FOOTBALL IN HIGH HEELS: SUPER BOWL RECIPES
Are you all ready for Sunday? It is Super Bowl 50 and most of us are partying….well, I’ll probably be home watching the game with my cat since I have to work early the next day and I am recapping it…but for those of you who want some snack ideas, I will be bringing them to you all week long! Here is the first of many!
[credit: recipe courtesy of WolfgangPuckCookingSchool.com]
Wolfgang Puck’s Barbecue Chicken & Green Chile Quesadillas
Serves 4 to 8
One of my favorite party foods from Mexico is the quesadilla, that country’s grilled cheese sandwich, combining cheese (queso) and tortillas. You can add all kinds of other ingredients, too, like this combination of leftover chicken meat, roasted chile pepper, and a little store-bought bottled barbecue sauce. You’ll also find a lesson here in my Cooking School on how to make the California Guacamole you can serve with it.
Ingredients:
extra-virgin olive oil
1 jalapeño chile, or 1 canned roasted, peeled, and seeded mild green chile
2 cups leftover roast or grilled chicken meat, coarsely chopped
4 green onions, white and pale green parts, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce
8 (9-inch) flour tortillas, or corn tortillas
2 2/3 cups shredded cheese, such as Fontina, Cheddar, Monterey jack, mozzarella, or a mix
Wolfgang Puck’s California Guacamole with Roasted Garlic (see separate recipe), or other prepared guacamole or sliced ripe avocado, for garnish
tomato salsa, for garnish
fresh cilantro, for garnish
Directions:
1. Pan-roasting the chile
Heat some olive oil in a small skillet over high heat. Add the jalapeño and blacken on all sides, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes. Wrap in a kitchen towel. When cool, pull off the skin. Cut off the stem, cut the chile in half, scrape out the seeds and veins, and dice.
2. Preparing the chicken filling
In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken, jalapeño, green onions, and barbecue sauce. Stir thoroughly.
3. Assembling the quesadillas
Place 4 tortillas on a work surface. Sprinkle about 1/3 cup of the cheese over each tortilla. Top each with the chicken mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheese. Place the remaining 4 tortillas on top.
4. Cooking the quesadillas
Over high heat, preheat a large skillet or griddle. Add a little oil. Transfer a quesadilla to the skillet, or as many to the griddle as fit. Cook until the underside is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip over and cook the other side. Keep warm in a low oven while cooking any remaining ones.
5. Serving the quesadillas
Place a quesadilla on a cutting board and, with a large, sharp knife, cut into wedges. Slide onto a plate or platter and serve immediately with guacamole or salsa, garnishing with cilantro sprigs if you like.
