Add however much chicken meat you like, but don’t cover the entire thing with chicken. Just sprinkle it about. Cover this mess with another tortilla. On top of the newly added tortilla, add cheese (I also add a little salsa here, too).
Then, top off the cheese with tortilla number three.
Yes, this is a three-tortilla operation. One for crunch on the bottom, one for crunch on the top, and one in the middle for a soft little bit of complexity. It’s divine, as far as quesadillas go.
Cook (from the initial placement of the first tortilla) for 2 minutes.
Using the edge of the spatula, attempt to lift one edge of the bottom tortilla. If the very edge lifts as a stiff unit, it’s ready. If it’s soft and floppity, it’s not.
Assuming it’s ready (they’re always ready at the 2-minute mark), slide the LARGE spatula beneath it. Cover the top of the quesadilla with your free hand (to steady it) and lift the entire thing from the skillet.
Holding the top in place with your hand, flip it uncooked side down onto the skillet. Make sure to remove your hand from the top, because hot oil will burn the fuck out of you.
I know from experience that being burned is a motherfucker.
Cook for 2 minutes.
Lift in the same manner as before. Place flat on a plate.
Cut into quarters with a pizza cutter.
Garnish with sour cream and salsa.
Enjoy.
This might sound weird, but leftover quesadilla quarters can be kept in the fridge and eaten later, cold. A cold slice of quesadilla is FAR better than a cold slice of pizza.
My father once said, “There are two types of people on this earth. Only two. Those who eat cold pizza, and those who don’t.”
You know what?
He was right.
As I said earlier, enjoy.
PORK ENCHILADAS
DIFFICULTY: If you’ve made it this far, you should really stop fucking asking.
TIME: Between 45 minutes and 3 hours, depending on whether you have pre-prepared pork or not. With leftover pork (this is the only time I make these) it takes 45 minutes from inception to eating.
What you’ll need from the cupboard: A 13x9 casserole dish, an 8x8 casserole dish, a spatula, large plastic spoon, and a skillet.
What you’ll need from the pantry: Pam Cooking Spray, 2 packages of Mission Carb Balance Whole Wheat Tortillas, oil, shredded cheese, a yellow onion, beef broth, a jar of Sprout’s Red Enchilada Sauce, and a Boston butt roast. Pork shoulder works, too. Although bone-in is fine, it’s not my preference in the Insta-Pot (because it takes longer to cook). For the condiments, once again, I like to use sour cream and salsa. Reynold’s Wrap.
Hack a four-pound Boston butt roast into four similar-sized chunks. Sprinkle them liberally with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a LITTLE cayenne red pepper powder. If you don’t keep cayenne pepper powder in the pantry, get some. You’re going to need it often.
If your butcher’s a prick and he left a two-inch thick chunk of fat on one side of the roast, trim it to something reasonable (down to maybe half an inch of thickness), but leave some fat on it for flavor.
Add an inch of beef broth to the Insta-Pot. Chop the onion. Chuck half the onion in the Insta-Pot with the broth. Add the chunks of pork (side by side, you’re not stacking firewood).
All four prices will fit in a circle of sorts, hugging the outside edges of the stainless-steel insert. Toss the other half of the onion in on top.
Cover. Lock the lid in place.
Cook on the “Meat” setting (on high) for 1 hour and 50 minutes.
Let the cooker naturally release pressure.
Unlock and remove the lid. Using two forks, remove the two or three chunks of fat and discard. They’ll be easy to find, they’re always on top.
Place a clean plate or platter beside the Insta-Pot.
Using a large plastic spoon and the assistance of the spatula, CAREFULLY lift the pork from the Insta-Pot and lower it to the plate or platter. It’s hot as fuck, and if you don’t know by now, you DON’T want to get burned. More than likely, there’ll be 3-4 chunks of random pork in the bottom, so be sure to get them all.
Shred the chunks of pork using two forks.
Find a comfortable place to work. I use the kitchen’s center island for assembling all meals that require assembly. I’ve never been in your house, so I can’t give much advice at this point, but you’ll need a little elbow room.
Place the casserole dishes in the spot you’ve chosen. Remove all 10 tortillas from one pack and 6 from another. Separate them from one another, and then re-stack them beside the casserole dishes.
It seems the tortillas always get stuck together in the package, and you’ll not want to be dealing with that in a moment.
Carry the platter of pork to the same location. Situate tortillas on one side of the 13x9 casserole dish, and the pork on the other.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Spray the bottom and sides of the two casserole dishes with Pam.
Open the jar of enchilada sauce and pour a thin layer on the bottom of each dish. Set remaining enchilada sauce aside (unless your casserole dish is the size of a 65 Cadillac, the jar should now be half full).
Grab a tortilla and place it down flat in the 13x9 dish.
Add pork from one side of the tortilla to the other. You’re not making a peanut butter sandwich, so don’t spread the entire surface of the tortilla with pork. Just make a trail of pork across the tortilla from one side of the pan to the other (not from one end to the other).
In case you’re challenged in this respect, the two LONG edges are the sides. The two SHORT edges are the ends.
So, with a side on your left, and a side on your right, use the plastic spoon and slop some pork in the center of the tortilla from one side to the other. When you’re done, it should look like a makeshift dick made of pork.
Roll the tortilla up relatively tight.
Push the enchilada to the far end of the dish, lift, and then drag all the sauce back toward you. Situate it away from you (as you will the others) with the seam down.
Flop another tortilla into the dish. Repeat the distribution of pork. Roll tight-ish. Push alongside the other enchilada. Drag back the sauce. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. When you run out of real estate, you’re done.
On the last enchilada, roll it around to make sure you have it covered in sauce.
Repeat the process for the 8x8 pan.
Look everything over. If you did your job correctly, the outer edges of all enchiladas should be covered in sauce. If they are, you’re almost done.
Cover the top of the enchiladas with shredded cheese, leaving the very edges uncovered. Spread the cheese around with your fingers, making sure you’ve got it distributed evenly.
Wash your hands.
Dry them.
Drizzle (drizzle, not cover, slop, or slather) some (or all, depending on what’s left) of the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the cheese.
Cover each dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes covered. Uncover and cook for an additional 10-12 minutes in the oven.
Serve with a salad, Mexican rice, or quesadillas. I prefer shredded lettuce, cream cheese, and salsa with mine. If you prefer Mexican Rice, that recipe is in here somewhere. I randomly placed it with a spicy dish.
Regardless of how you choose to serve them, I have no doubt these will become a family favorite.
NOTE: This recipe can be used for chicken or beef enchiladas as well. Simply use the shredded chicken from the previous recipe, but add cumin, chili, and cayenne powder to it and simmer it in a skillet with a little water (half a cup) until the water is evaporated (or use a prepared taco seasoning packet). For beef, prepare taco meat as if you were making tacos.