Put burritos in the lineup of Super Bowl eats

Before you gather around the flat-screen Sunday to honor the gods of the gridiron, take a moment to ponder one of the day's great elements: The Food.

When your pals aren't screaming about the quarterback's insufficient IQ, toasting a touchdown, or sobbing over some lousy incomplete pass, they will get hungry.

Let them eat burritos.

Actually, let them roll their own burritos, making plays as they work their way down a field of ingredients arrayed on a table: Touchdown (use every ingredient), Pass Play (scoot by the meat, stick with veggies), Halfback Option (skip around, choose what you want in any order).

Super Bowl XLV is being fought in Texas. That makes burritos - born in the Southwest, revered in the Lone Star State - a good fit.

The day's key play: Keep it simple.

Take it from Victor Escobedo. He and his brother Miguel run a pair of Papalote Mexican Grills in San Francisco, where burritos lean toward a Mission District style (with rice and a foil wrap).

He'd limit the lineup to tortillas, a couple of salsas, and five or six ingredients - perhaps grilled chicken or steak strips, maybe pork al pastor or a chili-rich stew of chicken or pork. Then rice and beans (black or pinto) done plain.

"Just season the beans with salt and pepper," said Escobedo, who last year tackled Bobby Flay on Food Network's Throwdown. "People may say, 'It's just salt and pepper. There's nothing exciting about it.' No, the excitement is going to come from the combination of everything being put together.

"You want nothing overpowering as far as flavor and quantity," Escobedo said. "You're putting a whole bunch of things together that are ultimately going to give you one unique taste. You don't want every element to stand out too much."

Pulling a burrito together requires a big flour tortilla - say, a 12-incher, as big as an NFL football - that's pliant, stretchy, and wraps easily around whatever you put in it.

Add beverages (soft drinks and beer, can or bottle) plus a sweet finish, if you like: brownies, spiced with a pinch of cinnamon, baked in a large pan and drizzled with a caramel sauce - vanilla ice cream optional.

And a theme? Cover a large long table with a white or (better) dark green paper tablecloth. Mark out football field demarcations. Set items at 10-yard lines. Play.

This coaching from Escobedo.

Wrap: Offer large flour tortillas, and some corn tortillas for tacos (for those avoiding wheat gluten). Warm on a griddle.

Fill: Aim for two-thirds rice, beans, salsa, and cheese, one-third meat, using just a spoonful of each ingredient for "a decent burrito that has all the ingredients."

Roll: Have a circle in front of you with everything in the middle. Fold 1/3 from the right in, then 1/3 from the left in. Gently smash down the filling and roll up.

Comfortable in the kitchen? Here's a "pro" lineup to get you started: 12-inch flour tortillas; warmed refried or whole black beans, drained; heated pork al pastor or pork stew (al guisado, see recipe); sauteed chicken or steak strips; cooked rice; shredded cheese; avocado slices; chopped lettuce or cilantro; salsas: savory and sweet, medium and hot.

Makes 8 servings

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4 dried California or New

   Mexico chilies, stemmed,

   seeded

2 dried pasilla chilies,

   stemmed, seeded

2 whole cloves

3/4 cup white vinegar

3/4 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground

   pepper

9 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons olive oil,             divided use

1 pound boneless pork loin,

   cut in small cubes

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1. Place chilies, cloves, vinegar, water, salt, cumin, and pepper in a saucepan over medium heat; simmer until chilies are very soft, about 15 minutes. Pour mixture carefully into a blender container. Add garlic; puree.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet. Add blended mixture; simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature. Place pork cubes in a nonreactive bowl. Pour blended marinade over meat. Cover; refrigerate overnight.

3. Remove meat from marinade. Heat remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add pork in batches; cook over low heat until cooked through, about 15 minutes per batch. Place in a serving bowl.

Note: For a saucier, more tender version, consider the following stew version that uses the same ingredients:

1. Prepare the chili puree (above) as indicated.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

3. Add pork; brown, stirring, about 5 minutes.

4. Transfer pork to a plate; set aside. Add chili mixture to pan; reduce heat to simmer.

5. Cook 10 minutes.

6. Add pork cubes and 1/2 cup water.

7. Cover; simmer 21/2 to 3 hours, adding water as needed to prevent sticking.

8. Transfer meat to a serving bowl. Reserve excess sauce up to 2 days in refrigerator or 1 month in freezer; use with grilled meats or tacos.

Per serving: 136 calories, 14 grams protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams sugar, 6 grams fat, 34 milligrams cholesterol, 324 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.EndText

Makes 2 cups

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1 can (14.5 ounces) fire-

   roasted diced tomatoes

   with chipotle peppers,

   drained

1/2 white onion, diced

1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh,

   cooked or frozen, thawed 2 tablespoons chopped

   cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice Salt (optional)

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1. Combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

- Chicago Tribune

Per one-tablespoon serving: 13 calories, no protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, trace fat, no cholesterol, 58 milligrams sodium, no dietary fiber.EndText