Easy mushroom quesadillas
Comfort and ease: That’s what quesadillas have always represented to me since the very first time I folded a tortilla over some cheese.
You can complicate almost any dish, but it’s pretty hard to do that with quesadillas.
My favourites are beans (of course) and mushrooms.
For mushrooms, I’ve always just winged it, often using leftover roasted mushrooms from one of my weekend bigbatch roasting sessions.
But I love the approach Diala Canelo takes in her new book, Diala’s Kitchen (Penguin Canada, 2020), sautéing the mushrooms with aromatic vegetables and spices before stuffing them into the tortillas with cheese, griddling and folding. She holds to the nothing-complicated rule of quesadilla making but adds nice touches: a little fresh parsley and fresh mozzarella instead of the more easy-to-come-by low-moisture variety. Both, incidentally, are optional.
MUSHROOM QUESADILLAS
1 lb. (454 g) mixed mushrooms (such as shiitake, oyster, enoki, cremini and button; may substitute dried mushrooms (see NOTE) 2 tbsp. (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) kosher salt 1/4 tsp (1 mL) freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup (60 mL) tightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (optional) Eight (6-inch/15-cm) corn tortillas 8 oz. (225 g) fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into small pieces (may substitute part-skim or vegan mozzarella) 1/2 cup (125 mL) your favourite salsa or hot sauce, for serving
Trim the mushrooms and remove the stems if you’re using a variety, such as shiitake, that have particularly tough stems. Save the stems to make mushroom or other vegetable broth, and chop the remaining mushrooms.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring so it does not burn. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms have reduced a bit in size, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Then scrape the mixture into a medium bowl.
Wipe the skillet clean and return to medium heat. Toast the corn tortillas, one at a time, for 1 minute on one side. Working in batches as needed, put as many tortillas as will fit in the pan, and place a few pieces of cheese over just half of each tortilla, on the untoasted side.
Scatter about 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of the mushroom mixture over the cheese. Fold the tortilla in half, covering the filling.
Cook until the tortillas are lightly charred and the cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Serve hot with your favourite salsa or hot sauce on the side.
Serves: 4
NOTE: If you don’t have access to fresh mushrooms, you may substitute 3 ounces (85 g) of dried. Soak them in hot water for 30 minutes, pour through a fine-mesh strainer to remove all grit from the liquid, and rinse the mushrooms before chopping and using in the recipe.
Save the liquid to add deep flavour to soups, sauces, grains and more.