Chargrills: The Perfect Quesadilla

Chargrills: The Perfect Quesadilla

Look sharp, idiots, this one’s for real. There’s a bit of admin involved for the initial operation but after that the leftovers process is easy as, and you only need to do one dish. Can be vegan without the cheese, and is vegetarian to begin with.
 
Ingredients:
 
Veggies:
Onion, small
Green capsicum
Courgette
White mushrooms, about 4 small ones
 
Beans and rice:
Any Uncle Ben’s of your choice
La Morena refried black beans with abode (yes, this is a $5 can, but it is worth it. Sub for normal black beans if you like, but then you’ll need chipotle sauce)
 
Shredded cheese
Pre-minced garlic
Farrah’s wraps
Smoked paprika
Tapatio hot sauce (this is like $4 and the best sauce out there)
 
Method:
 
Start by emptying the beans into a pot, mixing in shakes of tapatio and putting the rice in the microwave. Just let them sit there until the time comes. 
 
Cut the capsicum into bite-size chunks and dice the onion. Put them in a shared bowl. Cut the courgette and shrooms into thin slices and put them in another shared bowl. At this stage, put a frying pan on high heat with no oil. Drizzle both bowls with oil, then sprinkle in salt and smoked paprika. Toss and mix to coat. Once coated, dump the capsicum and onion into the pan. It should immediately hiss. Mix to keep it from sticking to the bottom. Add a spoonful of garlic, mix, then dump in the shrooms and courgette. Turn on the heat below the beans and microwave the rice. Remove the veggies from heat. As the beans cook, stir to keep them from sticking to the bottom. Stir the cooked rice into the beans and remove from heat.
 
Now, find a frying pan that hasn’t been used and put it on high heat, dry. Put a wrap in there and flip it after a minute. Coat it with cheese. As soon as the cheese starts to melt, dump in your beans, rice and veggies. The trick here is to not get overzealous with your stuffing - you can always come back for more. Fold the wrap gently over and press. Immediately flip it to sear the other side. 1-2 minutes, tops. Then dump onto a plate and eat like a taco. Put leftover beans and rice into one tupperware and veggies into another. This should last you a total of six quesadillas. 
 
Remember: it’s all about technique. With practice, this meal can be completed in under 20 minutes, and under 5 minutes if it’s leftovers.
This article first appeared in Issue 23, 2023.
Posted 12:26pm Monday 18th September 2023 by Charly Burnett @chargrillss.