Arizona style cheese crisp made with a flour tortilla, roasted Hatch green chiles and green chile Ranch salsa from Taste of Tucson cookbook author Jackie Alpers. Southern Arizona restaurants started selling cheese crisps more than 50 years ago, and it’s become a staple of our local Sonoran-style cuisine.
One of the great joys of living in Tucson, Arizona occurs in the late summer and early autumn when vendors roast Hatch green chiles in spinning steel cages set over an open fire at farmers’ markets and grocery stores. I recommend roasting fresh Hatch chiles at home if you don’t have the same opportunity. Thank you Fry’s Food Stores for sponsoring this recipe!
Servings: 8 slices
Equipment
- 1 12-inch pizza pan
Tucson, Arizona style cheese crisp topped with green chile strips, cilantro leaves, and a creamy Ranch and roasted Hatch green chile sauce. Two six-inch flour tortillas can be substituted for one 12-inch flour tortilla.
Ingredients
- I cup Crema Mexican Agria such as Cacique
- 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Restaurant Style Dressing powder
- 6 roasted Hatch green chiles stems and seeds removed (about 12 oz) divided
- 1 12-inch flour tortilla
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese or more as needed
- 8 to 10 cilantro leaves optional
Instructions
- In a high-speed blender, combine 4 roasted green chiles, crema and ranch dressing powder and blitz until smooth. Using a funnel if needed, transfer to a food-safe squeeze bottle. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the tortilla flat on a pizza pan or baking sheet. Using a paring knife, poke 8 to 10 small slits about 1/8-inch-long in the tortilla to prevent puffing in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes or until lightly browned and slightly crisped. A few small bubbles may occur.
- While the tortilla is baking, cut the remaining 2 roasted chiles lengthwise into 8 to 10 strips approximately ½-inch thick.
- Remove the tortilla from the oven and cover it generously with cheese. Arrange the chile strips on top then bake another 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to bubble.
- Garnish the cheese crisp with cilantro leaves if using and squeeze the roasted green chile ranch drizzle in a spiral pattern over the top. Cut the tortilla into wedges with a pizza cutter or long knife and serve immediately with extra green chile crema sauce on the side.
Video
Notes
This recipe was sponsored by Fry's Food Stores who will offer free recipe cards featuring this and other Hatch chile recipes at select locations.
Hungry for More? Buy the Unofficial Elf Cookbook, The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook and the Taste of Tucson Cookbook!
