Fried Green Tomato Burritos

Spontaneously last Saturday night the hubs and I called our babysitter and went out to a bar. 

I’ll wait for you to pick yourself up off the floor before I continue.

You back? Okay, good.

Yes, it’s true. For the second time in five years I went to a bar in our town. There are several here (this being a college town and all) but the attractiveness of my yoga pants and fluffy pillows almost always win out over putting on shoes and going outside. Last weekend, however one of The Professor’s students was playing at a local bar and he wanted to support so out we went.

Let me ask you…..have you been around a bunch of drunk college students lately? If not, it goes a little something like this…..

Drunk guy: “Aaaarmaandoooo!!!!!” “Do you remember me? I was Adrianna’s boyfriend.”

To which The Professor replies, “Right, how’s that going?”

“Not very good. She broke up with me cause she said I drink too much.”

Then The Professor sarcastically says, “That’s okay, it’s probably cause she’s Canadian”

“YES! That’s what I thought!” then there were fist pumps and shouts of, “AMERICA!!!!”

Whaaaaat?!! Why don’t I do this more often? This shit is funny! And ridiculous…..and funny.

There’s nothing else to say about that night, the drunk dude was the best thing that happened. The bar was crowded, it took forever to get a drink, there was no place to sit and I’m an old lady, but, but, but, drinking late at night did arouse long forgotten cravings for burritos at 1am.

I never ate a fried green tomato burrito in college but I’m a grown ass woman now and deserve a little bit more than piece of shit frozen burrito from the gas station. These burritos are it man. Crunchy, sour tomato strips, spicy black beans, and red rice all wrapped in flour tortilla and toasted to a crispy perfection on the outside.

We left these burritos pretty straight-forward and dairy-free but you could add cheese to the filling if you’d like. And of course any number of salsas, guacamole, pickled jalapeños, or sour cream would be totally acceptable accompaniments.

What are your favorite burrito fillings? Do tell, I’d love to know. Have a great week everybody!

Fried Green Tomato Burritos

These Fried Green Tomato Burritos are stuffed with crispy strips of fried tart tomatoes, rice, and beans. Any number of salsas or guac would be great too!

• Author: Kate Ramos
• Yield: 4-6 Servings 1x

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 green tomatoes
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup panko
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 6 large Burrito-size flour tortillas
• 1 cup Mexican Rice
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• Salsa, for serving

Instructions

1. Core the tomatoes and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices, then cut into 1-inch-thick strips making finger-shaped matchsticks. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Combine flour, thyme, and chipotle powder in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper.
3. Crack eggs into a separate shallow dish. Add 2 tablespoons water and season with salt and pepper. Beat until smooth.
4. Place panko in a third shallow dish and season with salt and pepper.
5. Line a baking sheet with several layers of paper towel and set aside.
6. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. While oil is heating place a few tomato strips in the flour mixture, tossing to coat on all sides. Knock off any excess flour and place in the egg, turning to coat on all sides. Finally transfer the strips to the panko and press to coat the tomato on all sides.
7. The oil is hot enough if a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. When the oil is ready, place a few tomato strips in the oil (don’t crowd the pan). Brown on one side (about 2-3 minutes) then flip and brown on the other side. Keep turning the strips until they are brown all over.
8. Remove tomato with tongs or a spatula, letting any excess oil drip back into the pan. Place on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Repeat with the remaining strips. If the tomato pieces start browning too quickly, lower the heat.
9. To make the burritos, warm the tortillas over medium heat in a dry cast iron skillet or nonstick frying pan until they are lightly toasted on both sides. Place 1/4 cup of rice and 1/4 cup of beans in the lower third of the tortilla. Top with a few tomato strips and fold the sides over, fold the bottom up over the sides then roll the tortilla away from you to close.
10. Toast the burrito seam-side-down, in the dry skillet to crisp the bottom, then flip and crisp the top, about a minute more. Serve immediately with salsa.