Muffaleta Quesadillas

Yield: 8 quesadillas

Ingredients:

8 flour tortillas

12 oz jar or muffalata olive salad (strained to remove oil, save the oil)

12 oz asiago, grated

12 oz provolone, grated (sub mozzarella)

1 lemon cut in half

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Salt and pepper

Directions

Assembly

1.) On a large cutting board lay out all the tortillas

2.) Put down 1.5 oz of asiago on half of each tortilla

3.) Scoop 3 tbsp of olive salad onto the asiago and top with 1.5 oz of provolone

4.) Season with a little salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon

5.) Fold each tortilla over and press

6.) Heat a large skillet on medium and add equal butter and oil to coat bottom

7.) Add tortillas and brown 2 minutes per side

8.) Don’t overcrowd the pan, do in 2 batches if necessary

9.) Serve with sour cream, salsa, and guacamole

Notes

I was inspired after my recent trip to New Orleans to recreate the famous muffaleta sandwich from Central Grocer. It’s a must stop destination for all foodies, and one of the great gifts New Orleans has given the food world. Make sure to save the strained oil in the fridge from the olive salad. It’s great for salad dressing, drizzled on sandwiches or my favorite, on popcorn. You can add lunch meats to this recipe if you want to make it more like a muffaleta, I would brown them first to bring out the flavor.

Chow,