Carne Asada Burritos
as made by me and illuminati hotties.
Hey folks! Long time, no post. Apologies. Luckily we have a fun one today. By the time this is published, I will have posted a video to TikTok and Instagram of me making delectable burritos with Sarah Tudzin, of the LA-based tenderpunk outfit illuminati hotties!
I’ve been on the hotties wave since their debut album Kiss Yr Frenemies back in 2018. They’re out with a new album now, called POWER, which I highly suggest you listen to.
It was such a pleasure to meet Sarah, and always surreal to meet someone whose music has been so present in my life. Thanks, Sarah for stopping by!
I think writing out a burrito recipe with as many components as we used would be clunky and impractical. A burrito, after all, should be modular, and customizable to your tastes. I don’t feel a need to measure the exact amounts of every ingredient going into every burrito, and I won’t insist that you do either. However, I will give you a couple of recipes below for some of the more consequential components, as well as a breakdown of the general construction. From there, make your burrito as you wish, and with what you have at your disposal!
The Burrito Construction:
start with a warmed flour tortilla, for ease of wrapping.
lay down a small handful of cheddar cheese.
follow with a generous scoop of steak, cooked medium rare or medium and marinated in the Carne Asada recipe below.
a few spoonfuls of seasoned rice, recipe below.
a helping of cooked black beans, recipe below.
a layer of pico de gallo, recipe below.
a large dollop of guacamole, which is not something i ever follow a recipe for. mash some avocados, add some red onion, maybe some tomato, and season with salt, lime, and hot sauce.
I find it helpful to add the ingredients in relatively even layers, offset from the center slightly towards you on the tortilla. To wrap, fold in the sides, and fold the side of the tortilla nearest you totally over the mound of ingredients before rolling tightly to seal. Give it a quick sear, seam-side down first, on both sides to crisp and warm the burrito. Enjoy with a little hot sauce or sour cream!
Carne Asada Marinade:
for 2 lbs of steak. something thin and with a long grain. skirt, flank, flat iron, and hanger steaks all work great.
1 tsp salt
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp oregano
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp oil
juice of 1 orange
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup of light beer
2 Tbsp of soy sauce
Add steak to a bowl or lidded container and add all the ingredients. Marinate, ideally, overnight. Cook on a grill or a cast iron skillet to medium-rare or medium.
Seasoned Rice Recipe (this rice is extremely delicious):
1 Tbsp lard or a neutral oil
1/2 of a large onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 cup of long-grain rice, such as basmati.
2 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Add the lard or oil to a wide, lidded pot or sauté pan. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until translucent and fragrant. Add in the garlic and cook for about a minute, or until fragrant. Add in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, just for a minute or until darkened in color. Follow this with the rice, and cook the same way.
Add the chicken stock followed by a bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, cover, turn the heat to low, and let cook for 15-20 minutes. Fluff up the rice with a fork or spatula and reserve until needed.
To cook dried black beans:
Get some high-quality dried black beans, (I prefer Rancho Gordo). You can cook according to the package instructions, which usually means simmering at low heat for about an hour until tender. I like to just cook the entire bag and freeze what I don’t use for another time. Always check at least five beans, to be sure they have cooked evenly. For flavor, add a roughly chopped onion, about half of a jalapeño, and a few heaping spoonfuls of lard or olive oil if lard isn’t available.
To make pico de gallo, combine:
2 medium sized tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeño, finely diced. seeds and ribs removed according to spice preference.
the juice of 1 lime
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro