Eatwell Recipe 1: Spinach & Onion Quesadillas ~ The Garden of Eating

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Eatwell Recipe 1: Spinach & Onion Quesadillas

I'm pleased to present the first in our series of Eatwell Farm-inspired recipes! Our hope is that these recipes will help you cook and eat more locally and seasonally.

Our first recipe is a simple and very yummy one -- spinach and onion quesadillas. We served them with mango jicama salsa even though mangoes do not qualify as local (click here for the salsa recipe) and sour cream along with an arugala citrus salad.

We chose this because it seemed like a good way to use both the spinach and the onions we'd received in our produce box this week and because quesadillas are hearty and delicious yet easy to prepare.

Since it is the rainy season here in northern California, the spinach tends to get rather muddy. We followed Eatwell's instructions and rinsed the spinach to remove most of the mud, removed and yellow leaves, then soaked/swirled the leaves in cold, salted water for another ten minutes before rinsing one final time, drying and storing it in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Spinach & Onion Quesadillas
Serves 4

Ingredients

* 1 large bunch spinach, washed and dried (if the leaves are really large you may want to shred or cut them a little bit to make them easier to deal with)
* 1 large onion, peeled and chopped (I personally think you can't use too much onion in this recipe so feel free to use more than this if you have it on hand!)
* 2-3 cups organic cheese, shredded (I recommend using either cheddar, monterey jack, or pepper jack if you like a little more spice)
* 1 package of organic whole wheat tortillas (you'll need at least 8 tortillas - some packs come with 8 and some come with 10)
* 2 Tbsps olive or canola oil
* 1-2 tsps sea salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1-2 tsps ground cumin
* Pinch of chili flakes or powder (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy pan and sautee the onions until translucent and sweet. Add the spinach (you may have to add it in batches to get it to fit in the pan) and stir for several minutes until it is fully cooked down. Season to taste with salt, pepper, cumin and chili - you want it to be very flavorful. It's okay to make it a little on the saltier side since the cheese will provide a much more neutral, unsalted counterpoint.

3. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat and rub it with a little oil. While you're waiting for it to heat, prepare your first quesadilla for cooking by spreading a layer of the spinach and onion filling, add a layer of cheese (keep in mind the number of quesadillas you have yet to make when you use the filling and cheese so that you can dole it out equally amongst them), and then top another quesadilla.

4. Put the quesadilla in the pan and cook for several minutes until the bottom is nicely browned, then press the top down gently to get the cheese to help stick it in place and flip it over to brown the other side for another two minutes or so.

5. Once done, remove to a plate and keep warm in a low oven until ready to serve. When all the quesadillas are done, cut them into triangles (as big or small as you like) and serve with the salsa and sour cream. ¡Buen provecho!

Like this recipe? Click here to browse through more Eatwell Recipes.

2 comments:

health funds said...: Tasty!! I must have this!; January 14, 2009 at 7:27 PM
Foodista said...: My mouth is watering just by looking at it!I'd like to invite you to take some time to drop by at Foodista. We have launched an online food and cooking encyclopedia ala wikipedia where you can contribute and share what you know about food and cooking techniques.

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