Tales from the Market Part 3: Bison Quesadillas

My last adventure with food from the Rice Farmer's Market yielded some very tasty results.  This time around I was able to get a different set of ingredients to play with.  What I got was a deliciously pungent truffle cheddar from Brazos Valley Cheese, a creamy, rich and slightly smokey chipotle goat cheese from Blue Heron Farms, a nice flavorful cut of bison tenderloin from Katerra Exotics and some tasty old fashioned nixtamal tortillas from Nixtamal Tortillas & Sopes.  I guess its not much of leap when I tell you that I decided to make some quesadillas with this set of ingredients.  The only thing I added was some fire roasted red peppers for flavor and color.

To review, here are the ingredients that I used to make my quesadillas:

10-12 oz of bison tenderloin

3 oz of truffle cheddar

4 oz of chipotle goat cheese

two or three roasted red peppers

8 nixtamal tortillas

I should also note that I used a cast iron comal to make the quesadillas.  If you don't have a comal, a cast iron skillet will do.  If you don't have cast iron cookware then simply any skillet or fry pan will work.

Like any good piece of cast iron cookware this comal has been in the family for generations. This one belonged to my grandmother.

 
The first step in making the quesadillas was to get the bison ready. When working with bison there are a few things to keep in mind.  First and foremost, just because it looks like beef, that does not mean you can treat it like beef.  Bison meat is very very lean and will not marble like beef does.  What this means for you is that bison should never be cooked to anything more than medium.  If it is cooked any more than that it will become tough and chewy.  Next, season simply. You want to enjoy the flavor of the bison itself so don't go crazy with rubs or other seasonings.  I used plain old salt and pepper. With that out of the way I can get into the procedural stuff.  I let my comal get nice and hot. You know it is ready when you drip water on it and the water sizzles.  With my comal nice and hot, I began to sear my meat.

This will add flavor and color to your meat as well as cook it.

While searing the meat it is important to keep turning it so you sear all sides.  I had to turn my meat several times.

This also help assure that your meat does not burn before it is cooked all the way.

I pulled my meat when the internal temperature was a little over 125 degrees.  This is considered rare.  I did this because I did not want my meat to overcook, especially if it was going to be put inside a hot quesadilla that could potentially heat and cook it some more.

Once I pulled the meat off the heat I did two things: I seasoned it and I let it rest.  Seasoning your meat after searing will keep your seasonings (mainly the pepper) from burning.  Allowing your meat to rest means that the juices will redistribute and not immediately run out from your meat when you slice it leaving it dry.

Having the meat rest gave me an opportunity to shred my cheddar and dice up my peppers. There was no really prep needed with the goat cheese since it is already nice and soft.

I only shredded half the of the 6 oz of cheese I got.

That is 3 peppers diced up.

After about ten minutes I finally sliced my bison.  I sliced nice and thin so that it would not be tough to cut through the quesadillas.

Slicing it thin also helps stretch it out.

With my ingredients prepped it was now time to make my quesadillas. The first step was to get the tortillas ready.  Unlike corn tortillas you get from the grocery store, the nixtamal tortillas I got are in a raw state and need some cooking before being used.  I turned down the fire on the comal so it would stay hot, but not as hot as I needed it for searing the meat.  With the comal ready I placed a tortilla on it and allowed it to cook and brown taking about eight to ten minutes.

Let it cook until you can flip it without it breaking.

After flipping it I let the tortilla cook on the other side.  This will help keep the tortilla's structural integrity intact.  The reverse side should take slightly less time, maybe about five to eight minutes.

The cooked tortillas should have a golden hue as well as some darker spots.

Once the first tortilla was ready I took it off the comal and put the second one on. 

Still warm.

 While the second tortilla was cooking I began assembling my quesadilla.  First I added a layer of shredded cheese and some peppers.

The heat from the tortilla will help begin melting the cheese.

Next I added some of my sliced bison as well as some more cheese.

Starting to come together.

By this time the second tortilla was just about ready.

Don't forget to flip this one while assembling the bottom half.

I then placed the fresh tortilla on top of my assembly to complete my quesadilla.  It was then back on the comal with the first tortilla still on the bottom.  At this point all I was really doing was helping the cheese melt and warming up the middle.  I only left it on the comal for about two to three minutes before flipping it over and letting the other side warm up and melt the cheese.  The important thing to realize is that flipping the quesadilla over multiple times is OK as long as the cheese melts and the tortillas don't burn.

MMM, melty.

After it was done I simply cut the quesadilla into quarters to enjoy.

When I made the quesadillas with the chipotle goat cheese I followed the same procedure.  The only difference I noticed is that you don't need as much goat cheese since it is softer and tends to melt faster and spread out more.

First tortilla with layer of cheese and peppers.

Next layer of bison and more cheese.

Bison quesadillas only with goat cheese instead of cheddar.

There you have it. That is how I made my bison quesadillas using fresh tortillas and cheese from the farmer's market.  I do have to note that while both variations of these quesadillas were very delicious I would omit the red peppers from the first variation.  Between the strong flavors of the truffle cheese and the bison the peppers were kind of lost.  However they played well with the goat cheese.  If you can't afford or get bison you could very well make these quesadillas with beef, specifically fajitas.  I hope you get a chance to try your hand at these very delicious quesadillas.  

Tortillas

If you live you the US, especially in the southwest, then you probably know what a tortilla is.  And just in case there is any confusion, I am talking about the Mexican tortilla, not the Spanish version.  I am even willing to bet that in today's global society, that people as far as England or even Japan know what a tortilla is.  However most people don't really know what to do with a tortilla.  Well, that is what I am here for.  I have grown up all my life with tortillas and are even now an integral part of my diet.

The first thing we have to cover is what a tortilla is.  This is just in case there is anyone out there who is not familiar with this Mexican classic.  The best way to put it is that tortillas are the Mexican bread.  Every culture has their own version of bread and tortillas are that to Mexican.  To be specific tortillas are like a round flat bread made from ground corn, also known as maize, or flour.  In a way they resemble pita bread or naan.  However, tortillas are not as big as naan and not as "bumpy" as pita. 

In grocery stores here, tortillas are usually found with the other bread.  In some grocery stores, there are so many different varieties (read brands), that they have their own table or shelf.  Where you live they may be a bit harder to find and only available in specialty stores. 

Now, when you do find tortillas they will often come in plastic bags and are unrefrigerated.  I find the best way to store them is to keep them in the same plastic bag but put them in the refrigerator.  This will help them keep.  And they keep for a very long time. Usually when you see mold on them is when it is time to throw them out. 

One important thing about tortillas, especially corn tortillas, is that you want to eat them warm.  Flour tortillas can be eaten as is or even straight from the refrigerator, but trust me, there is nothing better than eating a freshly warmed tortilla.  Corn tortillas are not even edible when they are cold since they are brittle, dry and starchy.  I think this is a reason so many uninformed people don't like corn tortillas.  They just don't know what to do with them. 

So now the question is how exactly does one heat these things up?  The easiest way is to stick them in the microwave and nuke them for a one to two minutes.  But that is the lazy man's way to do it.  The best way is to get a griddle nice and hot and heat them whit as many as you can fit on the griddle.  If you don't own a griddle, then a saute pan will do.  If you have a gas stove, then any self respecting Mexican, myself included, will tell you that you don't even need a pan.

The key to heating tortillas is both patience and interaction.  You see, you can't just put the tortilla down on the hot surface and wait for it to warm up.  Chances are you are going to have a smoking, blackened piece of garbage if you do that.  The tortillas are so thin that they need to be flipped over again and again.  They ensures that your tortillas will get nice and hot and not burn.  If you are good enough then you will have attractive brown spots all over your tortillas. 

The tortillas are now on the hot griddle or whatever implement you are using to heat them.  How do you know when they are ready?  The truth of the matter is, just like many foods, the tortillas will let you know when they are ready.  Corn tortillas hold heat marvelously, so the temperature alone is a good indication.  They also become very pliable and easy to fold once they are hot.  Try folding a cold corn tortilla and it will break right in two.  A flour tortilla is a little softer and pliable when cold, but the same principle applies.  The warmer it gets, the softer it gets.  If you are lucky, the flour tortillas inflate when they are getting ready.  As the air in layers of flour gets hot and expands, the tortilla inflates, and you know you are there.

Can you over cook or heat your tortillas too much?  Sure you can, but it is not the end of the world.  Provided you did not scorch them, all it means when a tortilla is on the heat too long is that it will get a little harder than you want it.  The same heat that makes the tortillas soft makes them hard after a while.  But this is how you get such things as tostadas and tortilla chips.  You just heat your tortillas until they are crispy. 

Another important aspect of tortillas is holding them.  You want your tortillas to stay hot.  Remember how I said there is nothing better than a warm or hot tortilla?  Well, there is nothing worse than a cold tortilla, especially after it has already been heated.  It gets rigid and just looses all appeal.  But do not fret for holding tortillas is really easy.  All you really need is a clean kitchen towel.  Just fold it like you would to store it in a drawer, then store your tortillas in the middle fold.  If you have a basket that you can put the towel in, then even better.

So, what can you do with your new bounty of tortillas sitting in the refrigerator?  The possibilities are endless. You don't have to limit the range of tortillas to just tacos or enchiladas.   They range from a simple snack with a bit of cheese to an accompaniment to a nice meal.  That meal does not even have to be Mexican food.  Just think of tortillas as another type of bread and you have opened yourself up to a culinary playground.