March is already here. WHERE did February go!? I thought January was long but a leap year Feb went by crazy fast. The last month was busy, fun, but most importantly deeply introspective. I found myself in days in two extremes— a day where I spent a lot of time solitude or days where I was rarely alone. I have always been such an introvert that these super busy days overwhelm me sometime, which in fact makes the time alone either days where all I tend to do is think. Just keep thinking about my life, its impact on others and vice versa. Times such as these are gold (for both a blog— since most of my content comes from these pondering) and also because these are the times, I feel the most eager to be in the kitchen.

I made these quesadillas during this time of pondering. To be honest, when I look back I have always made quesadillas during times where I didn’t want to do anything else— be it homework to otherwise. It’s also one of those things that you can rarely have on your own. Not trying to fat shame anyone here quesadillas have this unique form that makes them a shared meal or snack. Something you would have while doing a school project, a drink with friends, or even just a quiet date with a significant other. I really don’t think I have ever had them alone which is surprising considering my single-child-no-sharing mentality.

What I love about quesadillas are their accessibility. Each element of the meal is customisable. You can make fresh tortilla, buy them in the store, or event just make them between two large rotis. The veggies can be modified to your choice and so can the amount of cheese. This is great in fact for many reasons, the best being that there is no templatised expectation of what a quesadilla should taste like which reduces the pressure on the cook but also allows you to create memories associating the flavours you enjoyed with the conversation rather than the food group that you tried to emanate. Meals like these are hard to come by now but as I am thinking about this, I really do want to explore this more. Might just be my next project!

Glimpses from the week

Ingredients

Makes 3 Quesadillas

10 mushrooms sliced

1/2 zucchini cubed

1/2 Red bell pepper sliced

1/2 Yellow bell pepper sliced

3 wheat tortillas, honestly just get store bought ones. But if want to make them, check out my taco recipe

1/2 red onion thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup mild cheddar cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1 teaspoon red chilli flakes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Slice all your veggies according to suggestions above

1. In a non-stick skillet on medium-low heat, add 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Begin by cooking your aromatics— onion and garlic, until they dispel their aromas. Then add the peppers for about 1 minute. Once this is cooked through, remove on to a separate plate.

1. In a non-stick skillet on medium-low heat, add 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Once the oil heats up, add zucchini and cook for a minute. Stir well until you start seeing steaming. Add mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes. Keep covered to allow the steam to cook and shrink down the mushrooms

1. Time for assembly. On a tortilla, add mozzarella to one half of the bread. Add veggies to the same half. Top with more cheese. Close using the top half.

1. In a heavy-bottomed pan. Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil on medium heat place the quesadilla. Cook for 3-4 minutes, flip and cook until both sides turn golden brown. Cut into slices and serve!