I love quesadillas. I see them as a variation on the grilled cheese sandwich and the possibilities are endless. I will share with you my basic recipe, but changes are allowed and to be encouraged.

Quesadillas, Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 flour tortillas
• as many thin slices of white cheddar cheese as it takes to cover the surface of half of each tortilla
• 3 oz. of mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 2 or 3 handfuls of fresh spinach
• avocado oil to coat pan, about 2 teaspoons

1. Lay the tortillas out side by side. Fold them in half and make a crease, so you can open them and see where the middle of each tortilla is. Cover half of each tortilla with the slices of cheese. If it doesn’t reach the edge of the tortilla in some spots, it’s ok, it will fill as it melts.
2. Melt butter in non-stick pan on medium heat. Swirl to coat the surface of the pan. Place the sliced mushrooms in a single layer in the butter. Cook until the mushrooms are a nice golden brown. Use a fork to turn each mushroom over when it has the golden brown color. Cook on the second side until it also has the golden brown color. The mushrooms will be soft all the way through with a slightly crispy exterior. Use the fork to distribute the mushrooms evenly between the two tortillas.
3. Return the same pan to the burner. Add more butter or oil if needed. Put the spinach in the pan and cook until it is nicely wilted. Distribute the spinach even over top of the mushrooms and cheese layers. Fold the tortillas in half. You now have two taco shaped, semi-circles.
4. Add the avocado oil to the same pan. Using the same pan throughout, gives additional flavor to the final product. Wait for the oil to heat. It will swirl easily around the pan when it is hot enough. This makes for a crispier tortilla than adding it to the pan before the oil is hot. I have also found that using avocado oil, vs. other oils, gives me a more nicely browned, crisp result.
5. Add both tortillas to the pan. Cover the pan and occasionally drain off any moisture that condenses on the lid to keep it from dripping onto the quesadillas and making them soggy. I drain the moisture several times while they are cooking. Keep checking to make sure that they are browning. If they start to burn, turn the heat down from medium by one notch. After several minutes, when the bottom of the quesadillas are nicely browned, flip them over and repeat on the other side. The second side cooks more quickly since everything is already warm.
6. Remove the finished quesadillas to a cutting board or plate and allow to cool slightly for a minute or two, so the cheese can set. Cut into wedges and serve. Fresh guacamole makes an excellent condiment for these, although they are great on their own.

I call for mushrooms and spinach in this version because it is my favorite. You can also use:

• sliced onions
• red or green peppers
• corn
• avocado
• olives
• or many other veg,etables
• Pre-cooked meat or seafood

You can also substitute any cheese that suits you for the cheddar. Havarti is particularly good. I do avoid smoked cheese in these because they don’t melt well for me.

I served these the other day when a friend came over for lunch. They were a hit and very convenient. I cooked and assembled the quesadillas to the point where they were ready to go in the pan to brown the tortillas, so I could focus on the visit. I also served a side of beans and rice with them. That recipe will be forth coming in a future post.

Before eating, we took a quick tour of plants in the yard and then sat around to enjoy the patio gardens and good conversation after the meal. This was a rare treat. This was the first time we have had anyone over, with the rare exception of an occasional family member, in 18 months. Not since the pandemic began have we had company. It was a delight! We felt daring and crazy to have someone here and none of us were masked. (We all have our vaccines, including our guest). We look forward to more such craziness as the summer progresses!