Happy Cinco de Mayo! Here are some more Mexican inspired treats for your Cinco de Mayo celebration.
Sausage and Potato Quesadillas
1 pound fresh chorizo or other sausages, casings removed
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
3/4 teaspoon hot paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 6-inch flour tortillas
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
2 cups Monterey jack, grated
Heat the oven to 425°F. In a large nonstick frying pan, cook the sausage over moderately high heat, breaking it up with a fork, until browned, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the sausage from the pan. Pour off the fat from the pan.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the pan over moderate heat. Add the potato, 1/2 teaspoon of the paprika, and the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes.
For each tortilla, put half of the sausage, potato, onion, cilantro, and cheese on the tortillas, spreading the ingredients all the way to the edge, and top with another tortilla. Repeat with the remaining sausage, potato, onion, cilantro, and cheese and cover with the remaining four tortillas.
Brush the tops of the quesadillas with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon paprika. Put the quesadillas on a baking sheet and bake until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.
Roasted Red and Green Pepper Quesadillas
4 whole poblano peppers
2 large red peppers
1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
16 (8-inch) soft-taco-size flour tortillas
4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
5 ripe avocados
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt
Preheat broiler. In broiling pan lined with foil, arrange poblanos and red peppers in single layer. Broil 15 to 20 minutes or until blackened all over, turning occasionally to evenly blacken. Wrap peppers in foil; let cool.
Toss onion and tomatoes with oil until coated in a baking dish or pan; arrange in single layer. Broil 12 to 15 minutes or until onion is brown and tomatoes begin to burst, stirring once. Remove from broiler and cool in pan. Reset oven control to 200°F. Remove peppers from foil; peel off skin and discard. Remove and discard stems and seeds; finely chop peppers.
Prepare quesadillas: Arrange 8 tortillas in single layer. Divide Monterey Jack, cilantro, and chopped peppers among tortillas. Top with remaining tortillas.
Heat 10-inch skillet on medium until hot. Place one assembled quesadilla in skillet and cook 1 to 3 minutes or until bottom browns. Carefully turn and cook 1 to 3 minutes or until bottom browns. Transfer to clean large cookie sheet and place in oven. Repeat until all quesadillas are cooked.
Prepare guacamole: Cut avocados in half. Remove and discard seeds and peel, then transfer to large serving bowl. Add lime juice, onion and tomatoes, and ½ teaspoon salt. Using potato masher or fork, mash until just slightly chunky. Makes 5 cups guacamole.
Cut each quesadilla into sixths, and serve with guacamole on the side.
Cubano Quesadillas
Here’s one for the kids…. I make it at the cottage for my nephews often (usually omitting the dill pickle).
8 (6-inch) low-fat flour tortillas
1/4 cup yellow mustard
4 ounces thinly sliced Black Forest ham
8 slices sandwich-cut dill pickle
4 ounces thinly sliced roast pork from the deli
4 ounces thinly sliced part-skim Swiss cheese
Prepare outdoor grill for direct grilling on medium.
Brush 1 side of each tortilla with mustard. Evenly divide ham, pickles, pork, and cheese on 4 tortillas. The kids can help with assembly of the quesadillas. Top with remaining tortillas, pressing firmly.
With large metal spatula, place quesadillas on hot grill grate and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until tortillas on both sides are browned and Swiss cheese melts, carefully turning quesadillas over once. Transfer quesadillas to large cutting board; let stand 1 minute. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges to serve.
Kitchen Table Talk…
If you try one of my recipes, please let me know what you thought by sharing a comment in the area below. Or if you like this post, share it with your friends and family through your favorite social media service.
Deborah, or iDeborah as she’s affectionately known on Twitter, loves to experiment in the kitchen. Some of her best dishes were created by accident! She started this blog to encourage others to get creative in the kitchen… and to record some of her accidental creations so she can enjoy them again! To learn more about
Wed, May 5, 2010
Entrees, Sides, Starters