Thingamajig...

...according to Wikipedia, chimichangas either originated in Tucson or Phoenix Arizona. Which ever you want to believe, "chimichanga" apparently means "thingamajig" in spanish...as in WTF is that?

Basically, a chimi is a deep fried burrito. "Whoa right there Mr. Blog Poster Man! Tell me, wont you please about burritos then!"

Well now..alrighty, let me think. Well, it all started way back. Back before you and I were even born! Burrito means "little burro or donkey" in spanish. The burrito you and I enjoy are a San Francisco style burritos which originated in Mission District in the 60's. Note: One should not order a burrito "mission style" as that may come with a slap across your face. 

Others say it started in Los Angeles at a restaurant in 1954 and still others say a variation was know to be in Mexico (of all places), but these were much simpler renditions of one or two fillings, not the meat-beans-rice-cheese-kitchen sink versions we like.

"WOW! That is probably the most interesting thing I have ever learned, Mr. Funny and Handsome Blog Posting Man. How do you make yours?"

Okay, okay....settle down.  Since normal people, that is, non 14-year-old-man-boys-growing-8-to-9-inches-an-hour people...eat just one, find extra large flour tortillas. I've seen some on TV cooking shows using what looks like 18" diameter tortillas, the largest ones I have found are about 12" which is plenty big. The fillings can run from chicken, hamburger, shredded beef, pork...hell throw tofu in if you want. Whatever you use, it is usually stuffed, gooey, cheesy. 

This go around I used some leftover chicken I hand shredded, some Uncle Bens white rice in a microwave steam bag which cooks in 90 seconds. I mixed it with some salsa and bingo! instant Mexican rice.

Since everything was already fully cooked, I first smeared some refried beans on the tort, added some chicken, rice, cheese and a bit of some fire roasted green chilies. Roll it over once, fold over the edges, roll again and secure with a toothpick.  

Now, I don't deep fry mine, I bake it. Brush it with some EVOO (thats Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and bake it on a sheet pan at 350 or whatever. Watch it closely as it can change from lightly blond toasted to charcoal in about 3 nano-seconds. All you are doing is heating and melting everything inside since the ingredients are already cooked. 

I picked up some Hatch 5 pepper sauce for a base. Side Note...Hatch chilies from Hatch, New Mexico state they have the worlds best chile pepper with a festival, I have seen raw Hatch chilies in the Seattle area at one store. It's fun to mix it up and try non-run of the mill brands.

I sprinkled some chopped onion, black olives, cilantro, pickled jalapenos and cotija cheese on it...a little homemade guac and YUM!

 "Thank you Mr. Very Funny and Very Handsome, Debonair, Smart,
Incredibly Well...umm...Dressed Blog Posting Man!"