The Crunchwrap Supreme, London Version

I love fast food.

 

Its such a bad thing. Of course I take the "meat" out (if you can call it that) and adapt everything to my tastes, but I still love fast food.

 

Specifically, I love Taco Bell.

 

So, since the DIY Crunchwrap Supreme has been trending lately, I decided to do my thing at attempting to make it. We have just about three weeks remaining in our time in London (Wow! That went fast.); thus, we are at that point in every transition where we strategically start to eat our way out of the house and only buy the basics: eggs, milk, bread, fruit and veg. Because of this, I couldn't completely mimick the exact recipe, but it still turned out swell!

Begin with the largest tortilla you can find. Steam it in the microwave for a few seconds. This helps in the folding process later on (though you need to work fast so it is still warm when you fold it). I would have added sour cream at this point, but since I didn't have that I rummaged around in the cupboards and found some random bean paste. Then I topped it with a salsa I had made a few days prior (corn, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, fresh lemon juice, fresh lime juice, splash of vinegar).

**I adore tomatoes. There's nothing like eating a cherry tomato straight from the vine in the middle of summer! Delish! But not so much in the winter when they are pale, unripe, and bland. So making them into a fresh salsa is one of my strategies to mask the out-of-season tomato while still enjoying the idea of it.

I added a slice of sharp/mature cheddar. On a sidenote, I haven't ever been able to find yellow cheddar anywhere here!

I then added rice that I had cooked in water with added lime juice. At this stage it is important not to overload the ingredients. If anything, use less than you think you should. I could literally count those grains of rice, that's how little I used.

Crush a few corn or tortilla chips on top to give it that lovely crunch. I literally used three small chips for this.

At this point is when it calls for the wonderful nacho cheese sauce. Since I didn't have any, I used whatever cheese I had in the fridge.... which happened to be mozzarella. And of course, I gave it all a healthy squeeze of lime juice.

Fold. Be careful to keep the seems away from the tortilla chips because they will poke right through. And its acutally okay to have a space in the center where the tortilla doesn't reach. In that scenario, it usually fries itself shut. Although I have to take a minute and brag-- this picture is the first time where I actually did a decent job filling and folding!

Fry in a healthy oil. In this case, I used canola oil. There has been some discrepency as to how much oil to use. I find that a generous covering of the bottom of the pan is perfectly fine.

Here she is. Be sure to flip her in the pan to get both sides golden brown.

Most people would pick it up and eat it with their hands, like they advertise on the Taco Bell commercials. But I am always looking for ways to get some nutrients in me. So, I load mine with dark greens, tons of lime juice, and a generous portion of Frank's Red Hot and then eat it with a fork.

Andrew asked me if this is going to be my new "thing." While I'm not quite sure what he meant, I think I would say that no, it is not going to be my new "thing" for a few reasons:

 

1. It takes longer to make than other equally crunchy and delicious Mexican foods (ie nachos).

2. I don't want to make it a habit to fry my food.

3. It can get messy.

 

However, it IS a great alternative to a quesadilla or nacho craving and is quite pleasing to the eye. I won't make it every week, but will keep it in mind for that next specific moment when nachos just won't hit the spot.

 

Really, I want to know how to DIY a chalupa. Anyone?

 

(m)