Adventures of An American Chef On The Run: Crunchwrap Supreme

Every chef has their niche and mine is American comfort food.  Something most people do not realize when they eat from Taco Bell is the fact that it isn't authentic Mexican food.  It's Mexican themed and inspired, sure, but there are distinct aspects, like the flavor profile, that make it uniquely American.  When I started my little restaruant here among the community in Acapulco, I didn't expect my Mexican food to be a hit, but to this day anything I make Mexican from tacos to toastadas is well loved and often requested. Quite possibly the favorite of them all, for me at least, is the crunchwrap surpreme.  This was my favorite menu item from Taco Bell, and it's one of my favorite dishes to make down here in Mexico. It's like crunchy taco meets nachos meets burrito and it's one of the most genius food inventions ever.

The ingredients are as shown, the only ones missing being paprika, tomato, lettuce and hot sauce. There are also beans missing from the mix.  I make my own homemade refried beans, something I'll post an article about soon.  Those tortillas are no joke the biggest I've found in Acapulco, and they're about half the size of chipotle.  You want the smaller toastadas, as the big ones just won't fit.  For those coming here dreaming of giant authentic Mexican burritos, prepare to be disappointed.  Real Mexican food is much different and delicious in it's own way.

I cooked some beans, blended them in the blender and refried them, a delicate process I'll share within the next few days, along with how to cook beans.

Once they looked like this, they were done. 

I probably used about a half a pound of ground chicken between the two of us.  It does not matter what meat is used, as long as it's ground or finely minced by hand. Cook until golden and add water to rehydrate.

I add spices, dependant on my tastes, ingredients available and how much I'm making. I like to add cumin when I have it, currently I don't.   For today I used about a teaspoon of garlic, half that of paprika, several tablespoons of Salsa Taqueria, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a smattering of oregano. Mix thoroughly and cook until slightly browned to completion.

The meat should look something like this when it's done. 

Time for assembly, the step that makes the crunchwrap what it is.  It's always started with a even thickness circle of refried beans in the center about the size of the toastada.  Add some cheese and meat. 

Top with a toastada.

And top that with tomato and lettuce.

We have a whole door of hot sauces here, I generally just put it out and have my guests top their crunchwraps with sauces before I fold them.  Because the tortillas are just barely too small, I tear up one of them into smaller pieces to use them as patches.  This makes for a much neater crunchwrap. 

Fold the edges up over the crunchwrap and place face down on a griddle to brown on both sides. 

This one is a favorite for a reason.  Last time I posted an ad for this for a dinner, a community member that went back to the states chimed in saying that my crunchwraps have nothing on Taco Bell, and he's right.  I use much fresher, more authentic ingredients and it shows with how my food turns out.  I have distinct Mexican characteristics to my cooking, while still showing appreciation for the Mexican American style cuisine I was raised eating.  Even Mexican can be comfort food with a classic American twist.