As summer comes to an end, so does corn season for most of us. If you’re up North, get your hands on some of the last ears. If you’re in Florida, you’re in luck, because our season is just getting started. Either way, strongly suggest grilling corn at your next barbecue. It’s so much better than boiled corn! Make enough to have leftovers, and use them in these quesadillas. If that doesn’t work out, this recipe is just as good with frozen grilled corn (Trader Joe’s!)
Whatever corn you use, the real star of this dish is the crispy cheese on the outside. Yes, we’re putting crispy cheese on the outside! But please, PLEASE, only go for it if you have a true non-stick pan. Trust.
Serves 2 as a snack, or 1 as a main.
Ingredients
- 2 medium flour tortillas (I like the handmade flour tortillas from Trader Joe’s)
- ¾ cup shredded Mexican style cheese blend
- ½ cup grilled corn
- 1 large handful arugula
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Greek yogurt or sour cream (optional)
- pickled jalapeños (optional)
Method
In a large, non-stick sauté pan, preheat the olive oil over medium heat. Use a paper towel to spread a thin layer around the pan, and set aside.
Set one tortilla in the pan, and layer the ingredients as follows: cheese, grilled corn, a little more cheese, arugula, almost all of the remaining cheese. Top with the second tortilla, and use the paper towel to brush more olive oil on top. Cook until golden brown, then flip. Top the browned side that is now facing you with the tiniest bit of cheese. When the second side is golden brown, flip again and cook about 30 seconds to crisp the outer cheese. Sprinkle any remaining cheese on the last side, and flip once more. Turn off the burner, and wait about 30 more seconds to crisp the other side. If that was at all confusing, you should now have two browned, cheesy sides of one delicious quesadilla. Remove from the pan and let cool for one minute before slicing into quarters.
Serve with your choice of toppings– mine are usually Greek yogurt and pickled jalapeños. The Pickled Pico from the blog is another favorite!
