ITALIAN QUESADILLAS

Italian Quesadillas image

Provided by Food Network

Time 45m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

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4 plum tomatoes, finely diced
1/2 cup basil leaves, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 pound freshly grated mozzarella cheese, part skim or whole milk
1/2 cup ricotta cheese, part skim or whole milk
4 trimmed thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup pitted finely sliced oil cured olives
1 cup finely chopped marinated artichoke hearts
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
8 flour tortillas
Vegetable oil to cook the quesadillas, optional
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, optional

Steps:

In a mixing bowl combine the tomatoes, basil, olive oil and season to taste with balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
In a mixing bowl combine the mozzarella cheese, ricotta, green onion, olives and artichoke hearts; season with salt and crushed red pepper flakes.
Spread some mixture on one half of each tortillas, leaving about 1/4-inch between the filling and the edge of the tortilla. Fold each tortilla in half. Fry the tortillas in a little bit of vegetable oil for about a minute a side until golden and cheese has melted; keep warm in low oven until ready to serve. Top with tomatoes and basil and pine nuts.
Alternate way to do is to preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread stuffing over entire surface of tortillas without folding them. Set them on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese has melted. Fold over and serve with topping.
Especially good for children: set aside some plain mozzarella mixed with ricotta and fill the kids tortillas with this rather than the more elaborate filling.