Quesadillas

I caught a glimpse of my copy of Rick Bayless' Mexico - One Plate at a Time today, and was inspired to have quesadillas for a light and simple lunch.

Quesadillas are Mexico's answer to the France's croque monsieur, and America's grilled cheese. It is a meal in hand - crisp tortilla, and basically any filling you can think of, topped with melted, rich cheese. Flour tortillas are the norm in the US when preparing this dish, but the most traditional form is corn masa tortillas. Fresh ground masa is the ultimate choice (check out your nearest mercado that makes this fresh daily for a ball or two), but the home cook can find instant corn masa in most supermarkets. The flavor of fresh corn tortillas is only 2 minutes away! Corn masa tortilla dough is the basis for many traditional recipes, like gorditas and sopes, so keep this one in your back pocket.

For 4 small tortillas (following package directions):
1/2 cup masa flour
1/3 cup water
pinch of salt

Here's everything you need!

Mix ingredients in bowl until a soft dough. If dough appears dry, add extra water a tablespoon at a time until dough feels moist. Keep in moist towel to prevent drying out.

Divide into 4 equal pieces and roll into balls. To press into tortillas, you can use the traditional tortilla press, or your own creation. Mine are two ceramic baking pieces (see below). Cut open a freezer bag, and place ball in between layers. Press down to flatten, and peel tortilla carefully from plastic. Keep moist until ready to cook.

I made quesadillas today with prepared refried black beans, a local cow-sheep smoked cheese, and fresh cilantro. Bayless suggests squash blossoms, Oxacan string cheese and epazote leaves - will try this in the summer. On each tortilla, spread filling on one half, folding gently to enclose with the other. Press edges to seal - if tortilla is getting dry it will tend to split. This didn't seem to effect the cooking or deliciousness.

Bayless instructs to fry tortillas in 3/4 inch oil (375F) - a definite treat, but I pan fried with a coating of oil today. Fry on medium high heat, turning 2-3 times until browning and crisp. Enjoy!

With a side of summer squash, tomatoes, cumin and oregano - lovely!