Recipe · SNACK
Mini Cheese Quesadillas
Nearly every quesadilla that comes out greasy went into an oiled pan. It is an understandable instinct — the tortilla looks dry, the pan looks dry — and it is the wrong one.
A tortilla already contains the fat it needs. In a dry pan it toasts: the surface dehydrates, blisters and browns, and the result shatters slightly when you bite it. Add oil and you are shallow-frying a thin disc of starch, which absorbs what you have given it and turns soft and heavy instead.
The other rule is to load one half and fold, rather than making a sandwich of two tortillas. A folded quesadilla has one sealed edge and no gap for molten cheese to escape through, which means it stays inside where it is useful. And let them rest a minute before cutting — cheese straight off the heat is liquid, and it will run out onto the board and set there.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 small tortillas, about 15 cm
- 150 g melting cheese, coarsely grated
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
- A pinch of chilli flakes
- Salsa or soured cream, to serve
Method
- Heat a dry pan. Put a heavy frying pan over medium heat with no oil at all. A dry pan toasts the tortilla; an oiled one fries it, which is the difference between crisp and greasy.
- Fill one half only. Scatter cheese, spring onion and chilli over one half of each tortilla, then fold the bare half over. Filling one half means nothing escapes at the fold.
- Press and colour. Lay them in the pan and press flat with a spatula. Cook 2 minutes a side, until spotted brown and the cheese has clearly gone.
- Rest, then cut. Let them sit for a minute off the heat before cutting into wedges — cut straight away and the molten cheese runs out onto the board.
Worth knowing
- Mozzarella, Monterey Jack or a mild cheddar all melt cleanly. A very mature cheddar splits and leaks fat instead.