Smoky Black Bean Burritos

Why this recipe?
This recipe from Fine Cooking caught my eye because it emphasized healthy ingredients with simple flavor. Black beans, baby spinach, and pepitas provide a high fiber and nutritious impact for this recipe. There is a balance of spicy, sweet, creamy, peppery, and crunchy. The flavors are cohesive and authentic to Mexican/Tex-Mex cuisine. I look at this balance of ingredients and can see that there is going to be a high probability of success.

Mis en Place
The instructions for the recipe are straightforward and pretty true to form. If you take 15 minutes for the minimal prep necessary in this recipe, you will have less than 15 minutes left to dinner time for four people. If you like to prep as you go, you’re still golden. Once you get the beans going, the rest can happen while the beans simmer.

The First Bite
This dish met all of my expectations and then some! I was really impressed that the chipotle did not overpower the dish. It is so easy to overdo it with chipotle, especially when you’re talking about adding in additional adobo sauce. I’ve ruined many a dish that way. I was also a bit worried about the cheese not mixing well with the beans and making a charred mess. The tip is to really, truly, follow the directions when they say to mash half of the beans before adding the cheese and you will need that first two tablespoons of water that the recipe suggests. The result is a smooth and creamy sauce. Finally, I enjoyed the simple tomato salsa and the crispness of the spinach. They provided tart and peppery flavors in addition to some much needed texture contrast.

What Changed
I did add more black beans and I added sliced avocado to my burrito. I made the optional sour cream mandatory. I also chose to use multigrain tortillas. I love the depth of flavor that you get with whole wheat or multigrain tortillas. I did not deseed the chipotle but, in one or two bites, I wish that I had as I crunched down on a seed. It wasn’t a flavor issue, but it was a texture issue.

For the Future
I wish I had a nice, light Mexican beer for starters. The crisp acidity would have provided a good contrast to the darker, smoother taste of the burrito. I think that you could also up the smoky aspect of these burritos by substituting in a roasted tomato salsa for the fresh tomatoes or used chopped roasted red pepper. I think it would also be easy to substitute arugula with its peppery taste for the baby spinach.