Quesadillas

Quesadillas
The origins of traditional foods such as quesadillas cannot usually be traced to a particular year or person. They are foods that evolved because the ingredients and technology needed to cook them were readily available. The history of quesadillas begins with the story of corn and the cooking of tortillas:

"Tortilla...a round, thin unleavened bread made from ground maize, a basic food of Mesoamerica. It is not known how many millennia this has been a staple; but when the conquistadores arrived in the New World in the late 15th century, they discovered that the inhabitants made flat corn breads. The native Nahuatl name for these was tlaxcalli and the Spanish gave them the name tortilla...The art of tortilla-making was highly developed by the native Mesoamericans; 17th century Spanish observed, Francisco Hernandez, remarked on the fine, almost transparent tortillas prepared for important people....Fresh tortillas are eaten as bread, used as plate and spoon, or filled to make composite dishes such as tacos and enchiladas....A quesadilla is a 'turnover' made by folding a fresh tortilla in half around a simple filling such as cheese, epazote (a pungent herb), and pepper, or potatoes and chorizo, and deep frying it..."
---The Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson (p. 803)

"Queso...the Spanish word for 'cheese', forms part of some names of cheese of Spain and Latin America."
---The Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson (p. 644)

"Quesadillas are one of the Mexicans' favorite simple snacks. They are, in fact, uncooked tortillas stuffed with one of various fillings and folded over to make a "turnover." They are then toasted on a hot griddle or fried until golden. In many parts of Mexico they are filled with strips of Chihuahua cheese, which melts and "strings" nicely--a Mexican requirement...the farther south one goes the more complicated they become. For instance, in central Mexico the simplest ones are filled with some of the braided Oaxaca cheese, a few fresh leaves of epazote and strips of peeled chile poblano. Potato and chorizo filling--that used for tacos...--is also a favorite version, while the most highly esteemed of all are those of sauteed squash blossoms (flor de calabaza) or the ambrosial fungus that grows on the corn blossoms (huitlachoche), both of which are at their best during the rainy months of summer and early fall."
--The Tortilla Book, Diana Kennedy [Harper & Row:New York] 1975 -(p. 106)

As such, quesadillas are a blend of Old World tradition and New World foods. Recipes for turnover-type foods (aka portable filled pastries, both sweet and savory) were popular fare in Medieval Spain. About portable pies. Chicken (chicken quesadillas) is also an Old World food, introduced to Mexico by the Spanish settlers in the 16th century. New World fowl included turkey, strikingly similar in flavor and composition. The turkey, however, was not used for simple snacks. It was saved for special holidays. Cheese (queso/quesa) is also an Old World food.


Quesadillas
is one of my sons favorit quick dinners - he loves it with soup or on its own. I usually mix anyhting i like in there but this version is our favorit...
Enjoy Alissa

1 medium fresh chili pepper (or dried and soaked in water, drained and chopped)or if oyu don't like the heat use a bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheese (best is mexican cheese like Asadero, Chihuahua or in the USA zesty Monterey Jack)
6 8-inch tortillas
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cup chopped tomato
3 tbsp finely chopped spring onions
1 tbsp snipped basil (or cilantro)
Guacamole
Salsa Fresca

Halve pepper lengthwise, remove seeds and membrane. Cut pepper into thin slivers.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese over half of each tortilla. Sprinkle peppers, chicken, tomato, green onions and basil or cilantro over cheese. Fold tortilla in half pressing gently.

In a large skillet or on a griddle cook quesadillas, two at a browned, turning once. Remove quesadillas from skillet and place on a baking sheet. Keep warm in a 300°F oven. Repeat with remaining quesadillas.

Serve cut in half with salsa fresca and guacamole.

Makes 12 servings



Quesadillas

ist eines der Lieblingsessen meines Sohnes - es ist ein leckeres schnelles Essen. Sehr vielseitig, gesund und sättigend zu einer Suppe oder Salat.
Dieser Version mögen wir am liebsten.... es ist wie ein Hauch Mexico auf dem Teller ! Den Usrsprung dieses Gerichts festzustellen ist sehr schwer - wahrschienlich hat es sich irgendwann entwickelt als die Europäer nach Zentralamerika kamen und die Maisfladen der Eingeborenen übernommen haben und es dann füllten und anbrieten.. wie viele andere Tortillagerichte auch... Es ist und war sehr preiswert, nahrhaft und rasch zu bereitet.

Schärfetabelle von Chilis

Habanero = 10+ (super scharf)
Pequin ( Chile Pequeno, Tepin und Chiltepin) = 8-9
Serrano = 7
Árbol = 6-7
Fresno = 6-7
Chipotle = 5-6
Jalapeno = 5-6
Ancho (Mulato)=3-5
Pasilla (Chile Negro) = 3-5
Cascabel = 4
Poblano = 3
Guajillo = 2-4
Anaheim = 2-3

Getrocknete Chilis haben einen intensiven rauchigen Geschmack. Man sollte darauf achten wenn man sie kauft das sie immer noch leicht biegsam sind und ein schönes Aroma haben! Man kann sie in einem Mörser zermalen oder in einer Gewürzmühle zerkleinern oder in kochendem sprudelndem Wasser 30 Min einweichen und dann ein hacken. Getrocknete Chilis trocken in einem luftdichten Gefäß aufbewahren - halten sihc bis zu einem Jahre noch beser ist es sie einzufrieren!

Viel Vergnügen... Alissa


1 mittlere Anaheim oder andere Chilischote - wem das zu scharf ist tut es auhc eine Paprika, gewürfelt
1 1/2 Tassen geriebenen Käse
6 Tortillas (am besten Maistortillas)
1 Tasse gekochtes, geschreddertes Huhn (schmeckt klasse sous-vide mit mexikanischen Gewürzen)
1/2 Tasse feingehackte, entkernte Tomate
3 EL Frühlingszwiebel fein gehackt
1 EL frischen Basilikum oder Koriander

Dazu selbstgemachte Guacamole + Salsa Fresca

Die Chilischote längs aufschneiden entkernen und die Membrane entfernen und feinschneiden

Die Tortilla halb mit Käse bestreuen, darüber Chili, Frühlingszweibeln, Hühnchen, Tomaten und Basilikum. Zusammenklappen und in einer mittelheißen Pfanne 3-4 Min erhitzen - einmal Wenden. Aus der Pfannen nehmen und im Backofen warmhalten. Einmal aufschneiden und mit Guacamole und Salsa Fresca servieren.

12 Portionen

Chili con Carne with a Chocolate Twist

Chili Con Carne with Bittersweet Chocolate

Serves 4

1 1/2 lb beef chunks or ground beef
1 big onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp lard or shortening
2 Tbsp jalapeno peppers finely chopped (you can use very hot ones or mild as you please)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 bic can whole tomatos
1 big can kidney beans
1 can black beans (or dried)
2 Tbsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin + 2 tbsp
1/2 tsp cinnamon + 2 tbsp
1 Shot tabasco or red pepper sauce
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 oz best quality bittersweet chocolate
250 ml beef stock
salt & pepper
1 cup dark beer
a bit corn flour (Masa harina)


Cut the chuck into 3/4-inch pieces, or, to save time, have your butcher do this for you. Place the chuck in a large bowl. Season liberally with pepper and salt to taste, remember half of this will come off in the pan. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of the cumin, and 2 tablespoons of the chili powder. Mix this well and coat the meat with the corn flour or even better Masa harina. The flour will thicken the sauce and give it a specific, Mexican taste.

Preheat a cast iron Dutch oven on the stove over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and then the coated meat, spreading it evenly so it covers the bottom of the Dutch oven in 1 layer. Leave it alone, without turning it, so the meat will brown and caramelize. Meanwhile, add the lard. The meat has a lot of moisture in it, so a good amount of steam will come from the pan before it is caramelized. As it browns, slowly turn each piece with tongs. Once all sides are caramelized, remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a cookie sheet to cool, leaving juices in the Dutch oven to saute vegetables. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat until they start to caramelize and get soft. Add the jalapenos and allow to cook for 2 more minutes until soft. Add the tomato paste. Some of the same spices as were used on the meat will be used in the sauce. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of the cumin, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, the oregano, and 2 heaping tablespoons of the chili powder. Add beer. Stir to incorporate everything. Add diced tomatoes, and stir. Then add the reserved meat. Add stock. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours until meat is wonderfully tender. Strain juice from the black beans and kidney beans, add the beans to the chili pot and bring up to simmer. Then add chunks of bittersweet chocolate. Stir until it melts. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.



Chili con Carne mit Zartbitter - Schokolade

500 g Rindfleisch, (Hack oder Gulasch)
1 Gemüsezwiebel(n)
2 Zehe/n Knoblauch, (geräuchert)
1 EL Olivenöl
2 TL Chilischote(n), fein gehackt (ohne Samen)
2 EL Tomatenmark
450 gr. Dose/n Tomate(n), ganze
450 gr. Dose/n Kidneybohnen
2 TL Oregano, (frisch noch besser)
1 TL Kreuzkümmel, (Cumin)
1 Schuss Tabasco
etwas Cayennepfeffer
etwas Chilipulver, (nach Geschmack)
1 Rippe/n Schokolade, zartbitter, hochwertige oder:
1 EL Kakaopulver
250 ml Rinderfond

In einem großen Topf das Rindfleisch in Olivenöl anbraten - bis es gut angebräunt ist. Anschließend Zwiebeln, Knoblauch und Chilis hinzufügen und 3 min simmern lassen. Nun das Tomatenmarkt, die ganzen Tomaten und den Fond hinzufügen und einreduzieren lassen - 20-30 Min bei mittlerer Hitze. Jetzt die Kidneybohnen abtropfen und durchspülen und mit den Gewürzen und der Schokolade hinzufügen. 10 Min weiter köcheln. Abschmecken mit Salz und Pfeffer und eventuell mehr Schärfe reinbringen.

Schmeckt lecker zu knusprigen, warmen Nachochips, Tortillas, Baguette oder Reis.

Lässt sich vorbereiten - einfach einfrieren oder in den Kühlschrank und wieder aufwärmen.