Mexican in Minutes

We know teenagers who keep tabs on all the taqueria openings and practically live on takeout wraps. But homemade versions are a cinch to make, and even if you use top-shelf ingredients, they cost a fraction of store-bought. Cooking doesn't get much more basic than a burrito. Flour and corn tortillas are sold everywhere, and you can buy chickens already roasted, cheese grated, and avocados pounded into guacamole. Slice an onion and a chili pepper, and the "cooking" is done. Make a mildly hot mixture of onions and peppers, add delicatessen turkey or ham, and you have a filling for quesadillas. We like to heat a flour tortilla until it's crisp and crackerlike, then lay strips of roast chicken, rings of chili pepper, and a scoop of homemade guacamole on top. Dinner is ready in minutes, and it's an easy way to get the kids back to the family table.

CHICKEN BURRITO ON A CRISP TORTILLA
SERVES 4

Traditional burritos are made with soft flour tortillas rolled around a filling. Here, the tortillas are heated in the oven until they turn into crisp saucers for chicken, chili pepper, guacamole, and cheese.

1/2 fully cooked roast chicken
Canola oil (for the sheet and brushing)
8 flour tortillas (about 6 inches in diameter)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 poblano pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
2 cups guacamole (see recipe)
2 cups grated jack cheese

Set the oven at 400 degrees.

Discard the skin from the chicken and remove the bones. Cut the meat into thin strips.

Lightly oil a large rimmed baking sheet. Place the tortillas on the sheet and brush them lightly with oil. Heat the tortillas for 5 minutes or until they are hot and slightly puffed.

Arrange 1 tortilla on each plate. Divide the chicken, red onion, poblano, guacamole, and cheese among the rounds. Serve at once.

GUACAMOLE
MAKES 2 CUPS

In his very good book Mexican Everyday, author and television chef Rick Bayless suggests all kinds of additions to guacamole, including lots of chopped cilantro, chopped tomato, or tomatillo salsa (salsa will keep the avocados greener longer, he says). For breakfast, he fries shredded potatoes and forms them into rounds, then tops each with guacamole, a poached egg, salt, pepper, and chopped cilantro.

2 large ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
Juice of 1 lime or 1/2 lemon
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and black pepper, to taste

In a shallow bowl with a fork, mash the avocados with the lime or lemon juice until it is still slightly chunky.

Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Continue mashing until the mixture is well blended. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, if you like. Use as soon as you can.

TURKEY ENCHILADAS
SERVES 4

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 sweet Italian pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into strips
1 jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes in their juices, drained
1 can (6 ounces) chopped green chilies
Salt, to taste
Canola oil (for the sheet and brushing)
8 corn tortillas (about 6 inches in diameter)
1/2 pound roast turkey (from the delicatessen) in 2 thick slices, cut into strips
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream (for serving)
3 scallions, thinly sliced (for serving)

Set the oven at 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the onion, Italian pepper, bell pepper, and jalapeno pepper. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often, or until the vegetables soften. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Stir in the cumin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, chilies, and salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer the sauce, stirring often, for 15 minutes.

Lightly oil a large rimmed baking sheet. Place the tortillas on the sheet and brush lightly with oil. Heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Leave the oven on.

Divide the turkey among 4 of the tortillas. Top with a spoonful of the sauce and divide the cheese among the tortillas. Top with the remaining tortillas.

Return the baking sheet to the oven. Bake the enchiladas for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese melts and the tortillas are crisp. Serve at once with sour cream and scallions.

ASK THE COOK: Over-heated

I like spicy food, but sometimes I lay on the spice with too heavy a hand, then notice that my sauce or soup is just too hot. What are some tricks for fixing an overly spicy work in progress?

J. BRADFORD /// Ogunquit, Maine

The standard wise-guy chef's answer to "How do I fix this?" is "Make it right in the first place." A little discretion in the beginning is key to using spicy elements. As you have witnessed, it is easier to add spice than it is to take it out.

However, should you find your dish too fiery, there are different solutions, depending on what sort of heat you used. The seeds and inner pulp of fresh chili peppers are loaded with essential oils that carry the hot factor. If they are the culprits, you could tediously strain the soup or sauce and pick the seeds out. You could also moderate this type of heat by adding either a fat or a dairy product. In some sauces, adding oil, butter, or cream might do the trick. If the heat is in a protein that is "the center of the plate" -- a chorizo sausage or a steak with too much pepper, for example -- consider balancing it by putting something cooling beside it. Think of the lettuce, tomato, and sour cream often found on Southwestern platters or the cucumber with yogurt or the pickled vegetables on Middle Eastern and Asian plates. If the dish can stand it, try adding something starchy, such as couscous, rice, or potatoes, to help balance things out.

There is also the option of making more of whatever you have overseasoned. Leave the hot stuff out of the second batch, and then combine the two to make spicier nicer.