A wrapped sandwich, made famous by Taco Bell, has become one of my family’s favourite supper meals and is one of our most anticipated traditions. You might wonder, why put in the extra effort to recreate something that we can just pick up at the drive-thru? My family and I prefer to make our own, and it has taken lots of trial and error. My mom thinks we finally have it right. Crunchwraps are housed in a tortilla, with a beans/meat/vegetable mixture splattered around the inside, strips of lettuce, chopped tomato, cheese and of course… the crunch in the name– Doritos.
The story started about 20 years ago. When my brother was small, he was a picky eater and would pretty much only eat beans. He liked lentils with rice and black bean quesadillas. He also hated potatoes so we didn’t really eat the typical meat-potatoes-can of vegetable type meals my mom grew up on. We’ve eaten a lot of bean dishes over the years. It was only a matter of time before my parents tried to recreate this fast food staple, assuming we’d all enjoy it. My mom adds onion, celery and peppers to increase the amount of vegetables my brother and I eat each day. She thinks she’s being discreet by hiding extra veggies in our supper, but as we aren’t preschoolers -- we actually enjoy the taste.
On Crunchwrap night, I’m jolted to my senses by the smell of cooked meat and vegetables grilling on the sandwich press. That aroma of cheese and black beans creates a salivating smell that motivates my brain to hurry downstairs. These sandwiches are by no means small, courtesy of the overstuffed extra large tortilla. We centre ourselves around our living room TV, on our couch, at our usual places. There’s tradition that’s evolved around our Crunchwrap meal, even if it’s not the sort of food you’d expect to be accompanied by tradition. There’s a rule: no Crunchwraps on Wednesdays so my older brother doesn’t have to skip his board game club. I have this idiosyncrasy that compels me to watch something I enjoy while eating something special, so every time we have this meal, we accompany it by watching TV as a family. This past year, we have managed the milestone of finally finishing all 10 seasons of Adventure Time.
I hold my sandwich in anticipation. Once the remote is pressed, I finally allow myself to bite into the thin, crisp bread. It’s moments like these that remind me how important it is to share this with family. Family meals give us all something to look forward to after a long day and in the end, it’s about the memories and small pleasures we’ve shared as a family throughout the years.
Gillis family take on this recipe:
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Tools:
-Knife -Cutting board -Frying pan -Sandwich press |
Ingredients:
- about 1 cup of finely chopped yellow onion -1 finely chopped celery stalk -About ½ cup of red or green peppers, or jalapeños -A few cloves of minced garlic -2-3 chopped cremini or button mushrooms -Handful of frozen corn kernels -600 g ground beef -1 ½ cups of homemade refried beans or a can of refried black beans (La Costeña) -½ cup of salsa -Extra large tortillas -Doritos -Chopped lettuce and tomato -Monterey Jack cheese -Salsa and sour cream for dipping |
Instructions:
Add onion, celery and peppers to the frying pan and sauté on medium heat until soft. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add frozen corn and cook until thawed. Put the veggies in a bowl and set aside. Cook ground beef until no longer pink and drain excess oil. Add veggies back into the pan. Add the refried beans and salsa and warm up over low heat. Mix well.
Turn on the sandwich press to the highest setting. We use a press that opens flat. You could alternately use a frying pan.
Add onion, celery and peppers to the frying pan and sauté on medium heat until soft. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add frozen corn and cook until thawed. Put the veggies in a bowl and set aside. Cook ground beef until no longer pink and drain excess oil. Add veggies back into the pan. Add the refried beans and salsa and warm up over low heat. Mix well.
Turn on the sandwich press to the highest setting. We use a press that opens flat. You could alternately use a frying pan.
Make the sandwiches:
Make a radial cut of the extra large tortilla from the middle to the edge.
Spread the bean/meat mixture on the semi circle opposite the cut.
Add chopped lettuce and tomato to the left of the cut.
Add grated cheese to the right of the cut.
Add Doritos (and pickled jalapeños if desired) to the top of the bean mixture.
Fold the left quarter with the lettuce over the next quarter on top of the beans and Doritos.
Keep folding quarters until you have a triangle with the lettuce on the inside and the cheese in the outermost flap.
Make a radial cut of the extra large tortilla from the middle to the edge.
Spread the bean/meat mixture on the semi circle opposite the cut.
Add chopped lettuce and tomato to the left of the cut.
Add grated cheese to the right of the cut.
Add Doritos (and pickled jalapeños if desired) to the top of the bean mixture.
Fold the left quarter with the lettuce over the next quarter on top of the beans and Doritos.
Keep folding quarters until you have a triangle with the lettuce on the inside and the cheese in the outermost flap.
Grill:
Brush cooking oil on the tortilla triangle and when the grilling machine is hotter than Hades, place it on the grill, cheese quadrant side down. Add cooking oil to the other side. Sear the bread until it is brown and slightly crispy, about 1 minute each side.
Serve immediately. Add salsa and sour cream on the side if desired.
Brush cooking oil on the tortilla triangle and when the grilling machine is hotter than Hades, place it on the grill, cheese quadrant side down. Add cooking oil to the other side. Sear the bread until it is brown and slightly crispy, about 1 minute each side.
Serve immediately. Add salsa and sour cream on the side if desired.
Important note:
Don’t leave it on the grill too long or let the sandwich sit too long on the plate as the lettuce will wilt and the Doritos will get soggy.
Don’t leave it on the grill too long or let the sandwich sit too long on the plate as the lettuce will wilt and the Doritos will get soggy.