Quesadillas

Introduction:

You've heard about Quesadillas. You have probably seen them in restaurants where they take a flour tortilla, sprinkle cheese and perhaps ham in the middle and cook it somehow until the cheese melts. That may be fine for them but that is not how the real Mexican quesadillas are made.

Quesadillas in Mexico can be found outside movie theaters, stadiums, special events and many other places. Probably the most popular quesadilla is made with potato, with cheese and beans following in popularity. You can find all kinds of types of quesadillas, made with potatoes, cheese, chorizo, beans, green peppers (rajas) and other things.

In this recipe, we show you how to make real Mexican quesadillas (Mexicans not included) with potatoes, chorizo, beans and even cheese (Queso). The picture may not look pretty, but they are very good. This is the real thing.

The basic idea is to make a mixture which serves as the shell for the quesadilla, fill it in with something you like and fry it.

This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients:

• Maseca (Instant corn masa mix), Look for the key words MASA and CORN. In case you have trouble finding this at the supermarket
• 2 large potatoes
• Chorizo
• 16 oz can of refried beans
• Cooking oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Butter or margarine
• shredded Monterey Jack or Manchego cheese
• Add any other ingredients you may want

Pre-cooking:

• Peal the potatoes and cut them in small chunks
• Boil the potatoes in water for 10 minutes or until cooked
• Once the potatoes are ready, mash them and add pepper, salt and butter to taste
• Keep potatoes warm at low heat
• Heat the beans, keep them warm at low heat
• Shred and cook the chorizo by itself in a frying pan, then keep at low heat
• In a large bowl, add 4 cups of the masa mix and add some warm water, mix with your hands until the masa is firm adding water as necessary.
• With your hands, make small balls of masa about 2 inches in diameter, each one of these will be a quesadilla

Cooking:

• Set large frying pan in mid-high heat, once hot lower heat to medium
• Add enough oil to cover the frying pan to 1 inch deep
• Make a round (tortilla like) shape with each of the masa mix balls, using a roller if nescesary
• Put chorizo, beans with chorizo, cheese or potatoes in the tortilla and seal the sides by pressing with your fingers
• Fry one side until brown, then flip, repeat for all others, cooking as many as you can at the same time

Tips:

Do not let the oil to get too hot, otherwise the quesadillas will burn immediately without really getting cooked in the inside.

Be creative with the ingredients, make quesdillas of anything you like.

This page visited times since June 26, 1997.

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