Quesadillas

I took some time off from the cookbook (the quesadillas in there call for corn tortillas...and I'm not yet ready to subject myself to that again), and with the leftovers we had in the refrigerator, I made some quesadillas for myself and for my daughter. Kendra was out for the night, and when she got home she was starving so I made her one too. They were big on flavor and texture, my most successful quesadillas to date. Recipe follows:

Quesadilla #1:

Mexican rice (Goya brand)
shredded cheese (same mix of cheddar, quesadilla, asadero, and Monterey Jack)
pinch coarse kosher salt
1 flour tortilla

Quesadilla #2:

shredded chicken mixed with some of the enchilada sauce
shredded cheese
pinch coarse kosher salt
1 flour tortilla

My way: In a large skillet, I melted about 1 T. butter over medium heat. When the butter began to sizzle a bit, I added one small flour tortilla. I was using all the leftovers, and we had an abundance of flour tortillas in the fridge. If using a small tortilla these quesadillas are taco sized. Use a large flour tortilla to get that typical quesadilla size. The tortilla sizzled slightly in the butter, perfect! Don't let the pan get too hot, but make sure it's hot enough so the butter cooks the tortilla and doesn't just seep into it. Note: I was able to make about 3 small quesadillas using the 1T. butter.

While the tortilla sizzles, add your fillings down the middle, slightly towards one side. Fold one side over, and press it down with a spatula. When one side is nice and golden brown and crispy (about 3-5 minutes) flip it and crisp the other side (about 3-5 more minutes). Add the pinch of salt to the top side and move to some paper towels to soak up a bit of the butter. Let cool a bit, and serve with a dollop of sour cream and some salsa.

Experiment with fillings, these are easy and my daughter loved them. Fun to make, fun to eat. The contrasting textures of the crispy tortilla and the melted cheese are heavenly.

Edit: Quesadilla #3

roasted yellow pepper
fresh chorizo, removed from casing and cooked in skillet
shredded pepper Jack or any other cheese you like
adobo
1 tortilla

I tried this today, again with leftover stuff in the fridge...and it was a really nice mix of sweet, savory, and spicy. Cut a yellow pepper into quarters and lay skin-side down in a dry skillet on medium or med-high heat. When the skin begins to blacken, smash the pepper down with a spatula long enough to get the majority of the skin blackened. Flip it over to slightly roast the fleshy side. Remove from the pan.

Prepare the quesadilla as above, with the cooked chorizo, roasted pepper, and cheese, this time adding some adobo (the sauce from canned chipotle chiles). Finish with a wedge of lime and some cream. (Flavor 5/5, Heat level 3/5 depending on how much adobo you add and whether you use Jack or Pepper Jack)

Here's a picture of the mini quesadilla, snapped with my iPhone: