Lengua Burritos with Arroz a la mexicana

SUNDAY
Beef Tongue (lengua) burritos
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 8 Hours 15 Minutes

Ready In: 8 Hours 30 Minutes
Servings: 20

Ingredients:
1 beef tongue
1/2 white onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
salt to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 Roma tomatoes
5 serrano peppers
salt to taste
1/2 onion, diced
2 packages flour tortillas(for tacos we prefer corn but flour tortillas are so much easier to fold into a burrito than corn are. Especially for us gringos!)
Directions:
1. Place the beef tongue in a slow cooker and cover with water. Add the onion slices, garlic, and bay leaf. Season with salt. Cover and cook on Low overnight or 8 hours. Remove the tongue and shred the meat into strands.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the tomatoes and peppers in the hot oil until softened on all sides. Remove the tomatoes and peppers in a blender, keeping the oil on the heat; season with salt. Blend briefly until still slightly chunky. Cook the diced onion in the skillet until translucent; stir in the tomato mixture. Cook another 5 to 6 minutes. Build the tacos by placing shredded tongue meat and cooked frijoles refritos (see recipe below) into a tortilla and spoon salsa over the meat.

FRIJOLES REFRITOS
1/2 recipe of Frijoles de Olla
6 Tbsp. lard (or substitute vegetable oil)
1 Tbsp. finely chopped white onion
Optional: chili powder, garlic, cumin, cheese for garnish

Heat the lard in a heavy 10" frying pan. Add the onion and fry over gentle heat until transparent, about 1 minute. Add a cupful of beans and their broth and mash down over fairly high heat. A wooden potato masher works best. As they begin to reduce, add some more and keep mashing until they have all been incorporated. Continue frying, scraping sides and bottom of pan to prevent sticking, until the mixture becomes a thick paste and you can see the bottom of the pan as you stir.
Shortening can be substituted for lard, but the taste won't be as good!
Reduce this! This time around we're only using the refried beans as an additional filler inside the burritos, not as a side dish.

Arroz a la mexicana
4 to 6 servings
•Oil -- 2-3 tablespoons
•Long or medium-grain rice -- 1 cup
•Onion, minced -- 1
•Garlic, minced -- 2-3 cloves
•Tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped -- 1 cup
•Stock or water -- 1 1/2 cups
•Salt and pepper -- to taste
Method
1.Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium flame. Add the rice, onion and garlic and sauté, stirring until the onion is translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
2.Add tomatoes, stock or water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cover tightly and simmer for 15 minutes.
3.Remove from heat and let set 10 more minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve


Mexican Corn Recipe
Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
10 ounces frozen corn - thawed
1 red bell pepper - chopped
3 green onions - chopped
1 jalapeño - seeded and diced
1/2 cup salsa - favorite variety
salt and pepper to taste

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Cut up the peppers and onions. Dice the jalapeño. Set these ingredients aside.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
Add in the corn, bell pepper and onions.
Turn down the heat to medium and cook the vegetables for approximately 10 minutes, stir frequently. The vegetables should be cook until just tender.
Add the salsa and jalapeño. Stir and continue to cook until all ingredients are hot.
Serve immediately while still warm.