Wet Burritos

I grew up eating wet burritos in Michigan thinking that they were true Mexican food. But, of course they aren't! Pedro had his first American-style burritos and his first wet burritos in Michigan too. In Florida restaurants, I don't often find burritos served the way I used to eat them in Michigan. So, I make my own. We both like them a lot. They are very versatile. Basically a wet burrito is a flour tortilla wrapped around your chosen filling, then lined up in a baking pan, covered with a tomato-based mildly spicy sauce, sprinkled with cheese (often cheddar or a mix including cheddar) and then baked in the oven.

I made a vegetarian bean filling by sauteeing the following ingredients: 3 green onions, 1 zucchini, and 2 chopped tomatoes with cumin. Then I stirred in a can of refried pinto beans,1 steamed & cubed sweet potato, fresh lime juice, and cilantro. There is enough filling leftover to make many more wet burritos. When I assembled the burritos, I used whole wheat flour tortillas and folded them around steamed fresh spinach and my bean mixture.

Here is a recipe my family has traditionally used for

Wet Burrito Sauce:

• 1 16oz can tomatoes, chopped
• 1 12 oz can tomato paste
• 1 cup of water
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce or soy sauce

I didn't have a whole can of tomato paste, or a small can of tomatoes in my pantry. Plus I had some leftover chipolte chile in adobo sauce that I wanted to use before it got bad, so I made this variation: one 28oz can roasted tomatoes, 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste, 2 cloves of garlic and my leftover chipolte chile in adobo sauce. It was spicier than normal, but we loved it. It could have been improved by putting it in the blender or food processor, but I didn't feel like getting extra dishes dirty.