I looooove Mexican food. I still haven’t been to La Boca Loca in Miramar, but everyone tells me I should. I will obey this ‘everyone’ as soon as I can. In the meantime, there’s cooking Mexican food at home to tide me over. And next week I’m going to a Mexican cooking class at Social Cooking (which will be my first visit there, anyone else been yet?).

I’m worried my future experiences at La Boca Loca and Social Cooking will result in learning that all my Mexican cooking thus far is a dismal Speedy Gonzalez Americanized Tex Mexing of authentic Mexican food. I’m worried because I really like my fudged home Mexican cooking. But one can’t be close minded about these things. I might find a whole new world of authentic Mexican cooking that is even better. I’ll keep y’all posted.

We occasionally have these burritos at home. Most people probably do. I soften onions and garlic, and add prime beef mince, and get that cooking with cumin, chilli (fresh, powder, flakes or minced from a jar, depending how energetic I feel), oregano, paprika, tomato paste, a can of kidney beans, and whatever else seems like a good idea at the time. While that cooks, I prepare all the veges and fillings – this day we had avocado, baby spinach, capsicum, cucumber, spring onions. Always essential is grated cheese (I like reduced-fat stuff, Bega do a good ready-grated one) and lots of coriander. And I make my tomato salsa (recipe below).

Then when the mince is cooked Mr J. and I get our tortillas ready. He insists on microwaving them to separate them nicely. I respond that that’s a myth and you just need to know how to do it right. I proceed with trying to split them myself. I ruin two tortillas by tearing them to shreds before Mr J. takes the pile off me and microwaves it. The remaining tortillas are saved and Mr J. smugly puts one or two on my plate. We assemble our dinners at the table, debating about how full to fill tortillas, and how best to fold them up.

This happens every time we have burritos. It’s the rituals that keep us strong.

Fresh Tomato Salsa
Enough for two people with plenty left over for bruschetta lunch the next day. 

2 tomatoes, or a bunch of cherry tomatoes, or a combination
½ red onion
½ red capsicum
a few peppadew peppers, if you like them
good handful of fresh coriander and mint
1 lime, zest and juice (or lemon works, too)
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp sugar
splash of hot chilli sauce (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste

Chop the tomatoes, red onion, capsicum, peppadews and herbs, as coarsely or as finely as you like. I like mine at a medium chop – fine enough that you can pick up a spoonful or forkful of salsa and not just get a lonely chunk of tomato, but not so tiny that it’s like gazpacho to eat.

Then just toss everything together in a bowl and season to taste. You can use up lots of fridge lurkers in salsa too – I had the last 2-3 Tbsp of a tin of tomatoes that ended up in there. You might also like to add garlic, or even finely grated ginger.  The salsa is good with burritos, on bruschetta, as a dip, in salads, or alongside bbq’d fish or chicken.