Cuban Quesadillas

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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