Hey—the Superbowl is coming up! And if you’re looking for something to serve other than the standard fare (wings, wings, and wings) how ’bout whipping up all the fixin’s for yummy quesadillas? Not that I would ever get away with not fixing wings on Superbowl Sunday. Huh. Not happenin’. But you know what? A girl can only eat so many wings before she starts scratching her armpits and growing whiskers.
So for the rest of us, there’s quesadillas!
Ahh, quesadillas. I’ve loved them. Long time. While I was pregnant with babies #1 and #2, quesadillas were all I craved. To this day, if I go more than three weeks without a quesadilla, I get so cranky, Marlboro Man can hardly stand to be in the same county with me. Seriously. I throw things.
I love to whip up a bunch of different quesadilla ingredients, then let everyone construct their own unique quesadilla. And while chicken, beef, or shrimp are all delicious in quesadillas, today we’re going to stick just to cheese and veggies because they’re just so dadgum delicious. Plus, I don’t have any chicken or shrimp in the house. I do have plenty of beef, but I don’t want people to think I work for the National Beef Council, okay? Because I don’t. Despite everything you’ve heard.
I’ll stop talking now. And I’ll start making quesadillas now. How does that sound?
The Cast of Characters: red onions, green & red bell peppers, white mushrooms, zucchini, flour tortillas, and monterey jack (or mexican) cheese…and butter.
Aren’t vegetables gloriously beautiful? I can’t wait for planting time.
First, heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet.
Get the skillet pretty durn hot.
Meanwhile, slice the onion thinly.
Red onions should be sainted, they’re so gorgeous.
I like food. Can you tell?
When the skillet is very hot…
Throw in the onions.
Stir them around and cook until they start to get quite brown, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Mmm…what an aroma.
They’re about done now. See the brownish/blackish areas? Now just remove the onions from the skillet.
Start slicing the bell peppers into rings or slices. Start with the green one.
I just love green bell peppers. They’re so…verdant. That’s your vocabulary word for the day. I want you to go out into the world and use it three times in the next seven hours.
Now add another tablespoon of butter to the hot skillet…
And throw in the green peppers.
Just like the red onions, cook them until they’re beginning to turn blackish/brown.
Same with the red bell peppers.
Cook ’em ’til they’re slightly brown, then remove from skillet.
Next, slice up a bunch of zucchini on the diagonal.
Add another tablespoons of butter to the skillet. Are we seeing a pattern here?
Throw in the zucchini. Make sure the skillet is hot, hot, hot, so the zucchini will have great color and flavor.
I’m in love with zucchini. Deep, lasting, abiding, passionate love.
Now cook up a bunch of sliced white mushrooms.
Stir them around with a tablespoon of butter…
And if you’re feeling feisty like me, add in a generous splash of red wine.
Because there are few things more glorious in this life than mushrooms cooked in red wine. And I’m well aware this isn’t exactly going to set a record in the Cook The Most Authentic Mexican Cuisine competition. And I’m okay with that. I’m not looking for titles or awards.
(Oh, but if you happened to be bored and want to pop over and vote for this website for Best Food Blog sometime in the next three days, I wouldn’t exactly turn it down. Even though I could care less about all of that validation/ accolade/ acknowledgement/ affirmation/ sense of purpose stuff. Middle children hate that. Yeah. That’s it.)
Just cook the mushrooms a couple of minutes, then remove to a bowl and set aside with the rest of the vegetables.
Now for my Top Secret Quesadilla Trick: I brown the tortillas on both sides ahead of time. Heat up a skillet on medium-to-medium-low heat, then give it a coating of butter. (And at this point I’m tired of cutting tablespoons of butter and throwing them into the skillet. I’m ready to take the easy road in my life.)
Now, one at a time, place the tortillas in the pan with the butter, turning them over once to coat them. Cook until just turning golden on both sides.
Repeat with remaining tortillas: add more butter to the skillet…
Throw in a tortilla…
And brown on both sides.
Remove all the browned tortillas to a plate.
And set them with the other ingredients.
Did someone say “ingredients?”
I love ’em all, but I have to say, I’m particularly fond of this zucchini.
I’m also very passionate about these mushrooms.
And there’s just something about sauteed red onions that freaks out my soul.
Oh HECK…I’ll take it all! Let’s eat.
Now, the reason I pre-browned the tortillas is, instead of sitting at the stove, cooking individual quesadillas for your guests, you can have everyone assemble their own, then just bake them all in the oven on cookie sheets. That’s what you call “Quesadillic Efficiency.” It’s so rewarding.
Just have everyone gather around the fixin’s and throw their tortilla on a cookie sheet.
I say “throw” a lot when I’m speaking of food. Does this bother anyone? Because it’s starting to bother me.
Then just let everyone build their own quesadilla! I usually start with a rather large quantity of grated Monterey Jack, followed by some onions that look like worms but I promise you they’re onions.
Then I add some zucchini. And some red bell peppers.
Then some mushrooms. Lots and lots of mushrooms.
And okay, some green bell peppers won’t hurt.
Then top it with another tortilla…and go make yourself another one! Because you’re the hostess and you can. And what is UP with the lighting on my purple alien hand? I hope that doesn’t distract you from today’s recipe.
Cheese. Check.
Pico de Gallo. Check. (You do have a big bowl of pico de gallo…right? Right?)
How does zucchini and pico de gallo sound?
Yeah, I agree. More cheese sounds good, too. Great suggestion.
And top it with another tortilla.
And check this one out: I call it Mushroom a la Surprise a la Cheesy a la Yum. It has cheese, a nice layer of mushrooms…
And onions. Lots and lots of onions.
I like cheese. Can you tell?
And finally, let’s do a Red Pepper Surprise. Start with red peppers…
Then sprinkle with M & M’s.
And don’t skimp, now! The chocolate will bring out the depth of flavor in the peppers.
Just kidding! Just wanted to make sure you were paying attention.
There. I picked off the M & M’s and ate them, but only for the sake of my art.
NOW. Instead of finishing off the cooking in a skillet, we’re going to stick them in a 375-degree oven for at least 10 minutes, or—and this is important—until the cheese is sizzling inside and the tortilla is no longer soft and soggy.
Unfortunately, I lacked the willpower and capacity to wait ten minutes, and I pulled this one out a few minutes early. As a result, the tortilla isn’t as crisp as it should be. But what I quickly found was, I don’t care. A quesadilla’s a quesadilla. And here’s a great tip: use a pizza cutter to slice the quesadilla into quarters!
Now, it’s impossible and improper to eat a quesadilla without Pico de Gallo, guacamole, and a dollup of sour cream. So don’t even try it.
I mean it.
Here’s the mushroom & onion variety. And it’s an absolute triumph.
Isn’t the purple onion pretty?
But pretty or not, the flavor of these quesadillas is not to be believed. And the fun your guests will have assembling different combinations of ingredients will just add to your Superbowl festivities.
Enjoy! Then go run thirteen miles. You’re gonna need it.
Love,
Pioneer Woman
