VEGETABLE QUESADILLA WITH CARAMELIZED ONION MARMALADE AND CILANTRO SOUR CREAM

Yield : 4 servings

Quesadilla is the Spanish word for "little cheese bites." In Mexico, it is a small fried turnover made with fresh dough that has been stuffed with a variety of ingredients and almost always contains cheese. This one is filled with vegetables and cheese, then, after it's cooked, it's served with a wonderful onion marmalade and sour cream flavored with cilantro. Chihuahua!

• 2 tablespoons plus 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped yellow onions
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 cup assorted julienned grilled vegetables, such as red onion, bell pepper, yellow squash, and tamato
• 8 medium-size flour tortillas
• 1/4 pound grated Maytag or other white Cheddar cheese
• 1 recipe Cilantro Sour Cream (below)

Cilantro Sour Cream:

Yield: 1/4 cup

• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

  Combine the sour cream and cilantro in a small mixing bowl and stir to mix. Season with salt and pepper.
  

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium-size saute pan over high heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until they caramelize, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, parsley, and vinegar and cook, stirring, for bout about 1 minute. Set aside

Combine the grilled vegetables in a medium-size mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and spread on 4 of the tortillas, leaving about a 1 inch border all around. Sprinkle the vegetables with equal ammounts of cheese, then top with the remaining tortillas. Gently press the edges together to seal.

Heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully lay a quesadilla i the center of the skillet and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Then, with a wide spatula, turn the quesadilla over and cook lightly until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat the procedure using the remaining oil.

To serve, cut the quesadillas into 4 wedges. Arrange on individual plates and top with the onion marmalade and cilantro sour cream.

From Emeril's TV Dinners by Emeril Lagasse
Copyright 1998 by Emeril Lagasse
Permission by William Morrow & Company, Inc.