A Quesadilla Sampling: Cuisine of the American Southwest
Quesadillas are a staple in most Mexican and Southwestern cookbooks. With this in mind, I recently hosted a quesadilla sampling party. We created quesadillas from four cookbooks and evaluated each recipe for clarity and quality. Following is the most popular recipe fresh from sautéing in this experiment. We found it in Cuisine of the American Southwest by Anne Lindsay Greer. They were not as appetizing once they had cooled. This recipe was easy to follow and delicious. We skipped the microwave step after making a few and saw no difference in results. I also recommend the smoked chicken over grilled. Smoked Chicken Quesadillas
Warm the tortillas to soften. Put the Monterey Jack cheese on half of each tortilla, leaving about 1/8 inch at the edge. Arrange the chicken on top of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté the onion and red bell pepper in a skillet over medium heat 3-5 minutes, or until wilted and lightly browned. Put the onion mixture on top of the chicken. Cut the Poblano chiles in a 1/4 inch dice and sprinkle over the onion. Top with Romano cheese. Fold the tortillas over and press down. When ready to cook, place a griddle or large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Put each quesadilla in the microwave for about 10 seconds, then brown in the hot skillet on both sides. Transfer to a 300 degree oven while cooking remaining quesadillas. Cut into wedges and serve Cuisine of the American Southwest at Borders Bookstore. Find more Mexican cuisine books.
|
