PAN-ROASTED-CORN QUESADILLAS

PAN-ROASTED-CORN QUESADILLAS image

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 9

1 TB butter or oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 10 oz. package of frozen corn (or the equivalent of fresh corn kernels cut off the cob)
2 tsp Adobo Caribbean spice blend (or 1/4 tsp of each of the spices listed above)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
4 oz sharp cheddar and/or jack cheese, divided
4 flour tortillas

Steps:

Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for a minute. Add corn, then stir in Adobo blend, cumin, and oregano. Keep cooking, stirring frequently using a wooden spatula. Once or twice while cooking, add a splash of water and use the spatula to scrape all the spices that are sticking to the bottom of the pan; this deglazing will impart of warm, caramelized flavor to the corn. The water should evaporate quickly at this high heat. After about 10 minutes, or once the corn is browned, the onions soft, and the water evaporated (the mixture should be very dry), taste the corn mixture and add salt and pepper if needed (the Adobo blend has salt in it, so be sure to taste before salting), turn off heat and set aside. Heat up your griddle, or large cast iron or non-stick skillet (I used my cast iron griddle). No need to add oil or butter, tortillas brown nicely without the use of added fat. Place a tortilla on the griddle and, working quickly, place about 1/8 of the shredded cheese evenly over half of the tortilla, then put on top of that as much corn as half a tortilla can bear, 1/4 -1/2 cup, then top off with another 1/8 of the cheese (having cheese above and below the corn mixture helps the whole thing hold together). Fold the tortilla over the filling and grill until golden-brown, then carefully flip the quesadilla over and brown the other side. Repeat process with next three tortillas (if using a griddle, you can do two at once).