Mushroom Fontina Quesadilla

Serves 2

Recipe from Everyday Food Magazine

Adapted and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Here’s an idea for a nice tummy filling Meatless Monday lunch.  It tastes great hot from the skillet, but it’s also nice at room temperature.  You could make this in advance and then heat it up in the microwave at work.  The original recipe called for the addition of spicy salami, but we tried it meatless and the mushrooms are so meaty that we didn’t miss the meat at all.  Lost River Market & Deli sells a nice variety of different types of flour tortillas.  We always have some in our fridge to make quick sandwiches like this one.

2 flour tortillas (I used the spinach variety at Lost River Market & Deli.)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

½ pound mushrooms, thinly sliced (I used cremini mushrooms.)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 cup fontina cheese, grated

2 cups baby salad greens, arugula or baby spinach

1 carrot, scrubbed or peeled and thinly sliced

Alice’s A+ Salad Dressing (This recipe is on the blog, but here’s what you’ll need to make it:  fresh lemon, orange or lime juice from 1 or 2 citrus fruits, 2 cloves of fresh garlic, olive oil, Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper)

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil.  Add the mushroom slices and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 minutes or so.  Season with salt and pepper.  (If the mushrooms begin to stick, just add a Tablespoon of water to the pan and allow it to evaporate.)

Place the mushrooms and then the cheese on top of one of the flour tortillas.  Place the other flour tortilla on top.  Carefully place the quesadilla back in the skillet.  Allow to cook until the bottom tortilla becomes brown and the cheese has melted.  Carefully flip over the quesadilla and allow it to brown a bit on the other side.  This takes no more than a minute. 

Place the quesadilla on a cutting board and slice into six wedges. 

Toss the salad greens and carrot slices with the salad dressing and serve along side the quesadillas.

Prosciutto, Fontina & Sun-Dried Tomato Sandwiches

Recipe from The Best of Fine Cooking Appetizers and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Serves ten as an appetizer or two to three as a main course

If you like salty flavors and gooey cheese, you’ll love these little sandwiches. We cut them into wedges and served them as appetizers at our Boxing Day Party. These would also make a very fine lunch for friends along with a hot vegetable soup. You can find all of the ingredients at Lost River Market & Deli!

1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, smashed
5 oz. baby spinach (about 5 lightly packed cups)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-1/4 cups grated fontina cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan cheese
6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
Three 7- to 8-inch pitas, each split into two rounds
6 very thin slices prosciutto (about 3-1/2 oz.)

Heat the oven to 250°F. Heat the oil and garlic in a 10-inch heavy-duty skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium-high heat until the garlic starts to sizzle steadily and browns in places, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper, and cook, tossing, until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer the spinach to a colander. Let cool a couple of minutes, discard the garlic, and gently squeeze out the excess liquid from the spinach.
In a medium bowl, toss the spinach with the fontina, Parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Set 3 of the pita halves on a work space and top each with 2 slices of the prosciutto. Top each evenly with the spinach mixture and set the remaining 3 pita halves on top.
Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel and heat the pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add one of the pita sandwiches and set another medium heavy skillet on top of the sandwich. Put 2 lb. of weights (cans work well) in the empty skillet to weigh it down and cook the sandwich until the bottom starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until it browns and the cheese starts to melt out the sides, about 2 minutes. (You could also use a grill pan like we did, or even a pannini press, fi you have one.) Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Cook the remaining sandwiches in the same manner. Cut the sandwiches in wedges and serve.