Quesadillas

It's Marti Gras! But I don't know how to cook Creole food. Since I'm not religous and don't give up anything for Lent, I'm not going to make a meal that's decadent enough to be a pre-Lent feast, but perhaps it would be a good challenge for next year. This week (sorry I did not post last week, I was with my parents and they provided me with enough left overs to last the week) I want to post one of my staple recipes. Even though February is the shortest month of the year, sometimes it can seem like the longest. It's still winter and cold, with spring nowhere in sight. The novelty of snow has worn off, and the afterglow of the holiday season is long gone. It's time for some comfort food. Growing up in New Mexico, to me comfort means spicy food, chile peppers and cheese. Sorry! So, this week I'm going to make some quesadillas to warm me up. Of course you can make these as mild as you like.

First, you've got to make the filling. I have my three favorite combinations below. I'm including aproximate numbers because I never measure for my quesadillas and use what I've got in my kitchen. The filling usually fills about an 8 package of tortillas worth, thus serving about 4 people for a full course meal.

Green Chile and Chicken Quesadillas
Defrost a frozen chicken breast and cut it into small pieces. Saute over medium high heat with a can of green chile, and/or some green tomatillo salsa. Once the chicken is cooked add a couple handfuls of frozen peppers. When those have been thawed, turn the heat on low and you're ready for the next step. I usually use regular flour tortillas for this recipe and a Mexican blend of shredded cheese or a cheddar jack mix.

Mexican Veggies and Chipotle Quesadillas
If you have a frozen mix of frozen southwestern vegetables just saute about a cup and a half of the mix over medium heat and cover with a chipotle salsa until thawed. If not find some frozen corn, frozen peppers and use canned black beans. I like using red chile tortillas for this mix, especially if I'm serving a vegetarian and non-vegitarian option for a group of people. The same Mexican or cheddar jack cheeses can be used for this recipe.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quesadillas
Rinse half a can of black beans and cook on the stovetop over meduim heat. Meanwhile, Bake a small sweet potato until it is soft, microwaving it is fine. Chop it into small pieces, removing the skin. Add the sweet potato to the beans and a tablespoon or two of honey as well as some pineapple or mango salsa to taste. I often use the red chile tortillas and a white cheese (monteray jack or even mozerella) but really any flour tortilla will do and the Mexican mix cheese works, too.


When your mix is ready set up your quesadilla station. Spray one or two skillets with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add 1 tortilla to each skillet. Over half of the tortilla, top each with a layer of cheese a few tablespoons of filling and add another layer of cheese. Fold each tortilla in half. Cook until bottoms are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turn the quesadillas over. Cook until bottoms are golden brown and cheese melts, about 3 minutes. Transfer to cutting board. Cut each quesadilla into 3 wedges. Transfer to platter. Repeat with remaining tortillas, cheese, and filling. Serve hot. You can also use corn tortillas in order to make this a gluten free recipe, but do not try to fold them. Layer the entire tortilla and place another tortilla on top. If you like bake it with less cheese in the middle but extra salsa and cheese on top it becomes an enchillada.

MOVIE RECOMMENDATION: Some Like it Hot

WHY? This is one of my favorite classic comedies and a perfect comfort movie. The combination of Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis as musicans who dress in drag to join an all girls band, and, of course, the beautiful Marilyn Monroe as one of the singers make the senario so much fun to watch. Plus, a lot of it is set on a beach. So make a margarita to go with the quesadillas, and pretend it's the summer. :-)