Avocado adds California twist to quesadilla

December 10, 2010|Scott Anderson | Special to The Herald-Mail

I’ve been working with California avocados lately and wanted to create something simple yet delicious.
I came up with this easy to make appetizer or entree by blending a traditional quesadilla and avocado to come up with the “ques-ado.”

This is a very basic grilled recipe to accentuate the three main ingredients: turkey, avocado and cheese. The secret is to use ripe avocado but not too ripe and a flavorful smoked cheddar.

You don’t want the avocado to mushy but semi-firm so it can be sliced and layered into the tortilla. Also, don’t go for the cheapest turkey because it will have a lot of filler, which will take away from the flavor and presentation.

When I go to serve it have some fresh pico de gallo and sour cream on the side.

— Scott C. Anderson is associate food service director and chef with Shepherd University dining services in Shepherds-town, W.Va., and Chef Ambassador to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Grilled ‘ques-ado’

2-10-inch wheat flour tortillas
6 ounces thinly sliced smoked turkey
1 avocado, ripe, pit removed scooped and thinly sliced
4 ounce grated smoked cheddar cheese
Sour cream, for condiment
Pico de gallo, for condiment

Preheat griddle, skillet or panini grill to 325 degrees.

Place flour tortilla flat onto a seasoned cooking surface (sprayed or wiped with oil) and sprinkle an ounce of cheese on 1/2 of the tortilla.

Add the sliced avocado. (I prefer to use 1/2 of the avocado per tortilla.) Then add on the sliced turkey and finish with the remainder of the cheese. Fold over the empty side onto the filled side and gently press into the mixture.

Grill for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until it nicely golden brown and it’s just starting to crisp on the edges. Flip and continue cooking for an additional minute, then remove from the heat, and cut into 4 triangle pieces.

Serve with a fresh fruit salad and side of pico de gallo and sour cream.

— Scott Anderson

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