Remember when I told you to put the rest of that pureed chipotle in the freezer? You did that, right? Excellent! It’s time to take it out to defrost, because we’re making Chipotle Steak Quesadillas! No worries if you don’t have any pureed chipotle peppers hanging out in your freezer. Just pick up a can of chipotles in adobo (probably in the International section of your grocery store) and you’ll be ready to go. Rinse the chipotles, or not, and puree them in a blender or food processor. Store the unused pureed chipotle in your freezer. It’s great in dressings and marinades or as part of a chipotle butter.
This is a super simple, yet incredibly satisfying meal! It requires very little in terms of ingredients and cooks fast. In the quesadillas, we’re using juicy skirt steak, seasoned with chipotle pepper, and held together with melty pepperjack cheese. Skirt steak is generally known for being one of the toughest cuts of steak, but I’ve honestly never encountered a tough skirt steak. When cooked quickly at high heat and cut against the grain, they are incredibly flavorful and practically fall apart. Good substitutes for skirt steak would be flank or hanger steak. On the side, we’re having a salad of sweet corn, avocado, red bell pepper and a bit of jalapeno pepper. This bright, refreshing salad is a cool balance to the heat of the quesadillas.
Chipotle Steak Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 pound Skirt Steak, about 2 steaks
- 2 Tbsp Pureed Chipotle Pepper
- Salt
- 8 Flour Tortillas
- 2 cups Pepperjack Cheese, grated
Directions
Preheat broiler. Place the steaks on a baking sheet. Season with salt and rub each steak with about a tablespoon of pureed chipotle. Place in the oven, a few inches under the broiler. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until steak reaches a minimum temperature of 145 degrees. Remove the steaks and turn the oven down to 375 degrees. Allow the steak to cool for a couple minutes, then cut into small pieces. Arrange 4 of the tortillas on a baking sheet. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of cheese onto each tortilla. Divide the steak onto the four tortillas. Sprinkle 1/4 cup more cheese onto the steak. Cover with the remaining 4 tortillas. Bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melty and the tortilla begins to feel slightly hard. Remove from the oven and allow the quesadillas to cool for a couple minutes. (This will make them easier to cut.) Use a pizza cutter to cut each quesadilla into six pieces.
*If desired, the meat can be cooked ahead of time and refrigerated until you’re ready to make the quesadillas.
Serves 4
Corn, Avocado, and Pepper Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sweet Corn Kernels
- 1 Avocado, diced
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, ribs and seeds removed, diced
- 1 Jalapeno Pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely diced
- 1 Tbsp Lime Juice
Directions
Toss the Avocado in the lime juice to prevent discoloring. Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate.
The Gourmand Mom 