• Cuban Quesadillas

  Filed under Main Dishes - Pork
  Jul 13
  I have never been to Cuba, and I really don’t know a whole lot about Cuban food, except for the flavors of the very popular Cuban sandwich – pork, pickles and ham. Yes, it seems like I just may have a thing for pickles lately!! But every time I see this sandwich – or something that has been inspired by this sandwich, I want it. And these quesadillas surely fit the bill!

  I’m a quesadilla fan anyway, but these are so packed with flavor and texture. And the recipe is written to make them on the grill, but as you can see, I used my grill pan and it worked just fine. But if it is hot in your part of the woods right now, this is the perfect recipe to take outside to cook so that you can keep your house nice and cool.

  A couple of notes about this recipe. I would cut the onions thinner than 1/2-inch next time. They were pretty big. It wasn’t a big deal since I love grilled onions, but they did have a hard time staying in the quesadillas! Although these have a lot of flavors going on in them, I really think this would be a family friendly meal. Abbi just loved these and ate more than her fair share. Besides, what kid doesn’t like quesadillas?

  
  Cuban Quesadillas
  adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food Great Food Fast
  
  serves 4

  prep time: 45 minutes
  total time: 1 hour

  1 large clove garlic, unpeeled
  coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for oiling the grill
  3/4 to 1 pound boneless pork chops
  1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch slices*
  4 tablespoons spicy brown mustard, plus more for serving
  4 flour tortillas (10-inch)
  6 ounces thinly sliced baked ham
  3 to 4 dill pickles, chopped
  8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

  Place the unpeeled garlic on a cutting board and smash with the back of a knife blade. Peel off the paper, and chop the garlic finely. Sprinkle generously with the coarse salt. With the back of the knife, carefully drag the blade back and forth over the garlic, forming it into a paste. In a small bowl, combine the garlic with the oil and some pepper. Rub all over the pork.

  Heat the grill to high and oil the grates. Put the pork on the hottest part of the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until the internal temperature registers 155F. Let the pork rest for 5 minutes then slice thinly against the grain.

  While the pork cooks, put the onion slices on a cooler part of the grill. Cover and cook, turning once, until they are soft and starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

  Spread 1 tablespoon of the mustard on each tortilla. Top with the ham, pickles, onions, pork and cheese. Fold the tortilla and press to close.

  Lightly oil the grates of the grill again. Place the quesadillas on the grill, cover and cook, turning once, until they are slightly browned and the cheese is melted.

  Cut into wedges and serve immediately with extra mustard.

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  25 Comments

25 Responses to “Cuban Quesadillas”

1. 

   kat said on July 13th, 2010 at 12:10 pm

   My husband adores Cuban sandwiches so I bet he would love these too.

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2. 

   Simply Life said on July 13th, 2010 at 12:13 pm

   oh yum! My husband would LOVE this!

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3. 

   Rosa's Yummy Yums said on July 13th, 2010 at 12:25 pm

   Mmmhhh, so yummy!

   Cheers,

   Rosa

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4. 

   Kim said on July 13th, 2010 at 12:37 pm

   I love Martha's Everyday Food recipes. You can always count on them to deliver great tasting food with simplicity, just like these. They look terrific.
   Little Abbi sounds like a great eater!

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5. 

   Joanne said on July 13th, 2010 at 12:47 pm

   Quesadillas are just fantastic things as are cuban sandwiches. Combining the two? Priceless.

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6. 

   Pam said on July 13th, 2010 at 1:14 pm

   They look great! I love Cuban food so this is perfect with the dill pickles, ham and pork!

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7. 

   vanillasugar said on July 13th, 2010 at 1:54 pm

   i adore cuban sammies and have thought of making them just like this. thanks for the reminder that i must make them. i've always wanted to to a side sauce but can't think of one…

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8. 

   Susi said on July 13th, 2010 at 2:28 pm

   We absolutely love Cuban sandwiches and order them at a little Deli here every chance we get. Putting the flavors in a quesadilla is a fantastic idea, I'm bookmarking this one !

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9. 

   Diana's Cocina said on July 13th, 2010 at 2:51 pm

   My son loves quesadillas and this may appear on our table soon. Thanks for sharing.

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10. 

    Valerie said on July 13th, 2010 at 4:00 pm

    I've never been to Cuba either, but I used to live in Miami where they have great Cuban restaurants. This looks so good! I'll be giving these a try.

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11. 

    Debbi Does Dinner Healthy said on July 13th, 2010 at 4:13 pm

    I love, love, love quesadillas! This looks awesome, I am so making this, thanks!

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12. 

    Sylvie said on July 13th, 2010 at 4:38 pm

    I bet those are great! What an interesting filling for quesadillas.

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13. 

    The Comfort of Cooking said on July 13th, 2010 at 6:31 pm

    Mmmm, now that's what I call a midnight snack. I love quesadillas – They're so simple to make and delicious even after microwaved. This is a great recipe!

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14. 

    Abby said on July 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am

    I love Cubans, and this is a quick way to get a fix! (And … PICKLES?! Just kidding. Couldn't help myself!)

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15. 

    Monet said on July 14th, 2010 at 2:50 am

    I don't think you can ever go wrong with tortillas and cheese…my friends rave about cuban sandwiches so I'm sure that they would love a plate full of these!
    http://anecdotesandapples.weebly.com

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16. 

    Jean Bugs said on July 14th, 2010 at 3:23 am

    Deb, these look seriously good! As in, "awesome, I want some right now even though it's 11:22pm and I should be in bed." Yeah, they look seriously good

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17. 

    ☺lani☺ said on July 14th, 2010 at 11:37 am

    Hmmm, I love quesadillas too, in fact I've been eating them for couple of days now. This one is another one to try! thanks

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18. 

    Ingrid said on July 15th, 2010 at 1:45 am

    Oh, this has tons of possibilities.
    ~ingrid

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19. 

    Neo-Homesteading said on July 15th, 2010 at 5:51 pm

    these sound so amazing, its such a great idea!

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20. 

    scrambledhenfruit said on July 17th, 2010 at 7:03 pm

    I love all of the bold flavors together in this quesadilla. Sandwiches of any type are typical summer fare here- will have to try these! Thanks for sharing the recipe

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21. 

    steph said on August 5th, 2010 at 7:50 pm

    Great idea – I love quesadillas!

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22. 

    oranjeflamingo said on August 7th, 2010 at 7:47 am

    The Cuban sandwich has always been one of my favorites, so I had to try this. I made it last night and it was fantastic!

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23. 

    Kevin said on August 18th, 2010 at 12:15 am

    Great take on a cuban sandwich!

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24. 

    Debbi Does Dinner Healthy said on December 1st, 2010 at 12:37 am

    I'm eating this now and it's awesome!! Thanks!

    [Reply]

25. Cubano Hot Dogs | said on June 18th, 2011 at 6:01 am

    [...] pork, Swiss cheese, mustard and pickles. Those flavors are just magic together for me. (Remember these Cuban Quesadillas? [...]

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