Dinner With TCR! February 12, 2009
Posted by littlebangtheory in Dinner with TCR.trackback
Tonight, Fruited Rice Quesadillas!
I’m gonna break with form here and go a ways beyond listing the main ingredients, because I’d never done this before, and it came out good enough to encourage others to try it!
Firstly, my quesadillas and burritos all begin with oversized white flower tortillas warmed in a large, dry pan, sprinkled with a blend of shredded cheeses:
I keep the heat very low for burritos, so the tort stays supple for rolling. I like my quesadillas crispy, though, and don’t mind if they begin to brown at this point. Just don’t burn them. 😉
Oh, and be sure to get the cheese spread out to the edges to seal in the juices, especially with burritos!
When the cheese starts to melt, add the filling on one side; in a long lump for burritos, evenly spread for tortillas. Cover with a lid to warm the filling, or lift the whole thing out and roll up your burrito and put it back in the pan, then cover.
Tonight’s filling, made ahead of time (well, Duh, Ralph!) is my favorite long grain brown rice, Lundgren’s Black Japonica and Mahogany Rice, cooked in vegetable broth instead of water, with finely diced veggies (carrots, onions, celery, red and yellow peppers,) an assortment of fruit (white raisins, diced apples and clementine segments,) and lots of sunflower seeds. This is all added toward the very end of the rice’s cooking time, and all raw, except for the carrot, which I sautéed for about one minute to soften it a bit.
To this I added about half a cup of good orange juice and a generous scoop of a spicy tomato salsa, then took it off the heat, stirred it all together, and let it sit for a while to absorb the liquid. The result was turned into a bowl, and the unabsorbed liquid drained off.
Well, OK, into my mouth, if you must know. 🙂
Then back to the cheesey tortilla crisping in the pan: coat half the deal with a generous layer of filling, leaving enough free space at the edge to get a nice cheesey seal when it’s folded over, then increase the heat to brown the tort, turning once.
Voila! Fruited Rice Quesadillas:
Served with salsa for dipping, and guacamole if you have it (tonight I didn’t.)
This was good enough to share with company, IF I EVER GET ANY.
That’s a hint, Folks! 😉
Little Bang Theory 
I’ll get my coat! 😉
oh that has my mouth watering!
Fabulous! Thanks for sharing the how-to. I’ve just started making this sort of thing, but I got a few improvements from your recipe and logistics.
The fruit sounds like a terrific addition. I’ve been using browned corn kernels (browned in an ungreased pan), black beans, and lime juice in mine.
Steve, that sounds terrific – I love lime juice! The clementine segments and OJ were a total experiment for me, and I was very happy with the result.
Ladies, I’ll be waiting…
🙂
I just cut and pasted your recipe for my collection. My husband likes Mexican food but I’ve had no experience and few clues of what to do with a tortilla. This looks and sounds delightful.
Susan, it’s beyond delightful, and hence the recipe, which is totally unlike me. But every once in a while my gustatory ramblings yield something worth sharing.
One of the advantages of this recipe is that it can be modified infinitely, swapping the sunflower seeds for any other favorite seed or nut, or changing the fruits involved, though it’d lose some of its character if either of those elements were totally eliminated, and you’d have a more traditional Mexican dish.
I hope The Hubs enjoys this one, and that you won’t hesitate to switch it up if he deems it “just OK.”
Thanks, CR! I really do appreciate your dinner posts but this one was extra special because you took the time to tell how it was done.