Crispy Braised Beef Quesadilla

Ingredients

Quesadilla Components (Per Serving):

  • Corn tortilla

  • Cooking oil or spray

  • Handful of grated Monterrey Jack cheese

  • Beef Filling

    • 1/2 serving of Frozen Braised Beef (or any other plain prepared meat)

    • A spoonful of tomato paste

    • 5 grams (1 tsp) of beef bouillon

    • A squirt of hot sauce

    • A sprinkle of cumin seeds

    • A sprinkle of smoked paprika

Optional Toppings

  • Cilantro

  • Lime Wedges

  • Sour Cream

Instructions

Prep the meat: Take a portion of frozen braised beef and place it in a pan over medium heat to let it start to melt and crisp.

This technique is from the “Why I cook meat straight from the freezer” video, but using any kind of meat here would also work.

If you’re making multiple quesadillas, make a bigger portion of meat at this time.

Season the meat: If you’re using plain meat, now is the time to sauce it up. Once the braised meat has started to warm up and crisp, add the tomato paste, beef bouillon, hot sauce, cumin seeds, and smoked paprika. Mix together, and deglaze with a splash of water if anything starts sticking to the pan.

Cook the quesadilla: Start by adding a corn tortilla to the griddle that has been sprayed with a small amount of oil. Let both sides warm for 20 seconds, then add half of the grated Monterrey jack to one side.

Next, add a portion of the beef, and then top it off with the other half of the cheese. (Splitting up the cheese like this melts into a gooey blanket around the beef.)

Finish & serve: Then just let the quesadilla cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and the tortilla has become golden brown and crispy.

Optionally serve with cilantro, lime, and sour cream.

Ethan Chlebowski