Chupaquesos

Chupaquesos (the word comes from the Spanish words "chupa" (suck) and "queso" (cheese)). It's based on something I discovered for myself a long time ago (fried cheese), but Howard Tayler took it a step further. Originally a throw-away line in his online comic strip Schlock Mercenary, Howard eventually released the recipe, and followed that up with a website devoted to the cheesy treat.

What is it? Basically, it's a low-carb "tortilla", made by melting shredded cheese in a non-stick frying pan (the non-stick-ability of the pan is very important!) until the underside browns and holds together, then tossing in fillings. On the website above, Howard recommends using more cheese, and possibly bacon, inside. While this has potential, I like to throw a tablespoon or so of salsa and a couple of diced jalapeno slices in mine.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (or so) cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, or the like), shredded - you can buy it yourself or use pre-shredded cheese, but the pre-shredded stuff sometimes contains starch to prevent clumping, so read the label!
• filling - more cheese, cooked bacon, sliced jalapenos, salsa, or whatever tickles your fancy

Instructions

1. Preheat your non-stick frying pan over high heat.
2. Toss in the shredded cheese and let it melt and spread out
3. Use an "egg flipper" to test the edges, and once the cheese has started to congeal into a mass, quickly flip it over for a few seconds, then flip it back over.
4. Lay the filling down the centre of the mass of melted cheese, and fold like a tortilla (one end, then one side, then the other side).
5. Eat!

I'll often have one of these as a "heavy snack" - it's not quite a meal, but the protein and fat will fill you up more than an apple will, and for longer. Good if you know supper is going to be delayed by a couple of hours.