As stated in the previous post, the Babbling Spoon is off for a culinary adventure , wishing to know a bit about other lands through their cuisine. And off she flew ( virtually of course) ,first stop:
Hola y bienvenidos a Mexico!
Ok I will not pretend to know a lot about Mexico. I suck at geography in highschool and to suddenly start sounding so factual and appear like a National Geographic reporter would be ridiculous. Come to think of it, the only things that comes into my mind when I hear Mexico are tequila, siesta, sombrero, err cactus?!, Salma Hayek ( I hope she is from Mexico!), Antonio Banderas ( well, he did play as a Mexican guitarrista/havoc shooter in the movie Desperado with Salma Hayek, right?!) and of course nice beaches and shore that Jennifer Aniston visit everytime she has a new boyfriend. Told you, I don't do geography , I'm more of a Life and Style magazine reader.
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| picture taken from de.electionsmeter.com |
Mexican cuisine in not at all foreign to the world. It is as a matter of fact well represented in any region. Come to think of it, even in Asia, Nachos and Chili Con Carne is quite well known. Mexican flavored chips are a common sight at the groceries too. Although, I'm not an expert when it comes to Mexical foods, at least I know that their staple food is corn . When corns are not eaten in a cob, then it is grounded and used to make doughs for Tortilla,Taco or Tamales . Mexicans also has undeniable penchant for beans and chilis as well. A co-worker of mine who had been to Mexico for 2 weeks said, that the hotel where she stayed serves spicy beans for breakfast...everyday. The result of that was.... well is not worth mentioning here since where talikng about food. (°:°) Ok, if any of you want to know more about Mexican foods, like I said Google is just one click away. I on the other hand, searched and found a recipe that is quite common in Mexico. An easy to make yet delicioso Quesadilla! A savory snack made of tortilla, filled with cheese and other ingredients. From cooked meat and seafoods, beans of course and other vegetables. Sounds good to me so I wll be it a try. I hope no Mexican or Mexican food lovers going to send me hate mails for this, saying how could you? Or how dare you?! So here we go!
Quesadilla
Brush a non stick pan or skillet with a bit of oil. Cooking the quesadiila without it is a healthy alternative but well, you know me. I won't say no to greasy foods. Place one Tortilla and scatter a bit of melty shredded cheese over it. I would love to use Cheddar but our local gorcery run out of Cheddar so I used Emmentaler and Mozarella cheese instead. I was happy with how it turned out.
Now fill the Tortilla with everything you desire from cooked seafoods and meat, vegetables or fruit, and sauces.
Left: Mine with drained canned tuna flakes, slices champignons, red bell pepper and onion strips and chopped scallions.
Right: FF's who went for some champignons with cooked shrimps , corn, peas, kidney beans and chopped chili peppers. Sounds more mexican flavored than mine,no?
Now scatter a handful of grated cheese over the stuffing.
Now to seal the Quesadilla, you can simply cover it with another tortilla sheet like shown at the picture above ( left) or simply fold it into half ( right) which is more suitable for bigger tortitallas. Cook Tortilla under medium heat until the filling is thoroughly heated and cheese melts, takes about 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
Take out from the heat at cut into wedges and they are ready to go. Quick and easy! Quesadilla tasted good as it is but it would taste even better when eaten with dips and accompaniments. Here are three options you can choose from or better yet, be like me and make all three!
Guacamole: Simply mix 2 peeled, pitted and mashed avodo with a small finely chopped red onion, 1 chopped Jalapeno chili pepper ( add more if you like it hot), a handful of chopped parsley, drizzle with lime juice from 1 lime, season with salt and pepper and toss in 1 finely diced tomato before serving. I also add a tsp of chili flakes. FF loved this dip, he was digging the contents of this bowl with so much gusto and enthusiasm as if there's a gold nugget hidden at the bottom!
Tomato Salsa. Dice 3 big tomatoes and toss in 1 small chopped red chili pepper, 1 small red onion, handful of chopped greens ( coriander or parsley or scallions), 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp. lime juice, season with salt, pepper and a bit of sugar
I don't know about you but I'm starting to like Mexico! I might ''revisit'' it again someday.
Buen Provecho!!
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