Cheese Tacos

Most kids grow up learning how to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches so they can help themselves in the kitchen when they want some lunch. In our family, it was cheese tacos. It’s our stand-by what-do-you-make-when-you-haven’t-really-thought-about-it-in-advance lunch. There’s always a stack of corn tortillas in the fridge. There’s always butter. There’s almost always cheddar or jack cheese. I’ve noticed that most of my friends regularly make a quick sandwich for lunch. Maybe once a month I’ll make a sandwich. Three times a week I’ll make cheese tacos. (What? You don’t have a stack of tortillas in your fridge?)

Usually cheese tacos just have cheese in them. Add some salsa and you’re done. My cheese tacos tend to be a little more elaborate. I stand by my rule that you can put almost anything in a tortilla and call it a taco. (Note that in many parts of Mexico, what we are calling a cheese taco would be considered a quesadilla. In Northern Mexico however, and for most of in the U.S., quesadillas are made with flour tortillas, not corn tortillas.)

Here’s my very special cheese taco recipe. My grandmother made cheese tacos this way; my mother still makes cheese tacos this way. I’m the only one in the family who puts slices of apples in her tacos however, prompting turned up noses from everyone else. Like I said, you can put anything you want in a tortilla and call it a taco, and I like apples and avocados in my cheese tacos.

Cheese Tacos Recipe

This method makes delicious, buttery, cheesey tacos. If you are avoiding butter, or frying oil (which you could also use), you could make these in a microwave. Soften the tortillas first in the microwave. We use 20 seconds on high per tortilla, with the tortillas sitting on a paper towel in the microwave to absorb moisture. Once they've been softened this way you can add cheese and fold them over and heat them a few seconds more, just until the cheese melts.

Ingredients

Special equipment needed

• A large cast iron frying pan


• A metal spatula

Ingredients

• Corn tortillas (as many as tacos you want to make, packaged or homemade)


• Butter


• Cheddar or jack cheese


• Salsa (homemade or prepared)

Optional ingredients

• Avocado


• Apple


• Lettuce


• Strips of cooked chicken, beef, or pork (a great use of leftovers)

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