Who needs a recipe for a quesadilla? Grab a flour tortilla, pile on shredded cheese and heat it up in a pan until the cheese melts. There, I summed up about 75 percent of the quesadilla recipes around, and you only had to read one sentence. Of course, you could add some chicken, which would account for another 10 percent of the recipes, but that’s stretching the limit of most people’s quesadilla comprehension.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this kind of quesadilla. Gooey, melted cheese on a tortilla is almost always a fine and good thing, but it’s not the only quesadilla available. In fact, it’s helpful to think of quesadillas in two broad categories: those made with pre-made tortillas and those made with fresh masa.
The latter, especially, are less vehicles strictly for cheese consumption and more like empanadas or turnovers. In “Authentic Mexican,” Rick Bayless describes them as “deliciously stuffed pockets of Mexican flavor, bearers of well-spiced vegetables, meats and cheese, transporters of chile-spiked hot sauce or smooth guacamole,” which sums it up nicely. Notice how cheese isn’t the sole ingredient?
In fact, numerous recipes exist for quesadillas made with fresh masa in which cheese plays a limited or, in some rare cases, completely nonexistent role.
How can a quesadilla exist without cheese? Honestly, you’d be forgiven for thinking of these as a kind of empanada. Though, there’s a chance we’re thinking about this too much. In their rambunctiously entertaining “Tacopedia,” Juan Carlos Mena and Deborah Holtz delve into the paradox of “cheeseless quesadillas,” noting that while it doesn’t exactly make a lot of sense, “that’s their name, so what can we do?” Good point.
Regardless of whether they have cheese, these kinds of quesadillas are mostly made with fresh masa, the same corn dough that’s used to make corn tortillas. The masa dough is flattened into a circle using a tortilla press, a small amount of the filling is added across the middle and then the masa is folded up to form a half-moon shape. This is griddled, or gently fried, until it develops a golden-browned crust, ever so slightly crackly without being crisp.
It’s tempting to crown quesadillas made with fresh masa as the pinnacle of the quesadilla-making arts. If you haven’t experienced them, I’d suggest you give them a try. But it’s important to know that there’s no shame in using pre-made tortillas for quesadillas, as long as you treat them with the slightest bit of care.
Unlike quesadillas made with fresh masa, folded-over quesadillas basically require cheese. Forget, forever if you can, the pre-shredded “Mexican cheese” found in the supermarket. What you want is something tangy that melts easily. This can be as simple as a decent quality Monterrey Jack, or, if you’re near a well-stocked Mexican grocery store, Chihuahua or Oaxacan cheese is deal.
While store-bought corn tortillas make fine quesadillas, especially if you add some fat to the skillet when crisping them, I do actually prefer the flakiness of flour tortillas here. When cooked in a little fat, the flour tortillas develop a gorgeous speckled browned appearance and hold the fillings without cracking.
The extra strength of flour tortillas also allows us to be slightly more liberal with the amount of filling. That means that you can add multiple components, just so long as you’re smart about it.
Don’t be afraid to get creative. Quesadillas thrive on innovation. Honestly, my family often has quesadilla night when we need to use up leftovers. Nothing like thrift to lead you down unexpectedly delicious directions.
Chicken Quesadillas with Pickled Red Onion and Jalapenos
This recipe makes 4 quesadillas and takes about 25 minutes to prepare.
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 jalapenos, thinly sliced
8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack or queso Chihuahua
4 ounces cooked, shredded chicken breast
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 tablespoon canola oil
Guacamole or salsa
Pour apple cider vinegar into a medium bowl. Add salt and sugar; stir until dissolved. Add red onion and jalapenos. Set aside for an hour. Drain before using.
Place a quarter of the shredded cheese and shredded chicken on half of a tortilla. Add pickled red onion and jalapeno slices to taste. Fold in half. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place two quesadillas in pan. Cook, 2 minutes per side. Repeat with other two quesadillas. Cut into triangles and serve with guacamole.