Crispy grilled prawn tortilla

This is one of the previous 'lost' posts:

It's very true that sometimes eating something delicious can cause a craving to take root. This I think is especially true with pasta dishes, Thai food and for me, anything with bread from Mexico, be it tacos, quesadillas, burritos or fajitas. Eating at restaurants, food trucks and general eateries breeds creativity at home, especially if the meal(s) were very inspirational. When I worked as a chef for a little while, I would head home for my 4 hour break before returning for my evening shift. I found that I would be much more experimental and adventurous with the food I had available and start recreating dishes from the restaurant with my own little twists and flairs.

After eating lots of tacos from food trucks lately, it seemed a no-brainer to throw something together as I had some low carb tortillas still knocking about. Suddenly, gripped with inspiration, I was sauteing, chopping and rolling, happily anticipating the lunch I was preparing.

But, just as I used to as a chef, I decided to tweak the idea a little and try something new. More on that later.

I once attended a bbq where one of Neil's work colleagues brought his Mexican friend. She had a bbq called 'Son of Habachi', a folding bbq that opened like a book, a huge piece of flank steak, some salsa, guacamole, a big bunch of green onions and a bag of tortillas. Soon, she was surrounded by an intrigued crowd, watching her deftly grill and slice the pre - marinated steak and sear the onions until they were golden and charred and emitting the most tantalizing aroma imaginable. She spread some guacamole and salsa onto the tortillas, added some thinly sliced steak and topped it with whole grilled onions and some hot sauce. Everyone looked forlornly at their own burgers and dogs and realized a whole new world had just been glimpsed.

We have tried to imitate this many times. Usually at home as our bbq is the most pathetic and rusted piece of equipment you are likely to see and not for the eyes of others, unlike the afore mentioned Son of Habachi, that drew gasps of wonder from everyone. The idea of grilling onions whole is very appealing and similar to the Spanish idea of calcots, which you can read about, here. There's something about the way the interior sweetens while protected by the caramelized layers outside, which have their own special taste, smoky and slightly bitter. I used 4 large bulb green onions for this dish, shredding them and sauteing in a pan until sweet, although, in hindsight, I should have popped them under the grill.

My own twist as mentioned earlier was to roll up the tortillas and cover with cheese to be grilled until crispy and brown and the cheese melted and molten. Although this is similar to the Mexican enchilada, I didn't use the rich sauce on top, wanting the tortilla to crisp like toast.

Caerphilly cheese was again used in lieu of Mexican cheese because of it's similar crumbly texture and sharp tang. I also sprinkled some inside the tortilla with the prawns, vegetables, tomatoes and avocado to melt and sauce the inside.

The combination of crispy tortilla with patches of golden brown and nutty cheese on top and the filling, which was spiced with a touch of ground cumin, chili powder and lemon was a winner. The avocado, just shy of ripe, added some firm textured bite and the tomatoes added just the right amount of zing. This is something I will be trying again and again and hopefully, one day, on a beach.

Recipe : Crispy prawn tortilla.

4 large bulb spring onions, shredded finely

1/2 green pepper, finely sliced

1 small chili, sliced

1 tsp butter and 1 tsp oil

1 handful spinach

4 mushrooms, sliced finely

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

juice of half a lemon

6 large, raw prawns

1/2 an avocado, sliced

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tortillas

A large handful of Caerphilly or other sharp, crumbly cheese

Heat the butter and oil in a pan over medium heat and saute the onions, pepper, spinach, chili and mushrooms until soft and wilted.

Add the cumin, chili, lemon juice and prawns and cook until the prawns are pink and cooked through.

Lay one half of this mixture in a line down the centre of a tortilla and top with the avocado and tomato, sprinkle over about 1/4 of the cheese. repeat with the other tortilla.

Roll the tortillas up and place on a baking dish. Sprinkle over the rest of the cheese and grill (broil) until golden brown and crispy.