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Arizona Cheese Crisp

Tortillas date to 10,000 BCE Mexico, but the name itself comes from 16th–century Spaniards who called the unleavened flatbread eaten by Aztec Indians torta, meaning “round cake.” The first tortillas were made from native maize, with corn revered by the Aztec and Mayan cultures as the seed of life. Corn and flour tortillas are staples in Tex-Mex and Southwestern food, both of which are blends of Mexican, Native American, and Spanish cultures. Tortillas were once made by hand, a labor-intensive process that took hours, but with the arrival of tortilla-making machines in the 1960s, the process became much quicker and easier.

El Charro Cafe in Tucson, Arizona, is the home of this recipe, known in the region simply as a cheese crisp, as it is rarely found outside Arizona. This open-faced crisp starts with a large, thin flour tortilla smothered with melted cheese. It also may include strips of green chilies, onion, or other peppers.

Recipe Servings: 1

Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Total Time
15 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal

Ingredients

  • One large, burrito-size (13-inch diameter or larger) flour tortilla
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • ½ cup of grated cheddar cheese
  • 1–2 roasted green chilies, peeled, seeded, cut into strips (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
  2. Butter tortilla to its edges and place on large baking sheet.
  3. Bake until lightly toasted, about 6 minutes.
  4. Remove tortilla from oven and sprinkle with cheese, leaving a ½-inch border around edges.
  5. If using, add green chilies in a star pattern.
  6. Return tortilla to oven and cook 2 more minutes or until all cheese has melted.
  7. Serve immediately.

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