Quesadilla Lunch

 

June 14, 2015

 

Make quesadillas. Eat them. Is that too cryptic? Here are the particulars:

 

Use two tortillas for each quesadilla. Heat (over medium-high heat) a cast-iron griddle, skillet, or ridged grill pan. While it heats, assemble the fillings for your quesadilla. In my case, the cupboard was pretty bare the day I made these, so here's what I used:

 

sun-dried tomato paste, which I smeared on one of the tortillas

green olives (pitted and chopped)

cilantro

cheese, coarsely grated (or cut in thin slices)

avocado, sliced*

 

Start by rubbing a bit of olive oil on one side of the tortilla. Then put it oiled-side-down onto the griddle and quickly begin layering your ingredients onto the un-oiled side, starting with the smear of sun-dried tomatoes. Turn the heat to medium so that the tortilla doesn't burn before the cheese becomes melty.

 

Dribble oil onto one side of the second tortilla and lay it, oiled-side-up, on the fillings. This cooks as you prepare a second quesadilla the same way.  If you're doing this for more than two people, you'll probably want to use two skillets.

 

When the first side is brown and the cheese is soft and has merged with the other ingredients, press the top tortilla gently to encourage the merging, then slide a spatula under the quesadilla and flip it quickly. Let the former top side brown and crisp; be sure the filling is melty and stuck together. And now remove it to a cutting board, cool briefly, and cut into quarters.

 

Other things I  might have added if they'd been to hand:

 

chopped green onion or thinly sliced cooking onion

a spoonful of salsa

chopped or shredded leftover cooked meat (chicken, pork, lamb, beef)

sliced or chopped jalapeno pepper

 

The nice thing about quesadillas is that they have left their original culture and moved into universal territory, so there's no question of authenticity--no real right or wrong. At this point, you're just looking for a quick lunch with a bit of zing. Go for it!

 

*In the ordinary way of things, I prefer my avocados raw. But that day I had so few fillings on hand that I decided to stick in the avocado anyway. If I hadn't been so lazy, I probably would have made a quick guacamole and slathered it on top of the finished quesadilla quarters.

 

Chimo! www.deantudor.com