Quesadillas

[GoFalcons118]

with Lent coming up, I'm thinking about making home made quesadillas for the first time this Friday. Any tips for the right cheeses, peppers, etc. to throw in there?

As this is a Lenten deal, no meat can be involved... i was going to throw in some mushrooms, olives, peppers and of course a variety of cheeses. Any other good suggestions?

[hammb]

with Lent coming up, I'm thinking about making home made quesadillas for the first time this Friday. Any tips for the right cheeses, peppers, etc. to throw in there?

As this is a Lenten deal, no meat can be involved... i was going to throw in some mushrooms, olives, peppers and of course a variety of cheeses. Any other good suggestions?

When it comes to quesadillas the softer mexican cheeses melt up wonderfully. I've always used Monterrey Jack, but RUIT suggested Chihauhau cheese awhile back, and he was right. That stuff melts up awesomely for a quesadilla. I have been assured that it does not come from dog milk

I would definitely put some onion in with your other goodies as well.

For peppers I really like jalapeños, but poblanos are a milder, but still tasty, option as well.

The best way to do it all, IMO, is on a grill (preferably charcoal). I'd quarter a sweet onion and put my peppers on the grill raw; I like a mixture of bell peppers along with spicier peppers to your taste. You'll want to brush the onion with some olive oil or melted butter; no need to really do that with the peppers. The onion will carmelize and taste awesome. The peppers will blister and burn on the fire, but that's OKAY! You'll get some awesome flavor from them that way. I'd say you'll probably want to put your mushrooms on at the same time and brush with butter like the onion.

Remove the 'shrooms & onion when they're done, and set aside. When the outside of the peppers are completely burnt take them off the grill and place them in a grocery bag and allow them to cool. They will steam themselves in there, and when you pull them out the charred skin will pull right off. Cut them open, remove the seeds, then cut into chunks the size you desire.

Now you're ready to assemble your quesadillas, and you can actually cook these on the grill as well. A stove top griddle works fine too, but I like to grill . Just brush the buttom side of 2 small tortillas with olive oil/butter and place on your griddle or grill. Pile the cheese on both shells and add the other ingredients to one side. You'll want a medium heat to crisp the shells, but not burn them (i.e. don't cook directly over the coals where you cooked the peppers). When the cheese is melted and shells are crisp just flip the shell w/ only cheese on top of the other and plate. Cut it in quarters and enjoy! If you're going to use the bigger shells you'll probably want to just use one shell and fold it over when it's done...same idea though.

Of course you should serve it with fresh pico de gallo. Tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, some fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime. Only problem with this is it's more of a summer thing since winter tomatoes are awful. I'd probably just do salsa this time, but try it again in the summer with the fresh pico, you'll love it even more

[Rightupinthere]

hammb has the procedure down (and I'm glad he like the Che-Hoo-a-Hoo-a cheese). I prefer a cast iron pan myself. The in-laws got me a tex-mex book and the author recommends using butter to oil the skillet. I used to use a small dab of veggie oil.

I'll never go back to veggie oil again.

One thing about using a skillet is that it's better to use just one tortilla and fold it in half. It makes it easier to flip and your stuffing doesn't fly into the pan with the refried beans!

I garnish with sour cream, pico, and guac.

[1987alum]

Mrs. 87 bought a quesadilla maker and, I must admit, I love the thing. We've been using it regularly since it arrived.

Cheeses: We've used the basics - Jack, mozz, provolone and some asiago. I prefer finer shredding.

Stuff: Noah loves black olives, so we regularly add them. Grilled sweet onions are always a winner. I sometimes create a quick mix of sweet corn, black beans, fresh cilantro, roasted garlic and lime juice and spread that out. If we want quick & dirty, we simply pour on a little salsa.