Tangy Beef Wrap

Hi dearies!

{Image source: chapparal, flickr - cropped}

Ah, it's summer again (or almost), and with summer comes salads, wraps and all things delicious and cold. But you get nights, especially in spring, where the wind blows cold and the last thing on your mind is a salad. Now, last week I ordered all sorts of fun salad veggies, and then the weather turned cold, and I'm stuck with a ton of salad, and not much desire to eat it. So what do I do? Pop the whole lot into a wrap with something delicious and warm!

Last night, I wanted something quick and easy, and I needed to use up some of the lettuce and other salad ingredients I had lurking in the fridge. I'd worked late, and the hubby was at a work function, so my sister and I whipped these up for a quick weeknight dinner. And can I say something? These were delicious! Tangy from the sour cream, slightly spicy from the cumin and cayenne pepper, and wrapped in a soft tortilla with crunchy lettuce and cucumber to finish it all off, divine! Since the hubby was full of finger foods, I got to take the third one to work today, yippee!!

{Image source: stuart spivack, flickr}

Tangy Beef Wrap

Serves 3
Ingredients:
1 pack of beef goulash (the pre-cut strips of beef sold in PNP. Or, buy a steak and slice it yourself after cooking)
A slice of bacon per person
250ml sour cream (I use Clover, because it seems to last longer if I don't use the whole lot at once)
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 small cabbage, finely sliced *optional
1/2 yellow onion, diced
Lettuce leaves, washed (I used 2 per person, but I had a really little lettuce)
About 4-6 cucumber slices per person
150ml tomato and onion mix
Paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin, white pepper and salt to taste (I'm not using exact amounts here, because I just sprinkled it over a few times, to taste)
Cheddar cheese, grated
Knob of butter
Olive oil

Method:

1. Heat a frying pan, and pop in a small knob of butter, and a drizzle of olive oil. Heat until quite hot, because you're going to use this to brown the meat, and a hot pan is best for that.
2. Unwrap the beef strips, and season the meat. I sprinkled salt, white pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper and some paprika, then covered it with the clingfilm it was wrapped in, and left it while the pan heated.
3. While the pan heats, dice your onion, tomato and any other veggies you have on hand. I had some cabbage, and not much else, so that went in, and I used the salad veggies in the wrap raw.
4. When the oil/butter mix is hot, put the beef strips in the pan and leave for a couple of seconds. Don't move it immediately, you want the meat to brown, not cook right through. Stir after about a minute, and brown the other side. When it's all brown, remove to a plate, and set aside, covered.
5. In the pan,  fry the bacon, and set aside with the meat once cooked to your liking.
6. Into the same pan, pop the onion, and a little more oil if you need it. Turn the pan down, and cook the onion until translucent, adding the cabbage a few minutes in. While it cooks, sprinkle some more of the spices over, but be careful of adding too much. You can add more, but not take it out, so add less now, then taste when you've added the sour cream and add more to taste.
7. When the onions and cabbage have softened, add the tomato, and cook a little more, then add the tomato and onion mix, and heat through.
8. Stir in a couple tablespoons sour cream, and heat, then taste. Add more spices or more sour cream, or even some more tomato and onion mix, depending on what's missing, then add the beef strips, and heat through.
9. Turn off the pan, and remove from heat, to prepare your wraps.
10. Place each wrap into the microwave individually, for 20-30 seconds, then roll when it comes out, to retain flexibility.
11. When they're all heated and softened, lay each out, and lay the lettuce on top, then the slice of bacon. Spoon some meat mixture on top, then the grated cheddar and cucumber slices. Try not to overfill, as it makes wrapping them tough.
12. Fold the sides in, then roll the side closest to you over the filling, pushing the sides and the filling under, and roll the whole thing over, covering all the filling. I serve them whole, because I like to eat them whole, or serve sliced in half on the diagonal.

Please make these! They're quick, easy, flavourful, and easy to pack with extra veggies, without making a big fuss! You could also vary the spices, making it more or less spicy, depending on palates, and even use chicken in place of beef. If I'd had some avo, a couple of slices would've been delicious! If you've never eaten a wrap outside of Kauai, PLEASE make these, it'll change your mind!