burrito libre - edmonton,ab

burrito libre
6541 28 ave
780.577.7070


As mentioned before, I adore latin inspired cuisine and I'm happy to see the growing addition of 'fresh-mex' style establishments. I can't help but think back to when your choices for fast 'tex-mex' or 'mexican' style eateries left you choosing from Taco Bell and Taco Time. Not that I'm dining out at these places regularly, but with Mucho Burrito, the ever growing Taco Del Mar, and now Burrito Libre, the options look a little brighter.


Burrito Libre has two locations; one of which happens to be a hop and skip from me. Their recent promotion, bring in a food bank item and receive a free burrito, was something that I meant to partake in but unfortunately I dropped the ball that day.


The menu is laid out in a very straight forward manner, with the focus being on the fresh additions you use to customize your dish. You can choose from a burrito, burrito bowl, taco, quesadilla, or salad.

The burrito (why else would I come to a place with burrito in the name) starts with a whole wheat or flour tortilla base, and comes in either small or large. You then get the option to lay on beans and rice, along with your protein - chicken, shrimp, pulled pork, shredded beef or vegetarian. The last two hot options include little potatoes and a sauteed bell pepper/onion mix.


Now you have graduated to the cold prep, which includes - salsas, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, cabbage, corn, hot peppers, and a few sauces. Wrapped into a tight package, you can choose to add nacho chips and pop to make a combo.

The above is version one (small vegetarian) and unfortunately I don't have a picture of version two (large shredded beef). The vegetarian had rice, beans, pico de gallo, corn, cabbage, cheese guacamole, and chipotle sauce. The shredded beef wasn't much different and both were great. The size and heft, especially the large, is unbelievable. I think you could start doing some Ron Burgandy style workouts if you really wanted. The ingredients are fresh and I think they offer enough options to change things up once in a while. The meat could probably be tastier, but what can you expect with hot plates; at least they don't seem to keep very big dishes of it out. They are running a Cinco de Mayo special in May, $5 burritos, which may entice a few more customers who could be intimated by the price. With a Tim's, Wendy's, Taco Time, Little Ceasers, and Burger King surrounding Burrito Libre, hopefully it can stick around.

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huevos rancheros

I'm a strong believer that everything tastes better in a tortilla, or in this case - on a tortilla. Huevos rancheros, or ranch style eggs, is a relatively easy and delicious breakfast dish. Top a corn tortilla with a fried egg and salsa - done! If that isn't simple, I don't know what is. If you order this dish in Mexico, you may receive the plate with refried beans, rice and guacamole or avocado.
Not really needing a massive meal my only addition was a layer of cheese below the egg. With so many salsa and cheese options, it can be a very creative and personal dish. For example, if you enjoy salsa verde, feel free to indulge in huevos divorciados one day. Top one egg with your regular salsa, the second egg with salsa verde and divide the two with a wall of refried beans. Enjoy.

The picture below is how I normally cook my eggs for this dish and my egg sandwiches. I have a few versions of these rings and consider them a great piece of kitchen magic. In saying that, I still haven't attempted the microwave version.

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corn tortillas

If I skip past the store bought hard tacos I'm sure we all had as kids, I don't remember eating anything but flour tortillas as a kid. Corn tortillas didn't seem to be available in that many grocery stories so I suppose it wasn't really an option. I didn't come to appreciate corn tortillas in all their glory until I spent time in Guatemala. With a diet consisting of mainly beans and corn tortillas, I'm sure you will understand why. Plus when you aren't used to dining on an such a basic diet, the frijoles sometimes fight back. So on days when I couldn't jam any more beans in my mouth, I would simply make a meal out of 5-10 corn tortillas and hopefully some cebolla (onion).


The eldest daughter in my host family was the tortilla captain. She would haul a basket of corn kernels across the field to get milled down every morning (this was a loud and seemingly dangerous machine, but was operated by very small children). This big batch of masa would then become the fresh tortillas she would whip up 3 times a day. I mentioned before that I would bake and cook with my mother whenever I could, so as I started to love corn tortillas, I found myself stepping out back to watch the process. It didn't take long for the men to notice my absence and either mock me or drop some gender bias comments when I was trying to learn; but as long as I wasn't stepping on anyone's toes, I was happy to be out there on the homemade comal (an old oil barrel) pressing those golden discs of goodness!


Enough of the back story; this is about making corn tortillas right. So when I finally came back up North, I was the lucky recipient of a tortilla press. And yes, while it is an art to make them by hand, I can't thank the world enough for presses. The tortillas themselves come together quicker than their flour counterpart, making them a perfect snack or meal accompaniment.


Besides the water from your taps, all you will need is a bag of masa. You should be able to find this at the bigger grocery stores and latin tiendas. Directions, more a less just a ratio of masa to water, are listed on every package I've ever bought so it's not like you even need to research a recipe. It makes me laugh to see such simple 'directions' as I like to think it would be like your box of cereal saying 'add milk'...some of these things are just common sense. Do it enough and you'll eventually be able to gauge the moisture without measuring.

* I do recommend cooking them in a cast iron pan and having a towel lined open weave basket handy to keep them in. The tortillas can be eaten straight away, but they tend to be stiff from the heat, so let them relax for a few mintues in the basket to get that foldable quality that is so perfect for tacos, fajitas, enchiladas..or my favorite as a fork replacement.

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flour tortillas

Realizing I hadn't made flour tortillas in a while, I figured it couldn't hurt to cook up a batch last week. I realize you can drive to the store, buy your plain, tomato, herb or whatever your flavor of the week is, but really I suggest trying at least once to make your own from scratch. You won't regret it.


flour tortillas

2 cups of white flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vegetable oil
3/4 cup warm water
*I do realize I'm using oil and not lard but I just don't need to be that authentic!

Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another.
Slowly pour the wet into the dry while stirring with a fork (or your hand!)
Put dough on a lightly floured board and kneed for about 5 minutes.
Stick the dough in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let relax for about 20 minutes.
Divide dough into balls, about the size of a golf ball, and let relax again - 10 minutes.
Preheat a cast iron skillet, or non-stick pan, over medium high heat.
Take a ball, press into a small circle, and then roll out with a rolling pin. Aim for 6 - 8 inches.
Place the tortilla in pan and cook for roughly 30 seconds a side.
Place cooked tortillas in a cloth lined basket and cover to keep warm.


*Don't worry about things if you can't roll a perfect circle, just like our hearts, irregular shaped tortillas are still beautiful. As well, if you press softly with your fingers (or spatula) after you flip, the tortilla may blowup and look like a pita; this is a good thing as the interior is cooking perfectly!

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puerco pibil - a slow roasted pork

Can there really be a dish worth killing the chef over. Well, if you are like me - a fan of Johnny Depp that is - you may have watched Once Upon a Time in Mexico. In the movie, Johnny's character Agent Sands kills a cook for making a version of puerco "too good". Now if anything can entice me to try a new dish, not that Mexican food can't do that by itself, it's a man killing another to keep the balance of the world.


When a Mexican dish is bouncing around in my head, I would normally try and sort things out by heading straight to my collection of Rick Bayless and Diana Kennedy cookbooks. Not this time though. I figured since Roberto Rodriguiez (the man behind the movie) is a proud home cook I would look for the movie recipe. What I found was even better, because the DVD offers you, me and anyone else who wants to buy it; a private Roberto Rodriguez cooking lesson.

With everything in my pantry, but the pork butt and lemons, it was a quick stop at the store, a few weeks back, before I was ready to rock. The dish ended up being a great mix of succulent pork, ready to fall apart just looking at it and a habanero heat that builds with every bite. A perfect combination for my taste. Others who are less 'heat' savvy were put off by the burn and even mouthfuls of rice couldn't soothe. So know your limits, and those of your fellow diners when dishing this plate. Oh yeah, remember to keeping an eye looking back at all times. There is no telling who might be eating...

Puerco Pibil - Roberto Rodriguez edition

5 tbl whole annato seeds
2 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tbl peppercorns
8 whole allspice seeds
1/2 tsp whole cloves
Put spices in a coffee grinder, not the one you would normally use, and grind to fine.

2 habanero chiles, stems and seeds removed, chopped
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tbl salt
8 cloves garlic
5 Lemons - juiced
Splash of tequila
Put the above, and the spice mix, into a blender and puree.

Cut a 5 pound bone-in pork butt into 2-inch chunks.
Combine all ingredients in a zip-top bag and mix well.
Line a 9x13 pan with banana leaves (or foil) and add the pork mixture
Fold over the leaves to cover, then cover tightly with foil.
Bake 4 hours at 325 until fork tender.
Serve over rice to get full use of the sauce.

I've also shredded it over homemade tortillas, and even mixed some into salad.

Tequila by the way is the secret ingredient that takes this dish over the top, and the reason why Agent Sands did what he did. So while it is optional, throw in a glug of the good stuff. The picture doesn't do it justice, so if I haven't sold you...just do it!

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