Don’t you hate it when Wikipedia outsmarts you?
Occasionally when I want a snack, I make myself a corn tortilla quesadilla. It’s always better in my imagination than in reality. I always make them the same way: two 6-inch corn tortillas with cheese in the middle. If I cook it in a lot of fat, it gets crisp and greasy. If I cook it in little or no fat, it’s not greasy, but the tortillas stay limp.
So I Googled. Naturally, the Wikipedia page for “quesadilla” came right up, and I learned that one type of quesadilla is:
> Corn tortilla based cheese tacos
> A corn tortilla thrown on a griddle to cook, then flipped and sprinkled with grated melting cheese such as Queso Chihuahua or Monterey Jack. Once the cheese melts it gets a smear of guacamole and is folded and served.
I heated a cast-iron pan and went right to it. I skipped the guacamole. It was great. You need two of them for a proper snack, but they’re quick. Perhaps the rest of you already make your corn quesadillas this way and are wondering what I was doing fooling around with two tortillas. I wonder that myself.
Eh, you’re not the only one. I’ve seen quesadillas made sandwich-style. And really, that’s all a quesadilla is — a grilled cheese sandwich made with tortillas instead of bread.
It sounds like the key is to fry the tortilla before putting cheese on. If you really wanted two tortillas, you could fry them both, add cheese and guac, and sandwich.
I don’t eat the darn things, though. Laurie knows — me and melted cheese don’t mix. Except for pizza and selected other items. I do really like flour tortillas properly warmed in a cast iron pan — they taste much better that way than when they are warmed in the microwave.
FYI, I make excellent flour tortilla quesadillas.
I should really read more cookbooks, or at least read the internet, before I try to cook things.
I’ve been making quesadillas your old way for YEARS and it never turns out the way I imagine it will.
Next time, I’m doing it your new way.
Glad I could help. Don’t give me any credit for it!
I also have strong opinions on flour tortilla quesadillas, as seen here:
“Q-Dilla”:https://www.rootsandgrubs.com/2007/11/19/q-dilla/
Oh i’m glad you posted the link to your flour tortilla quesadilla opinions too. i was about to start looking for it.
If you don’t have a cast iron griddle but do have a gas range stove, you can heat the tortillas directly on the range top for a similar effect. Just be careful flipping them.
you can still make them w/2 tortillas–i’m not sure i really understand what the problem has been. you heat the bottom tortilla on the cast iron/griddle, add the cheese (and maybe a little sliced avocado), when it starts to get melty, add the top one and flip the quesadilla, let it get thoroughly melty and it’s done. and hearty and delicious.