United Nations quesadillas

United Nations quesadillas, originally uploaded by beFOODled.

In the spirit of using what's in the fridge instead of buying more groceries, I united three nations on Wednesday night with Mexican, Italian and Japanese ingredients in my fusion quesadillas. Fresh basil took the place of cilantro, mozzarella cheese filled in for sharp cheddar, and instead of sour cream, which I was sorely tempted to purchase, I made a dip from plain yogurt, dried dill and some Japanese seven-spice chilli powder. To my surprise it turned out to be extremely edible! Too bad S, who doesn't like to waste food, wasn't here to witness my home economics.

United Nations Quesadillas
serves one

2 pita breads
olive oil
1 green onion, sliced
1/8 of a fresh red bell pepper, diced
fresh basil, chiffonaded
mozzarella cheese, grated
salsa

Take two pita breads out of your freezer and let them thaw. Brush one side of one pita with olive oil and place it on the cutting board oily side down. Add the onion, red pepper, basil cheese and a drizzling of salsa. Cover with the second pita and brush the top of it with oil, too.

Preheat a frying pan on the stovetop. Add some olive oil and let it heat up. Carefully add the quesadilla. Fry a few minutes on both sides until the pita bread has browned and the cheese has melted. Cut in half and then cut each half into three triangles.

As a substitute for sour cream, combine half a cup of plain yogurt with dillweed and some chilli powder (I used the Japanese seven-spice).

The Saturday Night Befoodies: Mexican Night

Buen provecho! Last weekend we attended what I hope will be a long-lasting tradition. It was the first potluck dinner of the Saturday Night Befoodies (my temporary name for us). S and I have found great friends who love to cook and eat as much as we do. Every month we are going to get together and have an international feast. For our first time, we all paid homage to Mexican food.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bean hosted this time. They made a beautiful mole, a dish which Squeaky discovered at the Tulip Festival and has raved about ever since. Here's a photo of the mole, simmering away.
Would you believe the sauce is made with chocolate and three kinds of roasted chili peppers? An unlikely combination, unless one already knows the secrets of Mexican food or has watched Juliette Binoche in Chocolat. There's also bread and tortillas in it. It tasted as good as it sounds. Peanut Butter is going to e-mail me the link to this recipe so stay tuned. Squeaky and Calimocho brought some delicious guacamole and tons of enchiladas, and S and I brought a salsa salad and a Spanish paella.

Before we celebrated Mexico with its food, PB and J served a traditional drink called Mexican Flag.
Mexican Flag
shot 1: sangrita (tomato juice, orange juice, worcestershire, tobasco sauce, lime juice)
shot 2: tequila
shot 3: freshly squeezed lime juice.
Take a sip of each shot and let them blend in your mouth before swallowing. It's so much nicer than the usual salt and lime routine.

Here's a pic of the paella, and also a shot of PB and J's dining room that is so nice that I had to photograph it, too: