I love having visitors, not least because I get to pull out all the stops and feed them well. We had some vegetarian friends over from the US for a long weekend visit last week, so I turned to some of my tried-and-true favorites: polpette di melanzane, ratatouille, lemon and pea risotto, and Moorish crunch salad with naan bread, plus roasted peaches with amaretti and Eton mess for dessert. My friend (the same friend who cracked his fridge shelf last year with a heavy pot of soup) was lamenting the fact that they’re tired of making the same old things from their small cookbook collection, so Adrian, here’s another fast and easy vegetarian recipe for you to add to your repertoire.
Chili Bean Burritos with Corn Salsa
adapted from Every Day by Bill Granger
Serves 4
When serving this to my small children, I give them a tortilla on the side (because they still like to have what the grown-ups are having) and just put the bean mixture in a bowl with some corn salsa on top, which they can easily spoon up.
for the chili bean burritos:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 x 14 oz (400 g) cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 x 14 oz (400 g) can of chopped tomatoes
zest and juice of 1 lime
a small handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
freshly grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, to serve
tortillas, to serve
natural yogurt or sour cream, to serve
for the corn salsa:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups (300 g) corn, either fresh or frozen
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
a small handful of fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
zest and juice of 1 lime
salt and freshly ground black pepper
To make the bean burritos, heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pan over a medium-low heat. Add the celery, onion and red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables have softened. Add the garlic, chili and spices and cook for 1 minute more. Add the kidney beans and tomatoes and stir well. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to very low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, until thickened. Stir in the lime zest and juice and the cilantro.
While the bean mixture is cooking, make the salsa. In a separate large pan, heat the oil over a high heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes. Tip the corn into a large bowl and stir through the celery, onion, chili, coriander, lime zest and juice. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
To serve, spoon some bean mixture down the middle of each tortilla, sprinkle with the grated cheese and wrap up firmly. Serve with the corn salsa and a spoonful of yogurt.