Wednesday, March 12

Ridiculously Practical Meals: New Mexican Quesadilla

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One of my all time favorite restaurants is Duran Central Pharmacy. It is in a strange location, literally inside a pharmacy. The inside of the restaurant is alright, nothing fancy and very casual, but this restaurant is not about the atmosphere, it's about the red chile and the tortillas.


Ever since moving to Albuquerque I've been under a lot of pressure to adopt a love for chile. I'm pretty sure it's the state food. Coming from Washington state, my spice palate was pretty much non-existent. Little by little I've learned that it's not chili, it's chile, you get funny looks if you don't at least order chile on the side, that Christmas means having both red and green chile, and that if I just dip the edge of my bite of food in the chile I'll get the flavor without burning my mouth. People who like chile will tell you that it's all about flavor and that it isn't very spicy. In a sense it's true, chile is not as spicy as a jalapeño, but it's still spicy. For a very long time I never understood the love of chile. Then I went to Durans. Durans has the best red chile I have ever tasted and I fell in love. When I go to Durans I don't just eat the chile, I smother my meal with it. If I don't go to Durans on Saturday morning for brunch, I crave their chile all week. Imagine, then, my delight in finding out I can buy the chile separately in a gift basket! I can have red chile all week long! Now, imagine what your delight should be in finding out that Durans ships their chile nation wide! And no, this is not a sponsored post. I am truly just this enamored with their red chile. Ok, enough preamble and on to the food.


I wanted to recreate the restaurant food at home as closely as I could. Normally I order the Quesadilla (and drench it with red chile). For this you will need: one large flour tortilla, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped tomatoes, green onions, and Durans red chile (if you don't want to order from Durans, many grocery stores will carry bottled chile in the ethnic food section near the salsa and this can technically be eaten with green chile instead of red). Simply add another tortilla and double the other ingredients if you want to serve two people, triple for three, etc. You get it. Everything here is to taste. If you like a lot of tomato use two tomatoes, if not only use one.


Lay out your tortilla and cover with cheese. Toast until the cheese is melted. You could do this in your microwave, in a skillet, or on a grill. I used my Foreman Grill. While your tortilla is toasting, pour a generous amount of chile in a bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. When the cheese is melted remove the tortilla from heat, place it on a plate and top with the tomato and and green onions. Smother with warmed chili. Enjoy!


A fun fact, eating chiles releases endorphins and helps you feel happy! Next time your sad, grab some chile instead of ice cream. Bon appétit!

26 comments:

  1. I like Mexican and this looks amazing and delicious.
    http://tifi11.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you! Quesadillas are so simple, but they are one of my favorites. :)

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  2. OMG this looks AMAZING! I absolutely love chili sauce! Red, green, I don't discriminate :) I actually made a habanero and green chili sauce last night, so yummy!

    <3, Pamela
    sequinsandseabreezes.blogspot.com

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    1. Mm, that sauce sounds delicious! I like green chile too, I'm just obsessed with this particular red right now. :)

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  3. Ohhhh, I am totally making this! It looks SO GOOD and so easy to prepare!
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

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    1. Thank you! It is super easy! That's one of the reasons I love it! :)

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  4. I can't stand chilli!
    kss
    new post: http://tupersonalshopperviajero.blogspot.com.es/2014/03/radiofrecuencia-bipolar-en-ana-jurado.html

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    1. Yeah, I couldn't for a long time either, but it's been growing on me! This particular chile is not quite as spicy either. :)

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  5. i love recreating restaurant meals at home -- a lot of the time i actually like it better that way :) but visiting a restaurant inside a pharmacy sounds so cool that i'd probably go just for the experience :)

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    1. I like eating at home, you can eat in your pjs if you want! But sometimes its just so nice to get out! If you are ever in Albuquerque, definitely stop by! It's an experience.

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  6. Buono!! Interesting. Hello if you must go to the new post.

    Valentina.

    WWW.ZAGUFASHION.COM
    ZAGU FACEBOOK PAGE
    bloglovin follower

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  7. Yum! Can I have this for lunch, please? The sandwich I brought just isn't going to cut it now. Haha. :)

    -Ashley
    http://lestylorouge.com

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    1. Haha, maybe dinner will be a bit more exciting? Sandwiches are great, too, though!

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  8. Mmm, looks good! I'm not a huge fan of chili though. I don't seem to taste anything when my food is too spicey :D
    Thank you very much for visiting my blog and for your sweet comment!
    Hope you're having a nice day!

    Sofie x
    Little green Sofie

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  9. Sounds delicious!
    xx,
    Julie | http://www.juliechagas.com

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  10. How yummy!
    Stop by again and kisses from London,
    Alena | meet me stylish

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  11. I love mexican food, and specially quesadillas, I apreciate you talk about a product you really love, and try to share your recipe ;-D

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  12. Wraps are one of my favourite meals- these look delicious! Rachel xx

    Pillar-box Post

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  13. YUMMY! Quesadillas are so delicious and easy to make. love the ingredients you put in yours!
    www.amemoryofus.blogspot.com

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  14. Yumminess, my kind of food and its vegetarian, yay!! You are so thoughtful to stop by...Happy Friday sweetheart!

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  15. This looks really good! Im not a fan of spicy food, but I can eat a little bit of it.

    -Vogue&Heels
    www.vogueandheels.com

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  16. I love Mexican food, and quesadilla is really delicious, love it!! x

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  17. that looks fantastic!
    happy weekend!

    <3
    www.getcarriedaway.net

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