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.

 
Traditionally in Mexico, quesadillas are made with corn tortillas and a melty, white cheese. Here in the states though, because of how close we are to the Sonoran area of northern Mexico, quesadillas are more often made with flour tortillas.

Our featured recipe, Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quesadillas, is below.

> Plus, there are seven more yummy quesadilla recipes below.

> The history of quesadillas.

> Make quesadillas on the grill with a quesadilla grill basket.

But first, some background:
 
 
WHAT IS PEPPER JACK CHEESE?

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Variants of Monterey Jack include Pepper Jack (originally made with peppercorns, but more recently with chile peppers) and Dry Jack, an aged version.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.
 
 
RECIPE: SWEET POTATO & BEAN QUESADILLAS

Prep and cook time: 30 minutes. Use whole wheat tortillas for better nutrition.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

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.
 
 
MORE QUESADILLA RECIPES

Halloween: Mummy Quesadillas

[1] Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quesadillas. The recipe is below (photo © Taste Of Home).

[2] Start by microwaving sweet potatoes and scooping them onto tortillas (photo © Umami Information Center).

[3] Add rinsed black beans (photo © Bush’s Beans).

[4] Top with shredded Pepper Jack cheese (photo © Eau Galle Cheese).

[5] Serve with salsa (photo © Marjorie Manicke | Stock Xchange).

[6] Heat on the stove top, or grill your quesadillas with this special grilling basket (photo © Outset Grillware).

*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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September 20th is National String Cheese Day. Have some fun with this String Cheese Sushi recipe, an the String Cheese Egg Rolls recipe below.

They’re baked, not fried.

Unlike breaded mozzarella or string cheese sticks, in this recipe the melted cheese is surrounded by crunchy egg roll wrappers (plus, they’re baked, not fried).

Food trivia: Pasta† filata (“pulled curd”) cheeses like mozzarella, provolone, and string cheese are named for the unique process of pulling the curds while they are dipped in hot water. The result is a paste that can be pulled apart in strips.

Here’s more about the different types of Italian cheeses.
 
 
> The history of string cheese is below.

> Here’s a longer discussion of the predecessors of string cheese.

> The history of cheese.

> The different types of cheese: a glossary.

> 28 more cheese holidays.

> The year’s 17 Chinese food holidays.

> String cheese sushi recipe.
 
 
RECIPE: STRING CHEESE EGG ROLLS

Prep time is 10 minutes and cook time is 12 minutes. The number of pieces, 20, is arbitrary: Make as many or few as you need. Just buy an equal number of string cheese sticks and egg roll wrappers.

If you like things spicy, you can sprinkle the wrappers with cayenne or red chile flakes instead of garlic powder.

You can also play with adding additional ingredients. We have both wrapped the cheese stick with a slice of prosciutto, and added chopped onions. We really loved the prosciutto, but next time will add a piece of lightly cooked bacon.
 
Ingredients For 20 Pieces

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Lightly brush a baking sheet with olive oil.

2. LAY the egg roll wrappers flat on the counter and lightly brush the entire wrapper with water. Lightly sprinkle the wrappers with garlic powder. Do not over-season.

3. PLACE each stick of string cheese diagonally across the wrappers. Fold both corners of the wrapper over the cheese. You will have a top “flap” (like an envelope).

4. FOLD the rest of the wrapper over the cheese stick, tucking in slightly underneath cheese in order to roll firmly.

5. TIGHTLY ROLL the rest of the wrapper over the cheese stick. If you don’t fold them tightly, the cheese will leak out. You can add a dab of water to the edges to seal the wrapper.

6. LIGHTLY BRUSH the tops of the egg rolls with olive oil, which will make the egg rolls more crispy.

7. TRANSFER the egg rolls to the baking sheet and bake for 8-12 minutes. Check them at 7 minutes for cheese leakage. If some have leaked, remove them from the oven. They will still be delicious, but you don’t want the leaked cheese to come into contact with any of the other pieces.

8. REMOVE from the oven and let cool until they are comfortable to handle and eat. Serve plain or with your dip of choice.

TIP: If you want the egg rolls to be as crisp as possible, you can broil them for the last 2 minutes of cooking, monitoring them carefully until they are golden brown, but not overly browned.
 
 
DIPPING SAUCE OPTIONS

You may enjoy these crunchy sticks with melted cheese as is. Or, you may like a dipping sauce. Here are some options:

[1] Fresh from the oven: string cheese egg rolls, served with a side of marinara sauce (photo © Frigo Cheese).

[2] Egg roll wrappers (photo © Nasoya).

[3] For spicy egg rolls, add chile flakes. Otherwise, garlic powder or another spice will do (photo © The Spice House).

[4] Folding egg rolls (photo © Webstaurant Store).

[5] Olive oil is the best cooking oil for this recipe (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

[6] Marinara pasta sauce is also a popular dipping sauce (photo © St. Pierre Bakery).

However, string cheese was actually invented in Wisconsin. It is believed that around 1976, Frank Baker of Baker Cheese (photo #7), a Wisconsin cheese maker, came up with the idea of snack-size pieces of mozzarella.

Frank was an innovator by nature, says his grandson Brian who now runs the company [source].

Normally, mozzarella is molded into a shape from a continuous flow of cheese that is shaped into a block. Frank thought to take the continuous flow of mozzarella and chopped them into strips.

Frank cut off strips, hand-stretched them, rolled them, and cut them into ropes. By soaking them in salt brine, the cheese took on “stringing” characteristics.

And thus a popular cheese snack was born.
 
 

[7] Sticks of string cheese rolling down the production line (photo © USA Today Network).
 
 
________________

*Blend regular ketchup, mayonnaise or yogurt with cayenne, chipotle, or red chili flakes to taste. You can also mince fresh hot chiles.

†Pasta is the Italian word for paste. As such, it refers to noodles, which are made from a paste of flour and water, and other food products that are made from a paste.
 
 

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[1] A Negroni (photos #1 and #2 © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

[2] Stir it and strain it.

[3] A bottle of Campari will keep you in Negronis for some time (photo Wikipedia).

This is Negroni Week, celebrated worldwide the third full week each September. THE NIBBLE team sat down with a pitcher of classic Negronis and one of the Balsamic Negroni recipe below.

Negroni Week was established in 2013 by Imbibe Magazine and Campari, as a celebration of one of the world’s great cocktails and a charitable money-raiser.

According to a poll of bartenders worldwide to determine the world’s most popular cocktails, Drinks International, founder of the International Spirits Challenge, named the Negroni as #1 among the world’s top 10 cocktails for 2022*.

The Balsamic Negroni recipe was sent to us by our colleague Hannah Kaminsky of Bittersweet Blog.

The classic Negroni is made with Campari, gin, and sweet vermouth, and garnished with an orange twist.

Hannah’s version adds white balsamic vinegar to the mix.

Hannah notes that a sweet vinegar like white balsamic diffuses some of the bitterness—a bright hit of acidic contrast—that she personally found in the classic Negroni.

Other vinegars to consider:

 
> The recipe follows.

> What is Campari? See below.

> The classic Negroni recipe and the history of the Negroni.

> Negroni food pairings.

> The top 12 gin cocktails.

> The history of cocktails.

> The history of gin.

> The year’s 14 gin holidays.
 
 
RECIPE: THE BALSAMIC NEGRONI

Prep time is 2 minutes.
 
Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. POUR the Campari, gin, vermouth, and balsamic vinegar into a mixing glass. Add ice and stir with a bar spoon for 20-30 seconds, until incorporated.

2. ADD fresh ice to a rocks glass and strain the cocktail into the glass.

3. RUB the orange peel along the rim of the glass, squeeze the oils directly into the drink, then add it as a garnish. Serve immediately.

Campari is an Italian apéritif liqueur, distilled from an infusion of herbs and fruits in alcohol, characterized by its deep red color (photo #3). It is a type of bitters†.

It was invented in 1860 by Gaspare Campari of Novara, Italy. Under the direction of Davide Campari, Gaspare’s son, the company began to export the beverage.

Today it is distributed in more than 190 countries.

Before 2006, the deep red color Campari came from a small insect called cochineal, dried and crushed. Since 2006, Campari has opted instead for an artificial dye.

In addition to the Negroni, Campari is often used in other cocktails:

 
 
________________

*The 2022 standings: 1) Negroni, 2) Old Fashioned, 3) Dry Martini, 4) Margarita, 5) Daiquiri, 6) Aperol Spritz, 7) Espresso Martini, 8) Manhattan, 9) Mojito, 10) Whiskey Sour [source].

†A bitters is an alcoholic preparation flavored with botanical matter for a bitter or bittersweet flavor. Originally they were developed as patent medicines, non-prescription medicinal preparations that claimed to be effective against minor disorders (here’s more about them). Now, they are sold as digestifs and cocktail flavorings.
 
 

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