Del-icious!: An unusual but tasty quesadilla with kale and cheese

Yet another quesadilla...yet, in truth, I haven't really made any for quite some time. I tried frying this one instead of grilling which definitely improved several aspects. First, I noticed that it seemed to stick together better. Secondly: the bread fried and produced some lovely crispy patches without any oiliness at all and thirdly, I really liked the fact that some of the pickled turnip juice escaped and created a beautiful pale pink mottled effect which looked really pretty against the pale brown of the tortilla. (I went to art college, OK). So, I would now recommend this technique over grilling. The use of a dry pan means you have to keep an eye on them in case they burn, but, there's no worry of adding calories or fat content.

Before I give you the recipe for these, I should warn you that they are full of a much misunderstood ingredient: kale. Like a stroppy teenager, people tend to regard kale with disgust and disappointment, unable to fulfil it's potential and forever assigned to a mere health food. Yes, it has a chewy texture that gets stuck in your teeth and doesn't necessarily leave once cooked and an earthy, briny, mineral taste, (three adjectives more akin to oily fish perhaps), but embrace these wonderful elements and love the kale. The Chinese and Taiwanese know this, using kale as the green vegetable of choice to stir fry with beef and the Irish use kale to make their famous Colcannon.

There's no way I can convince you to like kale with fancy recipes that hide it's true nature, instead I urge you to give it a go - it's so good for you too. I love it, whether stir fried, simmered in soups or steamed with a little butter.

Recipe : Quesadilla with kale and cheese

2 tortillas

1 cup mixed kale, leaves removed from stems and finely shredded. (I used regular green and Osaka pink)

2 tsp oil

2 pickled turnips (very optional - anything slightly sharp such as pickled carrots or peppers would do)

1 cup strongly flavoured cheese such as Gruyere or Cheddar

1/4 cup of sour cream for dipping

First, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add the kale. Stir fry for about 10 minutes until the kale is slightly wilted and beginning to crisp on the edges a little. Remove from the pan.

Lay your tortillas on a board and sprinkle half the cheese over one tortilla. Add the kale, pickled vegetable, (if using) and cover with the rest of the cheese. Lay the second tortilla on top.

Wipe clean the same frying pan you used to fry the kale and place it dry over a medium heat. Slide your quesadilla into the pan and fry until the bottom tortilla is crisping with brown patches. Using a spatula, remove the quesadilla to a plate. Put another plate on top and quickly inverse the plates so that the bottom is now on the top and you can slide the uncooked side back into the pan. Fry for a further minute or two to give the cheese a chance to melt and meld and the second tortilla to crisp. Remove from the pan, cut into halves or quarters, (the kale may be a little tough - all part of it's appeal) and serve dipped into the sour cream and some salsa if you like.

Here are some other posts on kale and quesadillas

(click on the image to go to post)

Quesadillas with Osaka pink kale and rainbow chard