So as I have mentioned before, I am on a quest to make each one of the 50 ingredients in the Lopez Family Traditions book I got back in California. Originally, I had planned on making at least 4 dishes last week. that didn't quite happen, but I did try my hand at Chalupas con crema.
In English, this translates as a "Small canoe" or "stuffed tortilla" with cream. Traditional chalupas are nothing like what Taco Bell likes to advertise. The real thing consists of a lightly fried tortilla filled with cheese, meat of your choosing, and onions. The tortilla is folded in the same way as an enchilada and is topped with a thick, flavorful sauce. Definitely a huge contrast from the heavy and thick shell stuffed with bland ground beef and topped with flavorless iceberg lettuce and faux cheese.
So last night, I decided to make use of our ground beef. I cooked it up and decided that last night was the night for Chalupas. The only problem was that I only made 1/2lb of beef and had small flour tortillas not large. The sauce came out wonderfully though and I will probably add more chilies next time to kick up the heat. To put it bluntly, my chalupas ended up looking like little soggy pompoms of beef and cheese that were leaking white sauce. Because I only cooked a few the sauce went a long way and filled the bottom of the pan. If I had used larger tortillas and more of them I think the outcome would have been much better.
Overall, the final product was filled with flavor and some of the tortillas even still had the appropriate amount of crunch left over! The appearance was terrible though. I think all in all, I give myself a C+ for the effort. This will be a recipe to try again and again.
1 comment:
I hate Taco Bell chalupas, but yours sound delicious (minus the onions).
I love that you based part of your "grade" on presentation... I have definitely started doing that since my obsession with the food network has grown ;)
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