There is a season

They are calling for snow. That means two things. #1, I have nothing much going on in the garden, a wee bit more planning and day dreaming maybe. #2, Every gallon of milk and pack of double A batteries in five states are sold out. Southerners tend to get a little dramatic when the weather man calls for more than a 'chance of flurries'. I typically ignore the forecast since they are wrong more times than they are right and tonight is no exception. It's going to freeze and be miserable, but I doubt the snow will do much more than look pretty in the streetlights.

So, what better to talk about than hot food? I am talking about quesadillas. These are not the run of the mill kind you get at the Tex-Mexican joint. I used corn tortillas instead of flour. That's a whole nother animal. If you cooked these in similar fashion to the flour ones, which take much less time, you would end up with burnt, chewy and cheesy, not crunchy, cheesy and delicious. I sound like a commercial.

These lads take to slow cooking. There is lots of moisture in the tortillas that has to slowly be drawn out, unless you deep fry them of course. Corn tortillas are floppy, and even when wet-heat is applied they soften but stay rather chewy. They might be more authentic that way, but I don't much care for it. I also have to take in consideration, diet. So instead of frying these bad boys, causing them to achieve maximum potential, I use just a few drops of olive oil to prevent sticking and encourage browning.

Ingredients:

Corn Tortillas

Protein: Your choice, I used lean ground beef spiced with items out of the pantry, such as cumin, a few chili powers, and other typical flavors.

White shredded cheese

Olive oil

Salt

Iron Skillet (Accept no substitutes)

Place the iron skillet on medium heat, sprinkle a pinch of salt and a few drops of oil in. Slap a tortilla in and spin it a few times to distribute salt and oil. Add some cheese, a little meat, not too much, the cheese is the key player here. Now comes in any additions for taste. My wife would say to leave out the meat and just have a plain cheese, I add pickled jalapeno pepper slices. Another layer of cheese, and the other tortilla. One brush stroke of oil and a sprinkle of salt on this side and that is all. There is a rhythm to fall into in assembly, but the key here is patience.

These corn tortillas can take more heat longer than the flour ones, and to achieve proper texture, they need a nice slow roll in the skillet. Let the cheese melt so that when you flip it things don't fly apart, and then let each side go for at least 5 minutes or until crunchy. Serve with a wedge of lime and some sour cream sprinkled with various chili powders and cilantro. Oh and a cold beer.

It always warms my toes.