21 Jan 2010

Mexican quesadillas

 

In commemoration of the National Cheese Lover's day I'd like to share with you the recipe for the father of the mexican cheesy dishes, the Quesadillas*.

Ingredients (makes for 12 - 16 quesadillas)

  • 2 cups of tortilla flour (you can buy it on the supermarket or in Mexican stores)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 1/4 cups of water
  • Tortilla press (optional, but very helpful, you can get it in Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond, Williams-Sonoma and similar stores)
  • 1 medium ziplock bag
  • 1/2 to 1 pound(s) of grated cheese (Asadero is the typical cheese, but Jack, Colby or Mozarella works well too)
  • Hot Sauce (optional)

How to

  1. Pour in a mixing bowl the tortilla flour, the salt and the water
  2. Mix thoroughly (your hands are the best tool for this) for about 3 minutes, until everything is incorporated and the dough resembles cornmeal. If the dough is too dry, add water to the mix (a teaspoon at a time)
  3. Once the dough is ready, split it into 16 parts (or less, if you want bigger tortillas), and knead each part into a round ball.
  4. Heat up a griddle (or a pan) on medium.
  5. Split the ziplock bag in two, and place one part of it in the tortilla press. 
  6. Center one of your dough balls in the tortilla press, and put the other part of the ziplock bag on top
  7. Close the press and well...press.
  8. Carefully peel off the tortilla and put it on the hot griddle
  9. Wait for about a minute, and then turn the tortilla (normally we would cook for a bit longer, but for quesadillas this should be enough)
  10. Turn the tortilla again, and put enough cheese on it to cover half of the tortilla
  11. Bend the tortilla over the cheese.
  12. After about 30 seconds, flip the quesadilla
  13. Wait until the cheese melted (but before the tortilla burns) to remove from the griddle.

To Serve

If you're not going to serve the quesadilla as soon as it's done (which I recomend), you can put them in a tortillero, or just cover them with a towel, to keep them hot. 

Extra Points

While the quesadilla is a fine dish by itself, I normally complemented with some extra filling. This can go from simply putting "salsa" or "pico de gallo" in it, to something more complex, such as chorizo, ajillo mushrooms or your favorite taco filling. 

*Note: This recipe is for the (much better) kind of quesadilla that you would eat a Mexican's house for dinner, not the deep-fried variation you normally get at Mexican restaurants in the US.

Hope you like it!

Ramiro Berrelleza

 

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