Quesadillas are an all-time favourite. They are a cheesy and delicious finger food. I love picking up these flavour packets, loading them with great salsa, and having them as a snack or meal. Here is a lovely vegetarian recipe that I enjoy.
The crisp Brussels sprouts add texture to the quesadillas. The cheese is salty and gooey, and the Cascabel chilli oil adds a pop of flavour. Surprisingly, it is light to eat and can quickly become a meal.
This is an excellent book from the famed restaurant in San Francisco. I love the recipes and flavours in it. The chef has compiled a wonderful selection of traditional and contemporary recipes to satisfy your palate and eliminate cravings for great Mexican food. I love to cook from this book.
For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.
Ingredients:
For the cascabel chilli oil:
2 dried cascabel chillies
1 dried guajillo chilli
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup oil
For the quesadillas:
2 onions, thinly sliced
4 cups Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
Salt, to taste
6 soft corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups Oaxaca cheese
Cilantro to garnish
To make the oil, toast the cascabel and guajillo chillies until they smoke lightly. Remove them, cool them, and add them to 2 cups of hot water to soften. Soak them for 30-45 minutes.
Drain the chillies, squeezing out the water. De-stem and de-seed the chillies. Add them to a blender with the garlic and oil. Blitz until very smooth. You can strain the oil if you desire, but I choose not to. Set aside,
For the quesadillas, heat the oil in a wide frying pan on medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until soft but taken on any colour. Add the Brussels sprouts and salt and cook for 3-4 minutes until the sprouts start to soften. Add half the chilli oil and cook into the vegetables until dry. Set aside.
To assemble the quesadillas, heat two tortillas in a pan until warm. Remove them and layer them with 1/4 cup of the Brussels sprout mix and 1/4 cup of the cheese. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of the chilli oil. Cover with a second tortilla. Place them on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining three quesadillas.
Heat the oven to 300° F.
Add the quesadillas and bake for 5-7 minutes until they are hot and the cheese has melted. Remove, cut into wedges and serve garnished with cilantro and salsa of your choice.