Mmmmm, Quesadillas!
By Stephanie Lynn, age 22, Massachusetts
SDM Editor-in-Chief
"Make yourself a dang QUESADILLA, Napoleon!"
You have friends over and you're all hungry. Big brother Kip has eaten all the chips. So what do you do? Here's an easy and tasty snack I love to make, and you can make it too in about 10 minutes. Those of you who have taken Spanish know that queso means cheese, and the kind of cheese to use for your dang quesadilla is shredded Monterey Jack, or else a shredded Mexican blend which will contain Monterey Jack.
Step 1
Take a large flying pan (the heavier the better, ideally a cast iron one) and apply a teaspoon and a half of olive oil, or else vegetable oil if you don't have it. Spread the oil all over the bottom surface with a large spatula.
Step 2
Start it on high, but don't let it get too hot before adding a floured tortilla shell, preferably the same size as the bottom of the pan - never bigger. Important: Flip the tortilla every 10 seconds or so to allow it to cook evenly. Do not walk away!
Step 3
When air pockets start to form in the tortilla, add a handful of shredded cheese, and turn down the heat to medium or medium low. Cover the pan. (If the quesadilla starts to smoke, remove it from the heat and check that it's not burning.)
Step 4
After a minute, when the cheese is sufficiently melted, remove the cover, then flip one side over onto the other like an omelette. The tortilla should be slightly browned and crispy. If it needs a little more browning, turn the heat back up to high and flip it every 10 seconds till perfection.
Step 5
Eat just like that, or you can serve it with salsa, sour cream, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, diced sweet onion, black olives, and guacamole. But whatever you do, eat it while it's hot! Sweet!
