The highlight of these spicy pork burritos is the homemade salsa. In the jar, salsa seems so simple yet so mysterious, but it really is easy to make.
The salsa needs to be prepared the day before making these burritos, so that it can be refrigerated overnight (the salsa could also be made early in the morning to be ready for dinner).
Once you are comfortable with the salsa recipe, it is really easy to alter to your taste. You can add fresh lime juice, cilantro, pineapple or any other ingredients to put your own twist on it. Doubling the garlic is another example of how you can make this your own.
Homemade Salsa Recipe
You'll need a three-quart saucepan for this recipe. The preparation time is about 10 to 15 minutes, and the cook time is about 30 to 40 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 medium jalapeño peppers, diced
- 4 beefsteak tomatoes, chopped
- Salt to taste
- Hot pepper to taste
Directions:
- Heat the olive oil in the saucepan. Add the garlic, onion and jalapeño peppers. Cook until garlic starts to brown.
- Add the tomatoes and a little salt, stirring so that all ingredients are evenly distributed. Bring the mixture to a boil. Turn down the heat to let the ingredients simmer.
- Add hot pepper—such as ground cayenne—if you like. Three heaping teaspoons will make this a hot salsa.
- Let the mixture simmer about 15 minutes.
- If you like a thicker salsa, you can drain off some or all of the excess liquid. Move to a container and refrigerate.
Note that you can use other tomato varieties, but beefsteak tomatoes tend to hold up to the simmering without becoming mushy, the way plum or roma tomatoes will.
Recipe for Spicy Pork Burritos
This recipe will make about three large burritos. You can scale it in any direction, and you'll have plenty of salsa left over to dip chips in.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup rice
- 1 can black beans in liquid
- 3 medium jalapeño peppers, diced
- 2 pork cutlets, cut up
- Butter
- Burrito wraps
- 1/4 cup shredded cheese
- 1/4 cup spinach or lettuce, chopped
Directions:
- Prepare the rice per the instructions. The proportion of water to rice and the cooking time will vary based on the type of rice and method used.
- In a small saucepan, simmer the black beans over medium heat. These will need to be strained for serving; you can either strain the whole pot or use a slotted spoon.
- Sauté the jalapeño peppers in butter. Add the pork and cover.
- Lay out three burrito wraps. In the center of each, pile rice, beans, pork and peppers, greens, cheese and some of your homemade salsa. Roll the wraps, add more salsa if desired, and enjoy.
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