Christmas Ham Quesadilla With Sweet Pickled Onions Food

CHEESY HAM QUESADILLAS

Steps:

• Sprinkle cheese onto one half of each tortilla. Top with ham, tomato and green onion tops. Fold each tortilla in half, pressing firmly together.
• In a 10-inch skillet, cook quesadillas, two at a time, over medium heat for 4 minutes, or until lightly browned, turning once. Repeat with remaining quesadillas.
• Cut each quesadilla into wedges and serve.

HAM AND CHEESE QUESADILLAS

Steps:

• Arrange 4 tortillas on work surface. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over each tortilla. Top with ham, leaving 1/4-inch borders. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon raisins over each. Divide remaining cheese and sprinkle over tortillas. Top with onions and remaining tortillas. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Melt 1 1/2 teaspoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Place 1 quesadilla in skillet. Cook until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and keep warm. Repeat cooking process with remaining butter and quesadillas. Cut into wedges and serve.

CARAMELIZED ONION AND JALAPENO QUESADILLAS

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat; cook and stir onion until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add jalapeno peppers to onion; cook and stir until onion is browned, about 10 minutes more. Transfer onion mixture to a plate.
• Heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same skillet and add 1 tortilla. Top tortilla with 1/4 cup Mexican cheese blend, 1/2 of the onion mixture, and 1/4 cup Mexican cheese blend, respectively; top with 1 tortilla. Cook quesadilla until browned and cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining oil, tortillas, cheese, and onion mixture.

PICKLED ONION AND MONTEREY JACK QUESADILLAS

Steps:

• In a saucepan boil the onions in just enough salted water to cover for 1 minute, drain them, discarding the water, and return them to the pan with the vinegar, the garlic, the peppercorns, the coriander seeds, the cumin seeds, and the salt. Add just enough water to cover the onions and boil the mixture for 3 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to a glass bowl and let it stand for at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours.
• In a dry 8-inch skillet arrange 1 of the tortillas, sprinkle it with 1/2 cup of the Monterey Jack, 1/4 cup of the pickled onions, 1 tablespoon of the minced coriander, one fourth of the scallions, and red pepper flakes to taste, and top the mixture with another tortilla. Cook the quesadilla over moderate heat for 4 minutes on each side, or until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is browned lightly. Cut the quesadilla into 8 wedges and garnish it with about 2 tablespoons of the pickled onions and a coriander sprig. Make 3 more quesadillas in the same manner with the remaining tortillas and ingredients.