Quesadillas are easy to prepare for a large group. Everyone seems to love them, including children! This recipe is very versatile. The endless variety of peppers—fresh, dried, and smoked offer unlimited flavor combinations. Make them as spicy as you like, or leave out the peppers for a milder version. Eggplant or tomatoes are good substitutes for the tomatillos.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 pound tomatillos
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 medium onion
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- salt to taste
- lime juice (optional)
- 12 8-inch flour tortillas
- 1/2 pound mild melting cheese (Monterey jack, mild cheddar, or Muenster), grated
- 1 avocado
- fresh cilantro
- sour cream
INSTRUCTIONS
- To roast the tomatillos, peppers, and onions, preheat oven to 400°.
- Peel paper skin off tomatillos and wash them well. Cut green pepper in half and remove seeds. Cut onion in half, leaving skin on.
- Place tomatillos, pepper halves, onion halves, whole bulb of garlic, and whole jalapeno on an oiled cookie sheet.
- Place sheet in oven, and roast until pepper skin blisters, approximately 25 minutes.
- Check vegetables while roasting, turning them if necessary so they don’t burn. Remove from oven.
- Place green and jalapeno peppers in a paper bag or under a bowl to sweat for approximately 20 minutes (this will make skins easier to peel).
- Peel and seed peppers. Peel onions when cool enough to handle.
- Cut 1/2 inch off the top of the garlic bulb with a sharp knife. Hold on to the base of the bulb, and squeeze the roasted garlic pulp into the bowl of a food processor or blender.
- Add peppers, onions, and tomatillos, and puree. Add salt to taste. Tomatillos vary in tartness, so add lime juice as desired.
- Place a heaping tablespoon of salsa on one side of a tortilla. Top with some grated cheese and fold tortilla over.
- Repeat with rest of tortillas.
- Place tortillas on a dry cookie sheet. Bake in a 400° oven for 3 to 4 minutes. Slice into wedges and serve with sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, and sour cream.
