From high in the mountains to the busy streets of a city, the art of cooking food and savoring it is ubiquitous. Dishes made by professionals or home cooks surround us. Many are even exploring different ways to cook a single dish. Even touching up a dish with some extraordinary garnishing would change the overall appearance of traditional food.
Countries of different cuisines have its celebrity like the hotpots of Chinese cuisine, murg makhani of Indian cuisine, the famous pizza and pasta of Italian cuisine, and many more.
Mexico is no exception. Like all other dishes in Mexican cuisine, the quesadilla is an icon. It is served from household to five-star restaurants, either as a meal or a snack.
Quesadilla is usually cooked using a skillet or cast iron pan, but there are more ways to prepare a quesadilla. Through this article, you’ll be able to know how to make quesadillas on griddle.
Quesadilla in History
Of course, quesadilla is a well-known Mexican dish. It all started around the 15th century when the exploring Spaniards landed in Mexico and started trading goods, including dairy products like cow’s milk. As we all know, dairy is an essential ingredient in making cheese.
Mexican started experimenting with foods using cheese and tortillas, resulting in the creation of many dishes. And ta-dah, the quesadilla was born. They started serving quesadilla as tortillas stuffed with cheese and still serving nowadays in various flavors.
Why Griddle?
The griddle is commonly used for frying or baking. It has a flat and spacious surface. In a griddle, it’s easy to flip the quesadilla, and the volume of your cooking can be maximized, too.
It’s either made of cast iron or stainless steel, which is suitable for cooking. You can griddle cook the dish using the juice of the food or you can just brush the surface with oil.
Cheese and Tortilla
The standard quesadilla is made of tortilla filled with cheese. The tortilla is either made of corn flour, whole-wheat flour, or plain flour.
On the other hand, cheese has many varieties depending on taste, texture, and elasticity. One may use cheddar, freshly grated cheese, Monterey jack cheese, or Oaxaca cheese.
Choosing what type of tortilla and cheese is purely dependent on the cook himself. So, how to make quesadillas on the griddle? Check out the steps below:
- First, preheat the griddle to medium heat and lay some tortillas on the griddle.
- Spread some cheese over the tortilla, filling half of it, and wait until the cheese is melted or the tortilla starts to golden.
- Flip over the other half of the tortilla to cover the cheese, and slightly press the quesadilla.
- Cut into two or three. Your quesadilla is best served when hot.
Cheese, Tortilla, and Meat
Hooray for meat lovers out there, who on earth wouldn’t want to have mouth-watering umami in their quesadilla? If you are craving for this iconic trio, follow the steps below on how to make quesadillas on griddle.
- First thing is to cook the meat using the other side of the griddle. Save the other side of the griddle for the tortilla.
- When the meat is ready, lay some tortilla on the other side of the griddle and spread some cheese over the whole tortilla.
- When the cheese is melted, or the tortilla is golden, fill the half of the tortilla with the prepared meat, and flip the other side to cover the meat.
- Press the quesadilla gently to prevent the meat from secreting its juice.
- Cut the quesadilla into two or three using a pizza cutter or knife. This is best served for lunch and dinner, especially paired with a salad and salsa.
Quesadilla and Vegetable
Hello vegans! Absolutely, some people prefer vegetables to meat. Veggies are as tasty as meat and apparently, healthier too. Just throw any vegetables ranging from potatoes to beans into the dish. Instead of meat, try using alternatives like tofu and mushrooms. They sure do taste like meat.
Now, how to make quesadillas on griddle with vegetables? This one’s for the vegans. So prepare for some kitchen work and follow the procedure below.
- Use the other side of the griddle to cook the veggies. Place a pot with water (boil or steam) to cook the vegetables. Save the other side of the griddle for later use.
- When the vegetables are ready, choose to mash or slice into strips.
- Preheat the griddle, spray or brush the surface with oil.
- Lay some tortillas and spread some cheese over the tortillas.
- Garnish it with some mashed or sliced veggies. Follow the same process as adding meat to the ordinary quesadilla. You can also choose to sauté the veggies with some onion and garlic.
Vegetable and Meat on Quesadilla
Some food enthusiasts love to have their meal with a touch of meat and a taste of vegetables. So why not make a quesadilla filled with meat and veggies.
So how to make quesadillas on griddle stuffed with meat and veggies? Instead of using beans and potatoes, why not use some cabbage or spinach? They are healthy, and they give a light after taste to the meat.
- To start, cook the meat using one side of the griddle, no need to add oil, just let the meat make its juice.
- Continue to flip or mix the meat to avoid burning.
- When the meat is ready, lay some tortillas on the other side of the griddle.
- Spread some cheese over the whole tortillas and top it with the meat and some cabbage or spinach (raw or steam).
- Choosing the filling that goes first is entirely up to the cook. Usually, meat goes first, followed by the cabbage or spinach, and another layer of meat.
When the cheese has melted, flip the other half of the tortillas to cover the filling. Cut into two or three pieces and serve with side dishes.
Conclusion
Making quesadilla on the griddle is as easy as making it on a skillet or oven. Griddle is a suitable cooking tool for quesadilla since it is flat and has a large surface.
You can prepare multiple quesadillas in one cooking session. Knowing how to make quesadillas on a griddle is a skill you need to obtain. The family menu for meals could be made extra special with a quesadilla.
