taco envuelto

[yimay]

i went to mexico city last july with a friend who used to live there and we went to a place called La Onda. the food wasn't that great, but my friend wanted to visit since she loved it as a teenager. my soup was disappointing but our friend that lives there knew what to order and got a taco that had a tortilla made of fried cheese. it was called Taco Envuelto and had chopped steak inside. it was delicious topped with lime and chile sauce. we dubbed it the Atkins Taco. i couldn't find any information about this kind of taco online. anyone ever heard of it and know anything about it? i believe it might have been called Taco Envuelto en Queso Crujiente.

[caroline]

Yimay, that's an interesting question. I recently ran across a place in Leon in central Mexico that offered cheese tacos. They consisted of a thin layer of grated cheese toasted on the comal and then rolled into a crisp cylinder. Delicious but incredibly rich. You could order them filled with meat or beans. I couldn't even contemplate those.

Anyone else have any information about these?

Rachel

[theabroma]

This is a new one for me, too. I've seen a lot of strange things done with cheese in Mexico, but never have I seen it made into fricos ... at least, on the street or in taquerias.

What kind of cheese did they use? Cotija?

Theabroma

[esperanza]

My guess would be a cheese more along the lines of an asadero. It melts beautifully and develops that glorious crunchy crust.

I've been known to use queso asadero for grilled cheese sandwiches, first lightly grilling a split bolillo and setting it aside, then putting a slice of cheese directly into the skillet, allowing it to become crunchy golden brown on one side, flipping it for a minute, and putting the (literally) grilled cheese onto the bolillo.

These cheese tacos sound marvelous. I've never seen them around Guadalajara, but I'll keep my eyes open now. If/when I see them, I'll get the particulars for all of us.

[caroline]

Found some notes I scribbled. It was one of a small chain, started I think in Querétaro.

It was quite an ambitious undertaking. It offered a series of dishes in a large palapa-type setting with a huge grill at one end and one of those overhead menus. It also had a laminated menu in color that apart from the dishes described the mission, vision and values of the operation.

You could choose all kinds of tacos, chuletas, costillas, bisteck with the sauce of your choice: pasillo, guacamole, chipotle mayonesa, limon, verde, rojo. Also cafes, raspados, aguas frescas and I think beers. apart from corn tortillas there were tortillas arabe (pan arabe aka pita bread).

The "cheese tacos" were described as chicharron de queso. I remember asking the waiter where they were from and if I remember right he said either Belgium or Switzerland. They imported the cheese and he couldn't name it except it came in big blocks. (Sorry Theabroma and Esperanza! though i'm going to try your sandwiches).

I had visions of some well-to-do young man who had been sent by his family to business school in Europe and come back with this bright idea for extending the Mexican menu. As Querétaro and León are two of the fastest-growing towns in Mexico and only about 100 miles apart, they tend to get a lot of these experiments (see fast food thread).

I'll drop back next time I am in León. The last time I was fretting about the workshop down the street that was supposed to be replacing my dead battery so I wasn't at my culinary investigator best.

Rachel

[yimay]

This is a new one for me, too.  I've seen a lot of strange things done with cheese in Mexico, but never have I seen it made into fricos ... at least, on the street or in taquerias.What kind of cheese did they use?  Cotija?Theabroma

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i thought it was just cheddar cheese, but now that i think about it and look at the picture, i really have no idea.and i forgot, i have a picture of it and an entry about it on my site <a href="http://www.holyshitake.com/archives/2004/07/the_atkins_taco.html">here</a>.mmm, it was so good.

[NulloModo]

I can't offer much help in the authentic mexican realm for these things, but your naming it the 'Atkins Taco' wasn't too far off the mark.

A popular LC 'taco' shell is actually to take grated cheese, spread it out on a bit of parchment paper, and bake it until just before crispy, then while it is still a little flexible, drape it over something so that it will take the form of a taco shell. I imagine you could also quickly fill it and then wrap it over itself before it hardens.

these can be quite tasty, and are not all that difficult if you are interested in making them yourself. Cheddar, jack, or any other firm not to wet cheese will work.