Chimichangas

Chimichanga Meat Mix:
5 lbs beef or pork roast
3 Tbs vegetable shortening
3 onions
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies
2 (7 ounce) cans green chili salsa (hot)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
4 Tbs flour
4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
juices from beef or pork roast

Heat oven to 350°F. Place roasts in a large roasting pan or Dutch oven. Add only 1 cup of water. Cover with tight lid and cook meat for 4 hours. (You may also cook roasts with 1-cup water in a pressure cooker for 35 to 40 minutes.) Drain meat, reserving juices. Cool meat, then remove bones. Shred meat and set aside. Melt shortening in a large skillet. Add onions and green chilies. Sauté 1 minute. Add green chili salsa, garlic powder, flour, salt and cumin. Cook 1 minute over medium-low heat. Stir in reserved meat juice and shredded meat. Cook 5 minutes till thick and then cool. Put about 3 cups of mix into three 1-quart freezer containers, leaving ½ inch space at top. Seal and label. Freeze and use within 6 months. Makes about 9 cups of meat mix.

To make Chimichangas:
Warm tortillas in oven for about 5 minutes. Heat meat mix in a small pan. Heat ½ inch of oil to 400°F in a large skillet. Spread about ½ cup of the meat mix over the lower 3rd of each tortilla. Fold the bottom edges of each tortilla up over the filling. Fold up both sides toward the center and roll into a cylinder. Secure with a toothpick. Fry for 2 minutes. May also be baked as a low-fat alternative (they will be slightly harder to cut when baked).

***COMMENT: This is also a family recipe. My Mom made this quite a bit when we were growing up because it makes a big batch. Now I make it every 6 months or so. I freeze a meal's worth of meat in a baggie and then I have a near-instant dinner when I'm running short on time. I just pull it out, thaw it out and wrap it up in tortillas. You do need to fry or broil it though. It's not quite as good in a plain uncooked tortilla. Unless you had a fresh tortilla...MMMmmm...now I'm getting hungry! It's worth the work!

Author: (Make-a-Mix Cookbook)
Source: Sherie K (My Mom)

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