> ½ tsp black pepper
> ½ cup vegetable oil or olive oil
> Machaca:
> 2-3 lb Chuck Roast or Skirt Steak, trimmed and cut into ¼ lb portions.
> 1 Large Texas Sweet Onion (yellow onion) diced
> ½ green bell pepper diced
> 4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
> 1 Fresh Jalapeno Pepper, minced
> 1 14oz can diced tomatoes or tomatoes with green chilies
> ¼ cup beef broth
> 1 Tb dried oregano
> 1 Tb ground cumin
> 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce such as Tabasco
> salt and pepper to taste
> Vegetable oil for searing the beef
> For the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a bowl then whisk
> them to form an emulsion. Add the beef making sure every piece is
> evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate.
> Marinate the beef overnight in a bowl in the refrigerator. Before
> preparing, drain thoroughly and allow meat to come up to room
> temperature for about 30 minutes.
>
> In a large soup pot, heat a few tablespoons of oil over medium-high
> heat until very hot. Sear the beef a few pieces at a time to develop a
> rich brown color on all sides as well as on the bottom of the pan. Do
> this in several batches if the pot is too crowded.
>
> When all the beef is browned nicely and removed from the pan, add the
> onions, peppers, and garlic to the hot pan. Sauté for a few minutes
> then add the remaining ingredients to the pan along with the beef.
> Bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
> Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer slowly for about 2 hours. The
> meat should be very tender and should easily fall apart when pricked
> with a fork.
>
> Remove from heat, remove meat to a cutting board and shred with a pair
> of forks. Return to the pot and bring to a simmer, uncovered. Reduce
> the liquid until very thick, almost dry. At this point, adjust the
> seasoning with salt, pepper, and whatever additional heat you want to
> add if any.
>
> Serve with tortillas, cheese, salsa, lettuce and guacamole for a great
> beef taco. Portion and freeze the remaining machaca in zip lock bags
> for later use.
>
> One of my favorite things to do with machaca is make enchiladas. Once
> you have the machaca, it's really easy. I like a fairly hot sauce with
> this, so I make a nice sauce out of chipotle peppers, canned diced
> tomatoes, and beef broth. It's easy to make your own sauce, but if you
> are in a pinch for time you can also buy canned sauce from the store.
>
> Machaca Beef Enchiladas with Chipotle Sauce
>
> 10 corn tortillas
> ½ cup vegetable oil (Or you can use a deep fryer)
> 1 ½ cup Machaca
> 2 cups Chipotle Sauce (Recipe Follows)
> 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
> Heat the oil in skillet over medium high heat (or in your deep fryer
> at 350degF). Quickly fry the corn tortillas one at a time by
> submerging in the hot oil just until soft, about 5 seconds. Tongs work
> great for this. If you cook them too long, they start to get crisp and
> this is not what you want. You want them to be a little soggy from the
> oil. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. Do this to all the tortillas.
> This does two things. It makes the tortilla soft, and it gives a nice
> texture to the exposed ends of the tortillas after baked. For those
> that are worried about fat intake, you can also achieve a similar
> result by dipping the corn tortillas in boiling chicken broth for a
> few moments. This will moisten and soften the tortillas. But
> seriously, try the oil. You will use less fat then what is in a
> typical serving of salad dressing.
> When the tortillas are cool enough to handle, fill and roll each with
> about 2 ½ tablespoons of machaca. Roll tightly. Place the enchiladas
> side by side in the pan, seam side down. Cover across the middle with
> the chipotle sauce and top with the cheese. Bake at 350degF until the
> cheese is melted, the sauce is simmering and the enchiladas are heated
> through, about 20-25 minutes. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes before
> serving. Serve with Spanish rice and pinto beans or refried beans.
>
> Chipotle Sauce for Enchiladas
>
> 1 14oz can beef broth
> 1 14oz can diced tomatoes
> 1 medium yellow onion, diced
> 4 cloves garlic, minced
> 2 chipotle peppers from a small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
> 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
> salt and white pepper to taste
> Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat and sauté the onions until
> soft. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook for about 20
> minutes. Place the sauce in a blender and blend until smooth. Check
> the thickness of the sauce. It should be the consistency of gravy. If
> the sauce is too thin, return to a simmer and reduce to desired
> thickness. If it is too thick, add more stock to thin it out a little.
> Once you have the right consistency, adjust the seasoning with salt
> and pepper.
> Quesadilla Machaca
>
> Still have some machaca? Well, try a quesadilla made with 2 flour
> tortillas, 1/4cup grated cheddar cheese and about 2 tablespoons of
> machaca. Cook like a grilled cheese sandwich in a skillet over medium
> high heat until the tortilla is golden brown and crispy and the cheese
> is melted through. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and your favorite
> salsa. Enjoy!
>
>
> David Bulla is a chef living in Austin, Texas.
> URL for this article:
> http://www.texascooking.com/features...eefmachaca.htm
> Texas Cooking Front Page - Search Grandma's Cookbook
>
> We add new original articles, recipes and reviews monthly. Visit Texas
> Cooking for quality, kitchen-tested recipes. If you are looking for a
> nice gift for someone, visit Texas Cooking's Food Gift Store © 2003
> Texas Cooking Online, Inc. -- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Charles Gifford wrote:
> "Mark Preston" > wrote in message
> om...
>
>><snip>
>>
>>I had my first Chimichanga (de carne seca)
>
>
> That is not how I would define chimichangas. In fact I seem to be very
> confused by this whole post! You mention "shredded beef", then call it
> machaca. I have understood these differently. I understand "machaca" as
> dried beef. The recipe below titled machaca is in no way a recipe for dried
> beef. Am I completely wrong or what? Please de-confuse me.
>
> Charlie

snip

Shredded beef and machaca are two different things. I think the problem
is a writer (not the poster) who doesn't really have a clue and a chef
who is playing games. The same sort of confusion we get with carnitas
where they are deep fried in some places and in others where they are
roasted.

Deep fried burritos were very common in the 60's and I did not have the
soft tortilla-wrapped version until I hit my first Taco Bell in 1963. I
had deep fried burritos in 1963 in Livingston, Ca in the wolf's Den, the
drive-in off the edge of the high school.

Where's Burritoman when you need him?


jim

Charles Gifford wrote:
>
> "Mark Preston" > wrote in message
> om...
> > <snip>
> >
> > I had my first Chimichanga (de carne seca)
>
> That is not how I would define chimichangas. In fact I seem to be very
> confused by this whole post! You mention "shredded beef", then call it
> machaca. I have understood these differently. I understand "machaca" as
> dried beef. The recipe below titled machaca is in no way a recipe for dried
> beef. Am I completely wrong or what? Please de-confuse me.
>
> Charlie

As I understand...

Machaca is what results from placing dried beef on a hard surface
and pounding with a rock to shred it. The machaca is then rehydrated
by soaking in liquid and added to the food being prepared or added
dry to rehydrate in the liquids present during the cooking process.

The whole piece of dried beef is called cecina. Beef is cut into
long thin strips accordion style, sprinkled with lime juice, salt
and ground black pepper, then hung on racks to dry. Pieces are
cut from the cecina and pounded into machaca as needed.

I make a reasonable substitute by making beef jerky using lime juice,
salt, ground black pepper and ground dried chiles. Not having the
suitable rock and hard place to put it between for pounding, I shred
it in a food processor. Rehydrated in some rich red chile gravy,
it'd probably serve well in a chimachanga, but I mostly use it for
making Huevos con Machaca. Mmmmm, mmm...good stuff!

Rich

Rich McCormack wrote:
>
> Charles Gifford wrote:
>
>>"Mark Preston" > wrote in message
.com...
>>
>>><snip>
>>>
>>>I had my first Chimichanga (de carne seca)
>>
>>That is not how I would define chimichangas. In fact I seem to be very
>>confused by this whole post! You mention "shredded beef", then call it
>>machaca. I have understood these differently. I understand "machaca" as
>>dried beef. The recipe below titled machaca is in no way a recipe for dried
>>beef. Am I completely wrong or what? Please de-confuse me.
>>
>>Charlie
>
>
> As I understand...
>
> Machaca is what results from placing dried beef on a hard surface
> and pounding with a rock to shred it. The machaca is then rehydrated
> by soaking in liquid and added to the food being prepared or added
> dry to rehydrate in the liquids present during the cooking process.
>
> The whole piece of dried beef is called cecina. Beef is cut into
> long thin strips accordion style, sprinkled with lime juice, salt
> and ground black pepper, then hung on racks to dry. Pieces are
> cut from the cecina and pounded into machaca as needed.
>
> I make a reasonable substitute by making beef jerky using lime juice,
> salt, ground black pepper and ground dried chiles. Not having the
> suitable rock and hard place to put it between for pounding, I shred
> it in a food processor. Rehydrated in some rich red chile gravy,
> it'd probably serve well in a chimachanga, but I mostly use it for
> making Huevos con Machaca. Mmmmm, mmm...good stuff!
>
> Rich

The dried beef makes a wonderful "jerky" to snack on. I was at a light
meal in Mexicali where this was served along with salsas, tortillas, etc.


jim

"Jim Lane" > wrote in message
...
> Charles Gifford wrote:
> > "Mark Preston" > wrote in message
> > om...
> >
> >><snip>
> >>
> >>I had my first Chimichanga (de carne seca)
> >
> >
> > That is not how I would define chimichangas. In fact I seem to be very
> > confused by this whole post! You mention "shredded beef", then call it
> > machaca. I have understood these differently. I understand "machaca" as
> > dried beef. The recipe below titled machaca is in no way a recipe for
dried
> > beef. Am I completely wrong or what? Please de-confuse me.
> >
> > Charlie
>
> snip
>
> Shredded beef and machaca are two different things. I think the problem
> is a writer (not the poster) who doesn't really have a clue and a chef
> who is playing games. The same sort of confusion we get with carnitas
> where they are deep fried in some places and in others where they are
> roasted.

It seems my original thoughts were correct then. I understand about carnitas
being different in different places. I had believed that carnitas were deep
fried and only later disovered that some folks think otherwise. Strange.
You'd think They would be more or less defined.

> Deep fried burritos were very common in the 60's and I did not have the
> soft tortilla-wrapped version until I hit my first Taco Bell in 1963. I
> had deep fried burritos in 1963 in Livingston, Ca in the wolf's Den, the
> drive-in off the edge of the high school.

Yes, as far as I am aware, chimichangas are simply deep fried burritos. You
should certainly be able to get good Mexican food in Livingston! The best
tamales I've eaten were at a small restaurant in Chowchilla a little south
of Livingston.

Charlie

> Where's Burritoman when you need him?
>
>
> jim

"Rich McCormack" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> Charles Gifford wrote:
> >
> > "Mark Preston" > wrote in message
> > om...
> > > <snip>
> > >
> > > I had my first Chimichanga (de carne seca)
> >
> > That is not how I would define chimichangas. In fact I seem to be very
> > confused by this whole post! You mention "shredded beef", then call it
> > machaca. I have understood these differently. I understand "machaca" as
> > dried beef. The recipe below titled machaca is in no way a recipe for
dried
> > beef. Am I completely wrong or what? Please de-confuse me.
> >
> > Charlie
>
> As I understand...
>
> Machaca is what results from placing dried beef on a hard surface
> and pounding with a rock to shred it. The machaca is then rehydrated
> by soaking in liquid and added to the food being prepared or added
> dry to rehydrate in the liquids present during the cooking process.
>
> The whole piece of dried beef is called cecina. Beef is cut into
> long thin strips accordion style, sprinkled with lime juice, salt
> and ground black pepper, then hung on racks to dry. Pieces are
> cut from the cecina and pounded into machaca as needed.
>
> I make a reasonable substitute by making beef jerky using lime juice,
> salt, ground black pepper and ground dried chiles. Not having the
> suitable rock and hard place to put it between for pounding, I shred
> it in a food processor. Rehydrated in some rich red chile gravy,
> it'd probably serve well in a chimachanga, but I mostly use it for
> making Huevos con Machaca. Mmmmm, mmm...good stuff!
>
> Rich

Thanks for the additional information Rich. Very interesting. Made me hungry
too! I never thought of using jerky. Machaca is readily available and the
Mercado near my house (or, at least they did the last time I checked). I
haven't purchased any for quite some time. While I enjoy it, I haven't used
it in cooking. I ate at a Mexican place in Central CA a couple of years ago
and had what was supposed to be machaca and eggs. It turned out to be plain
shredded beef and a disappointment.

I wonder what the difference is between machaca and carne seca?

Charlie

Frogleg > wrote in message >. ..
>
> Search with
>
> chimichanga recipe
>
> Over 2000 hits.

Suggesting a search doesn't inspire a conversational thread, which is
what a newsgroup is all about, Frogleg.

Karen

Charles Gifford wrote:
> "Jim Lane" > wrote in message
> ...
>

>>Deep fried burritos were very common in the 60's and I did not have the
>>soft tortilla-wrapped version until I hit my first Taco Bell in 1963. I
>>had deep fried burritos in 1963 in Livingston, Ca in the wolf's Den, the
>>drive-in off the edge of the high school.
>
>
> Yes, as far as I am aware, chimichangas are simply deep fried burritos. You
> should certainly be able to get good Mexican food in Livingston! The best
> tamales I've eaten were at a small restaurant in Chowchilla a little south
> of Livingston.
>

I left Livingston mid-1963 and have only passed through a couple of
times since (1968 and ?). Not much to get then. The places we went were
the high school hangout and Blueberry Hill Cafe on 99.


jim

Karen O'Mara wrote:

> Frogleg > wrote in message >. ..
>
>>Search with
>>
>>chimichanga recipe
>>
>>Over 2000 hits.
>
>
> Suggesting a search doesn't inspire a conversational thread, which is
> what a newsgroup is all about, Frogleg.
>
> Karen

It would be nice, though, if they did a bit of searching first instead
of just yelling for "help." Then they could ask all sorts of interesting
questions.


jim

"Jim Lane" > wrote in message
...
> Charles Gifford wrote:
> > "Jim Lane" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >
>
> >>Deep fried burritos were very common in the 60's and I did not have the
> >>soft tortilla-wrapped version until I hit my first Taco Bell in 1963. I
> >>had deep fried burritos in 1963 in Livingston, Ca in the wolf's Den, the
> >>drive-in off the edge of the high school.
> >
> >
> > Yes, as far as I am aware, chimichangas are simply deep fried burritos.
You
> > should certainly be able to get good Mexican food in Livingston! The
best
> > tamales I've eaten were at a small restaurant in Chowchilla a little
south
> > of Livingston.
> >
>
> I left Livingston mid-1963 and have only passed through a couple of
> times since (1968 and ?). Not much to get then. The places we went were
> the high school hangout and Blueberry Hill Cafe on 99.
>
>
> jim

I remember Blueberry Hill Cafe very well! A true landmark. I went to high
school and community college in Visalia (left there in 1964 . We traveled up
99 to Sacramento for games once or twice a year.

Charlie

On 23 Mar 2004 10:21:55 -0800, (Karen O'Mara) wrote:

>Frogleg > wrote in message >. ..
>>
>> Search with
>>
>> chimichanga recipe
>>
>> Over 2000 hits.
>
>Suggesting a search doesn't inspire a conversational thread, which is
>what a newsgroup is all about, Frogleg.

The original post was

"Does anyone know a good recipe for chicken chimichangas or a good
site to find one?"

I don't know why people are so reluctant to use the tools they have
available. When I need a recipe, the first thing I do is search the
web and the more common recipe collections (recipesource.com, for
one). I usually read several recipes to get the general idea of
ingredients and method. If I don't understand what's going on, I'll
post something like "some recipes say to deep-fry; others just bake.
How does just baking turn out?" That is, I can get 99% of my answers
with a little effort on my part. I *should* have said, since the OP
was after a recipe with chicken, "search on

chimichange recipe chicken

There are 1,710 hits on this. I generously assumed that the poster was
unfamiliar with how to use a search engine, and provided a productive
search string.

I note that the very interesting "conversational thread" has thus far
turned up not one recipe for chicken chimichangas since the original
posting 2 weeks ago. In 2 minutes, the OP could have discovered over a
thousand solutions.

I *did* save the method for machaca/shredded beef/carne seca -- sounds
good! :-)

Jim Lane > wrote in message >...

> It would be nice, though, if they did a bit of searching first instead
> of just yelling for "help." Then they could ask all sorts of interesting
> questions.

Disagree, amigo, for this particular newsgroup. rfc has a lot of daily
postings where I'd agree with you, but afm-c needs a few siwie
instigators...

Anyway, chimichangas are one of my favorite things to order out. At
the restuarant on the menu, it is spelled chimvichanga, though. It's
not a typo', though. I asked. Not sure what the difference is, myself.

Karen