Dish of the Week: Slow Cooker Chimichangas

This weeks dish is Easy Chimichangas Thanks to the CrockPot. I found this recipe from a CrockPotting blog called A Year of CrockPotting. This blog was started by a woman who decided to make a New Years Resolution to use her CrockPot for 365 days in 2008.

Each dish is labeled and I was interested in finding some more Mexican recipes and came across this one. For those who do not know, a Chimichanga is a fried burrito. It's one of my favorite Mexican dishes and something I will order frequently. I was happy to be able to find a recipe to make my own.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound hunk o' meat (like Top Round - she also suggests that pork would be good and I bet it would be)
salt and pepper
*garlic powder
1/2 cup water
1 T dried minced onion, or 1 diced fresh onion

to add later:
1 can tomatoes and chiles (drained)
1 can diced tomatoes (drained)

Burrito-sized tortillas, and whatever toppings your like on your Mexican food!

*Toppings that we like to use:
Salsa
Salsa Verde (Tomatillo sauce)
Sour Cream (for me NOT the Doc!)
Guacamole
1 package of Mexican blend shredded cheese

*to cook later:
1 package of Mexican or Spanish flavored rice (like the Lipton or Near East brand)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

The Directions:
Note that you need to fry up the little tortilla packets. So this is one slow cooker meal that requires a little extra work.

In the morning:
Season your meat on all sides with the salt, pepper and if you choose garlic powder. Plop it into the crockpot and cover with 1/2 cup of water. Cook on low all day anywhere between 6-8 hours.

After the meat has cooked all day, remove it carefully. Skim the fat out of the liquid at the bottom of your stoneware, and remove excess juice. You really only need about a cup of juice left in the crock.

Put your meat back inside, and shred it with two forks. The meat should come apart easily. If it doesn't, cut it in pieces and cook on low a few more hours.

Add the can of drained diced tomatoes and drained tomatoes and chiles. Turn your crock to high to warm everything up. Prepare your toppings.

*Start cooking the rice according to the package directions. Once the rice is almost cooked I add the black beans to the rice but you can also keep them separate.

When the meat is hot again, start making your little chimichanga packets. Steam a few tortillas at a time by stacking them on a plate and covering with a dampened paper towel. Microwave for 60 seconds.

Take a steamed tortilla and plop a spoonful of meat in the center. *I add the rice and beans mixture and then some of the shredded cheese. Fold the bottom and top of the tortilla, then the sides. The sides need to overlap a bit, so the meat doesn't escape.

Heat up some oil in a big skillet. When it is super hot, carefully put the chimichanga into the oil, seam-side down. Fry until golden brown (about 1 min) then flip.

The Verdict:
When I made these for the first time for the Doc he was hooked! If you were to ask him which dish that I have made is his absolute favorite, this would be it. So naturally this recipe gets the five star rating.

This recipe was included in my Superbowl menu and I made them tonight for the Mailloux's while we are here visiting them. I have changed it from the original recipe from the blog and notated so with a asterisk (*). It was the Doc that suggested adding the rice and beans. Tonight Ben suggested adding some ground cumin to the meat and I bet that it would be a great addition to the flavor of the beef. Next time I make this I am going to try it out.

If you like Mexican food, then I would highly recommend making this dish.