It’s Swiss chard time again, y’all!
Over the weekend, I picked up a beautiful bunch of chard at the farmers’ market from my friends at Bigg Riggs, and I immediately knew what I wanted to do with it. So I went over to one of the cheesemakers’ stands and picked up a block of peppercorn cheddar cheese to make quesadillas! They’re always a hit around our house, and the Swiss chard version just makes the meal sound downright virtuous. I knew it was time to break out the recipe for the first time this season!
Now, if you click on that recipe, you’ll get a great framework for how to put this meal together. But as usual, I made some alterations along the way. First, I didn’t have any fresh garlic, only garlic powder, so in that went with the onion instead. Next, I somehow misplaced my fresh jalapeno between the shopping cart and the checkout line on Sunday, so I used a can of diced green chilies instead. I also used cumin powder instead of cumin seeds, and basil instead of Mexican oregano. And then there was the little matter of the tequila.
Over the weekend, I swung by our local ABC store and picked up a small bottle of tequila for the express purpose of using some of it in tonight’s quesadillas, as per the recipe instructions! I put the little bag that held the bottle in the floorboard of the backseat (unopened, mind) with the full intent of bringing it into the house that evening when I arrived home. Well, I did not. But no matter, right?
Enter tonight’s traffic situation. What is normally a 10-minute drive home was going to take upwards of two hours (by friends’ accounts) on account of some difficulties on the roads in our area. Apparently one accident led to another and so forth, rendering most of the major streets in my city completely clogged. So I (wisely, I think) hopped onto a Capital Bikeshare bike and pedaled home in a fraction of the time! And it was only when I arrived home that I realized: The tequila is in the car.
Oh, well. No matter! A quarter-cup of dry red wine fit the bill just beautifully.
Once the chard had wilted, I spooned a goodly amount across four tortillas, topped each one with cheese, and put the other tortilla on top of the first. I sprayed the tops with cooking spray and cooked them on baking sheets in the oven at 450 for about 12 minutes, then cut them with a pizza cutter and we dug in!
I have a somewhat difficult relationship with Swiss chard. Sometimes it can come across a bit earthy for my taste (and in those times I give my remainders to LeeLee, who adores it regardless of its earthiness). But tonight’s batch was just right! It was earthy enough to be flavorful, but not so much that it was off-putting. And the peppercorn cheddar really gave the meal a nice firm pop.
And as is the way of this recipe, we’ve got two more quesadillas to enjoy for lunch tomorrow! I’m looking forward to it already.
:)