Quesadilla

Ingredients

• Flour tortillas · about 20cm2
• Shredded cheese · Monterey Jack / cheddar / mozzarella mix120 g
• Onion · finely chopped0.25
• Bell pepper · finely chopped, optional0.5
• Cooked chicken (or other meat) · optional, shredded80 g
• Cilantro or scallion · optional1 tbsp
• Oil or butter · for the pan1 tsp
• Salsa & sour cream1 to serve

Steps

1. Prep the fillings: finely chop the onion and pepper; if using meat, cook it ahead and shred.

   ⏲ 3 min

2. Heat a pan over medium-low with a very light film of oil and lay in one tortilla.

   ⏲ 1 min

3. Spread cheese over half (or all) of the tortilla, scatter on the onion, pepper, meat, and cilantro, then add a little more cheese — the cheese is the 'glue.'

   ⏲ 1 min

4. Fold in half (or top with the second tortilla). Cook until the underside is golden and crisp, 2–3 minutes.

   ⏲ 2 min 30 sec

5. Flip carefully and cook the other side until the cheese melts and it browns, about 2 minutes more.

   ⏲ 2 min

6. Move to a board, rest 1 minute, then cut into wedges like a pizza. Serve with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.

   ⏲ 1 min

Tips & Variations

The basics behind this dish

• Browning and the Maillard ReactionMeat fails to brown for one of three reasons: it is wet, the pan is cool, or you put too much in at once. Plus how the brown film stuck to the pan becomes your sauce.
• Cooking Meat: Temperature, Resting, and Cutting Against the GrainDoneness is a core temperature, not a number of minutes. What resting actually does, how to handle a thick cut, and why the direction you slice changes the texture.
• Knife Skills: Grip, Cuts, and Why Size MattersHow you hold the knife matters more than how fast you cut. The pinch grip, the claw hand, and why uniform size is a cooking decision rather than a cosmetic one.