Quesadillas with homemade flour tortillas

4 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
Fillings; see * Note
=== FLOUR TORTILLAS ===
3 cups Unbleached flour
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon Baking powder
½ cup Vegetable shortening; cold
¾ cup Warm water; (115 degrees)
=== GARNISH ===
Guacamole; (optional)
Sour cream; (optional)

Directions

* Note: For filling use any of the following: pico de gallo (a traditional Mexican salsa of tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro); guacamole; chopped tomatoes; sliced jalapenos; sliced scallions; chopped fresh herbs, such as basil; and grated cheeses. For Flour Tortillas: Combine flour salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Cut in vegetable shortening using a pastry blender. Keep blending until consistency resembles that of oatmeal.

Add warm water, and work dough into a ball with fingers. Knead for about 5 minutes on a floured board. Cover for 30 minutes. Cut the dough into 8 or 16 equal pieces with a knife or pastry cutter. Roll each piece into a ball, and let sit for 45 minutes. On a floured surface, roll out each ball to the desired 9- or 7-inch diameter. Stack tortillas on top of one another with a layer of parchment paper between each. Cover with a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out. Cook tortillas in a nonstick pan over medium heat until light-golden brown; after two minutes, as they begin to bubble, press gently with a spatula. Turn over, and repeat on the other side. Stack between layers of parchment, and cover with a damp cloth. Makes eight 9-inch or sixteen 7-inch tortillas. For Quesadillas: Place a tortilla on a flat work surface, and sprinkle with fillings; top with a second tortilla.

Quesadillas can be assembled through this step a few hours before serving.

Cook over low heat in a heated, nonstick pan until the cheese has melted.

Slide onto a round cutting board or plate; turn cutting board over, and return quesadilla to pan, uncooked-side down. Remove quesadilla from pan when both sides are golden brown. Cut into an equal number of wedges with kitchen scissors. Garnish with guacamole and a touch of sour cream. Serve immediately. Makes four 9-inch or eight 7-inch quesadillas.

Cuisine: "Mexican" Source: "Martha Stewart Living Magazine, Mar 1997" S(Formatted for MC5): "by Lynn Thomas - Lynn_Thomas@..." Per serving: 531 Calories (kcal); 26g Total Fat; (43% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 66g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 532mg Sodium Food Exchanges: 4½ Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 5 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

Recipe by: Martha Stewart

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