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Last night was a Mexican night -- these are very coveted in our home. In Swaziland, we have no Mexican restaurants or anything remotely close. Char and I were out to lunch last week and we saw a "burrito" on the menu, but we weren't willing to risk it. In addition to no restaurants, there are very little ingredients in the Swaziland stores to DIY at home. You can find "chile powder", but it won't be the "chili powder" we are all accustomed to in the States. Think cayenne pepper instead. We use greek yogurt as opposed to sour cream -- the sour here is different (think clumpy!). There are no canned refried beans, which I really don't mind, but making any sort of them means homemade, and hours invested. On any given day, the store may be out of lettuce or tomatoes, so one just flexes. A lot. And tortillas and tortilla chips? They are here, very sparingly, and if you're fortunate enough to find them on the day you do your errands. We just make homemade flour tortillas, and if we want chips, we cut and bake. EVERYTHING here takes a little longer -- I guess that's why it's said that Africa isn't for sissies.
Anyway... back to Mexican night. Yesterday morning I thought we'd do soft shell tacos, but by mid-day I was thinking quesadillas on the braai (grill). Yet, an hour or so later, I changed the plan again. I knew that Steph had a long day, and the last thing he would want to do is to stand by the braai and prepare dinner. I checked the pantry for what we had, and came up with a throw together meal that was fantastic. Out of this world. And fun, too.
If you're interested, here's your plan of attack:
-You'll need some black beans. Again, ours are dried, so simmering them for a couple of hours with plenty of water and a little salt will get them ready.
-Meanwhile, brown some mince (ground beef) over low heat with onion and garlic. Season with taco seasoning, chili powder, cumin, etc. Add some drained black beans to your mixture -- this will be your egg roll filling.
-I used phyllo dough for the egg roll wrappers. If you're not familiar with phyllo or haven't worked with it, the process can be tricky, but it's worth it. I floured my surface (a large baking sheet), and "glued" the layers together with spritzes of oil. You'll layer 3-4 pieces of phyllo for each roll. Place about 1/4-1/2 cup of meat, onion, and bean mixture (depending on how large you want your rolls) on the edge of the dough, closest to you, about two inches away from each side. Fold in the sides, and roll up very gently. Glue your seams together with egg wash (an egg beaten with a little tap water), brushing the top and sides of the egg roll after placing on a lightly greased cookie sheet for baking. Remember to cover the unused phyllo with a damp towel as you work so that it doesn't dry out.
-Once all phyllo is rolled, hopefully you'll have some extra filling left over -- even just a little bit. Add a little flour to the filling pan with a touch of oil or butter, creating the base for a roux. When combined and "gluey", slowly add a little milk and bring to a boil. Keep adding milk, little by little, until getting the desired consistency and thickness -- this will be your sauce to pour over your baked egg rolls. Season with taco seasoning, chili powder, cumin, etc., and add shredded cheddar to finish your southwestern cheese sauce.
-Bake your eggs rolls at 180°C/350ish°F, just until your rolls are browned. Remove from oven, plate, drizzle the southwestern cheese sauce, and top with whatever you'd like:
-lettuce, tomato, onion
-black olives
-sour cream/greek yogurt
-fresh cilantro
It's not quite avocado season here yet, but they're getting ready to fall off the trees soon! This would be so lovely with sliced avo or guacamole. I just noticed that I typed 'lovely'. I'm really becoming African. :)
Steph and the kiddies loved this meal. Steph and I abolished the rating-scale-for-meals months ago, because he never gives out 10's (typical management dude), and I was getting really bitter. But, I know that, if I'd let him rate this one, it'd be at least a 9.5 in his book. But I'm not asking.
If you try this, let me know what you think! It's pretty awesome. :)
