Cheesecake Chimichanga

Last week of August. Lucas goes back to school Wednesday — second grade. Isabella starts kindergarten the same day. Both of them came to my house Tuesday afternoon for an afternoon of pre-school cooking. We made empanadillas — small turnovers with picadillo filling, fried — because they are hand-held and Lucas wanted to be useful and Isabella wanted to be useful and Camila wanted to be useful and Camila is three and a half and was actually useful. The four of us worked in the kitchen for two hours. Lucas crimped the edges of the empanadillas. Isabella spooned the filling. Camila handed Lucas the wrappers one at a time, like a surgical tech. We made forty empanadillas. We fried them in the cast iron. We ate fifteen at a snack-meal at the kitchen counter at 4 PM. Each child took home a bag of leftover ones for school lunch packs.

Lucas said, "Abuela, when I am in third grade can I make pasteles?" I said, "Mijo, in third grade you can grate the yautía." He said, "Abuela, what is yautía?" I said, "Mijo, you have eaten yautía a hundred times. It is in the pasteles." He said, "Abuela, the brown root?" I said, "Mijo, yes. The brown root." He said, "I can grate the brown root in third grade." I said, "Mijo, you can." He nodded. He had a plan.

Tuesday food bank: arroz blanco and a lentil stew (Brian wanted to expand the menu beyond Caribbean for variety, and lentils were a way in for Yolanda who had grown up cooking lentils with her Spanish grandmother). The lentils worked. The line came through. Mr. Patterson chopped. He said, "Mrs. Carmen, the lentils are good." I said, "Mr. Patterson, that is Yolanda's grandmother's recipe." He said, "Tell Yolanda the lentils are good." I told Yolanda. Yolanda was very pleased.

Wednesday I went over the fall cohort details with Brian. Twenty-six students again. Same eight-week curriculum, slight adjustments based on feedback. Pasteles week (week 6) would be moved to a Saturday workshop in early December — separate from the Wednesday class — because everyone had asked for it last time. The class would still cover pasteles in week 6 in a condensed way. Yolanda would TA officially. Marcus would TA officially. Mr. Patterson would TA officially. Three TAs and one teacher. We were a team now.

Mami was tired this week. She slept twelve hours Wednesday. She woke for one meal Thursday. She slept Friday. The pattern was settling. The pattern was the pattern. Wepa.

After we fried the last of the empanadillas and sent the kids home with their lunch bags, I kept thinking about that cast iron pan still warm on the stove — and how much Camila had loved handing Lucas each wrapper like she was passing instruments in an operating room. If your kitchen has seen that kind of joyful, flour-dusted chaos, you already understand why a fried, hand-held dessert feels like the perfect way to close out a day like that. This cheesecake chimichanga carries the same spirit: it is crispy on the outside, creamy and sweet inside, and absolutely worth the second round of oil in the pan.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

6 medium flour tortillas (8-inch)
16 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Vegetable oil, for frying (about 2 cups)
Honey or fruit compote, for serving (optional)
Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Make the filling. In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon together until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
Fill the tortillas. Lay one tortilla flat on a clean surface. Spoon about 3 to 4 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling into the center. Fold in the sides, then roll up tightly like a burrito, sealing the edges. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Secure with toothpicks if needed to hold their shape.
Make the cinnamon sugar. In a small shallow bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Set aside near the stove.
Heat the oil. Pour vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed skillet or cast iron pan to a depth of about 1 inch. Heat over medium-high until it reaches 350°F, or until a small piece of tortilla sizzles immediately on contact.
Fry the chimichangas. Working in batches of 2 to 3, carefully lower the filled tortillas seam-side down into the hot oil. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning once, until deep golden brown and crispy all over. Do not crowd the pan.
Drain and coat. Remove the chimichangas with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on a paper towel-lined plate. While still hot, remove any toothpicks and roll each one in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.
Serve. Plate immediately and top with a drizzle of honey, a spoonful of fruit compote, or a dollop of whipped cream if desired. Best eaten warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cheesecake Chimichanga — The Joy of Little Hands and Fried Things