Family Recipe Friday - Betty's Cheese Quesadilla's

Betty’s Cheese Quesadilla’s

I married Texican in 1998. He was born and raised in south Texas, so he loves all things with a south-of-the-border flavor! Mexican cuisine is as much a part of our household eats as is the rich German and French that I was raised on! It didn’t take Texican long to convince me that I needed to learn to make a few things that he loved!

One of these was a good quesadilla. So, I was quick to call my Mother-in-Law, Betty, and have her send me a few recipes. Her reply?

“Oh you know… just Mexican food!”

Okay, so here I am… having eaten Mexican while growing up, but only in a restaurant, and not even that in many years since my family moved to a rural area of West Virginia, sans Mexican restaurants!

So, the first thing Betty taught me to make, via letter writing between our home in Monroe County, West Virginia, and her apartment in San Antonio, Texas, was a simple cheese quesadilla.

And here is Betty’s recipe:

“Take 2 tortils [tortillas]. Grease your fry pan. Put one tortil in the pan. Add cut up cheese. Cover with other tortil. When done on that side, flip over. “

That’s it!

Didn’t take me too long to begin to experiment, and before long we had a simple quesadilla that serves us well even today.

Ingredients:

Extra virgin olive oil

2 tortillas per serving

¼ cup shredded cheese of your choice per serving

Sour cream

Guacamole

Salsa/ picante

Preparation:

Using either a comal or a cast iron skillet, over medium-low heat, add 1-tbsp. EVOO [extra-virgin olive oil].

Place one tortilla on the comal or skillet. Top with cheese, and cover with second tortilla.

Allow tortilla to brown on bottom, then using a large spatula, turn carefully. [I sometimes use 2 spatulas to make this a bit easier.]

When lightly browned on both sides, remove from heat and allow to cool for about 1-minute before cutting into eigths [think of a pie].

Serve with either sour cream, guacamole, or salsa for dipping.

image via here

**NOTE: You can also add more ingredients to your quesadilla if you like. Diced chicken or beef, browned ground beef or sausage. Even cold cuts! Try a variety of cheeses! You can add refried beans if you want.

You may also use either flour or corn tortillas. [I actually prefer the corn tortillas, for an earthier flavor!] And if you want to be really authentic, using the comal, make your own tortillas! But then, that’s a whole other blog post!

These are absolutely the quickest and easiest south-of-the-border dish to make! And I can promise you… young and old will enjoy these!