Wednesday night I made Beans 'n Greens Burritos, along with the recommended side of Pico de Gallo, from Mark Bittman's (The Minimalist RIP) The Food Matters Cookbook.

So because it is obviously not tomato season, and because we did have oranges, I decided to go the orange route with the pico de gallo (other options, according to Bittman, include tangerines, grapefruit, avocados, or grated raw butternut squash.  Really.  Or drained canned tomatoes, if you want to be boring.)

I'm unlikely to make the pico de gallo again, because (in a shock to no one) I don't really like raw garlic, and I really dislike raw onion.  (Also, chopping the oranges was really frustrating, so I'm definitely skipping any orange salads in the future.)  But other salsa options, like the Peach Salsa and Green Apple-Cucumber Salsa, don't require garlic, so I'd like to try those in the future.  (Besides, chopping peaches, apples, and cucumbers all sound preferable to chopping oranges.)

Contrariwise, the burritos were a hit.  Not too difficult, pretty healthy, and very tasty.  Morgan declared them to be an instant classic, to go into the repertoire along with Rachael Ray's You-Won't-Be-Single-For-Long vodka sauce and aglio e oglio.


Pico de Gallo

2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped [as I said above, other fruits are acceptable: I ended up using four oranges, not because they seemed like they produced the same amount as two chopped tomatoes, but because by that point I was not about to chop any more oranges]
1/2 large white or red onion or 2 medium scallions, chopped [I used a shallot, because that's what I had; plus, I didn't want too much raw onion flavor]
1 tsp minced garlic, or to taste
1 fresh hot chile, seeded and minced, or to taste [as I've said before, I have a strict no-chile policy (until I invest in some nitrile gloves for the kitchen), so I used ~1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper]
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro [I didn't have any, and both Morgan and I have that cilantro polymorphism, anyway]
2 tbsp lime juice [I squeezed two very sad and desiccated limes and produced maybe half a tablespoon of juice (maybe you're starting to get the idea why this recipe wasn't a hit): on the other hand, the oranges were very juicy]

1.  Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, taste, and adjust the seasoning.
2.  Let the mixture rest for 15 to 30 minutes if possible to allow the flavors to meld.


Beans 'n Greens Burritos

Tortillas [he says four but I made six: maybe he likes his burritos fuller than I do]
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp chili powder
1 bunch kale (about 1 lb), roughly chopped
2 cups cooked or canned black beans, drained (I used one can)
1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese, optional [Morgan very bravely used some Salvadoran cheese we had picked up a very, very long time ago; I used sour cream]
Pico de gallo

1.  Heat the oven to 300F.  Stack the tortillas and roll them up in a sheet of foil.  Put them in the oven to warm while you cook the filling.  [I found that the bottom tortilla got very crisp, and considering how hot the filling is, I am not convinced this step is necessary and will probably skip it next time.]
2.  Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  When hot, add onion and garlic, and cook until soft and beginning to color.  Sprinkle with the chili powder.  Add the kale and cook until it cooks and releases its liquid (and turns bright green: very fast).  Stir in the black beans and mash them up a bit.
3.  To roll each burrito, lay a tortilla on a flat surface and scoop some filling on the third closest to you.  Scoop on the sour cream.  Fold the tortilla over from the bottom to cover the beans and greens, then fold in the two sides to fully enclose them; finish rolling and put the burrito seam side down on a plate.  Serve with pico de gallo on the side.