No-Fry Black Bean Chimichangas

Father's Day at Maryvale. The cinder block grill. Roberto. The tradition that has not missed a year since 1985, the tradition that will continue as long as there is a Rivera standing at a grill on the third Sunday of June. Roberto grilled carne asada. He rested twice during the cook — sitting on the lawn chair that now lives permanently beside the grill, the chair that was optional five years ago and essential now. The resting is not defeat. The resting is strategy. Roberto rests so he can stand. He sits so he can cook. The body negotiates with the spirit, and the spirit always wins — the spirit of a man who will stand at a fire on Father's Day because that is where fathers stand.

Diego gave thirteen sticks. Thirteen, in a new configuration: two parallel rows with one stick across the top, which Diego described as "a grill." The boy has been building increasingly complex structures with his annual stick gift, evolving from random bundles to deliberate architecture. This year, the sticks look like a grill. Roberto received the stick-grill and set it on the shelf next to the shoebox and he said, "You are building grills now." Diego said, "Abuelo, I am building everything." He is eight (almost — his birthday is in August). He is building everything. The boy who could not hit a baseball three years ago is building grills from sticks and directing Fuego in stop-motion films and examining brisket under a microscope. The boy is building everything.

The financial report: Rivera's year-two-plus numbers. I gave Roberto the one-page summary. He read it, folded it, pocketed it. The Roberto pocket. He said nothing. The nothing that means: the numbers are good. The restaurant is proper. The son is doing well. Year three will be better. The nothing is everything.

The expansion completion is next month. I showed Roberto photographs on my phone — the new dining room, the second smoker installed, the expanded kitchen. He looked at each photograph with the attention he gives the fire — carefully, thoroughly, seeing details I did not notice. He pointed at a photograph of the new prep area and said, "The counter height is wrong." I looked. The counter height was not wrong. The counter height was exactly as designed. But Roberto saw something I did not, and the next day I asked the contractor to check and the counter was, in fact, a half-inch lower than spec. Roberto saw from a photograph on a phone screen what a contractor missed with a measuring tape. The man sees. The man has always seen. The fire taught him to see, and the seeing does not require standing at the fire. The seeing is permanent.

Roberto showed me something this Father’s Day that I keep turning over in my mind — that resting is not stopping, that adapting the method does not compromise the result. He sat in that lawn chair and still produced the best carne asada of the year. That idea stayed with me in the kitchen later that week when I made these no-fry black bean chimichangas: same crispy, satisfying payoff, same sense of occasion, no deep fryer required. The fire teaches you that the goal is the food on the table and the people around it — not the particular way the heat gets applied.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 large (10-inch) flour tortillas
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked long-grain white or brown rice
1 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese, divided
1/2 cup salsa (your favorite jarred or fresh), plus more for serving
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or olive oil)
Optional toppings: sour cream, guacamole, chopped cilantro, pickled jalapeños, lime wedges

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
Make the filling. In a medium bowl, combine the black beans, cooked rice, 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese, salsa, corn, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt. Stir until evenly mixed.
Warm the tortillas. Microwave the tortillas for 20–30 seconds wrapped in a damp paper towel so they are pliable and won’t crack when folded.
Fill and fold. Spoon about 3/4 cup of filling into the center of each tortilla. Fold the sides in, then roll up tightly from the bottom like a burrito, tucking as you go. Place seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet.
Brush with butter. Brush the tops and sides of each chimichanga generously with the melted butter. This is what gives them the oven-crisped golden exterior without a drop of frying oil.
Bake. Bake for 20–25 minutes, flipping once at the halfway point, until all sides are deep golden brown and crispy. In the last 3 minutes, sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheese over the tops and return to the oven until melted.
Serve. Let rest for 2 minutes before plating. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, extra salsa, cilantro, and lime wedges as desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

No-Fry Black Bean Chimichangas — When the Fire Rests, the Kitchen Carries On