Quesadilla Recipes For National Quesadilla Day
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What’s for breakfast? Or lunch? Or dinner? How about some quesadilla recipes? September 25th is National Quesadilla Day. The quesadilla is half indigenous Mexican, half Spanish, in origin. Our featured recipe, Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quesadillas, is below. > Plus, there are seven more yummy quesadilla recipes below. > Make quesadillas on the grill with a quesadilla grill basket. But first, some background: Pepper jack cheese is a variant of Monterey Jack cheese, a mild, creamy, semi-soft cheese. The “peppers” are sweet peppers as well as habaero and jalapeño chiles, or with peppercorns. It can also be made with garlic, rosemary, or other choices of the cheese maker. A great melter, the cheese is commonly used as in quesadillas and some burritos. It can also be used on cheeseburgers and grilled cheese sandwiches, as well as some pasta dishes Rather than a new type of cheese, Monterey Jack is a simple renaming of Mexican queso blanco. Jack cheese is the same as Monterey Jack, for reasons we describe next. Monterey Jack History In the 18th century, queso blanco was made by the Mexican Franciscan friars of Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo in Monterey, California. It was then made by other dairies in the area. Much later, in the late 19th century, a local businessman named David Jacks owned a dairy along the Salinas River. Like other dairies in the area, it produced queso blanco. In 1883, Jacks’ dairy formed partnerships with other regional dairies, to sell their cheeses throughout California. His queso blanco was mass marketed, first as Jack’s Cheese and eventually as Monterey Jack for the county and his own name, minus the “s” [source]. Variants of Monterey Jack include Pepper Jack (originally made with peppercorns, but more recently with chile peppers) and Dry Jack, an aged version. Dry Jack was created by accident in 1915, when a San Francisco wholesaler forgot about a number of wheels of fresh Jack that he had stored. He rediscovered the wheels as World War I intensified and shipments of hard cheese from Europe were interrupted. He found that his wheels had aged into a product his customers found to be a good substitute for classic hard cheeses like Parmesan. Prep and cook time: 30 minutes. Use whole wheat tortillas for better nutrition. Ingredients For 4 Servings 1. SCRUB the sweet potatoes. Pierce them several times with a fork and place them on a microwave-safe plate. 2. MICROWAVE on high, uncovered, turning once, until very tender, 7-9 minutes. When cool enough to handle… 3. CUT each potato lengthwise in half. Scoop out the pulp and spread it onto one half of each tortilla. 4. TOP with the beans and cheese. Fold the other half of tortilla over filling. 5. HEAT a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium heat. Cook the quesadillas until they are golden brown and cheese is melted, 2-3 minutes on each side. You can also cook them on a grill with a grill basket (photo #6). 6. SERVE with salsa. |
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________________ *North America was plentiful with native turkeys and ducks. It is believed that chickens likely originated in Southeast Asia. Its wild progenitor is the red junglefowl, Gallus gallus. Some archaeologists believe that chickens were first introduced to the New World by Polynesians, who reached the Pacific coast of South America a century or so before the voyages of Columbus [source]. †Chihuahua or Oaxaca cheese from Mexico, or Cheddar, mozzarella, or Monterey Jack, which originated in the U.S. (Jack) and Europe (Cheddar, mozzarella).
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