1-2-3 Spinach Quesadillas for St. Patrick's Day

Paddy's Day came and went on Sunday.  The cold weather returned - oh, rats - and brought with it the HF's brother and brother's family (not rats).  Last night we had a few moments of quiet and I was able to whip up a tricolor salute to the island I called home for three years.  A friend from Cork brought us a block of Dubliner a little while ago, and this Irish cheddar-like cheese was the perfect addition to give my quesadilla just a soupcon of actual Irishness.  Green spinach, green salsa; white mozzarella and tortilla; orange Dubliner inside and orange carrots on the side for an extra color pop!  That's what I call a salute to the flag!

I named them 1-2-3 because they're 1 serving with 2 cheeses and 3 colors.  Quicker to cook up than a frozen pizza, and healthier too!

I was able to cheat, I used a mini-container of salsa verde we had leftover from yesterday's Maria Bonita visit.  It made the whoooole thing worth it, I do believe otherwise this quesadilla would have been a lot more boring.  You Americans, go buy a jar of salsa verde, a.k.a. green salsa.  It's tart because it's made with tomatillos.  Alternatively, use another salsa of your preference!

1-2-3 Spinach Quesadillas

can be easily adjusted to make 2-2-3 or 4-2-3 quesadillas!
recipe serves 1
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes

ingredients:

60g/2 oz/1 1/3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
1 tsp butter
1 shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
1 flour tortilla
1/4 cup (20-30g) orange Dubliner or other orange cheese, finely shredded
3 slices of fresh mozzarella (about 30g)
1 tbsp salsa verde, or any other salsa

directions:

Wash the spinach.  Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the butter.  When the butter is melted, add the shallot and garlic.  Cook for 4 minutes, until translucent.  Add the spinach, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 cup of water.  Cover and let the spinach wilt, 5-8 minutes.

Remove the spinach and drain or squeeze briefly.  To make this a one-pot meal, drain the extra water out of the skillet, wipe it dry, and return it to the stove over medium heat.  Add as little oil as needed; with a new nonstick skillet it should be optional.

Sprinkle the Dubliner over half the tortilla.  Place the spinach on top of this half, and the mozzarella on top of the spinach.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spread the salsa on the bare half of the tortilla, and fold it closed.  Carefully place the filled tortilla in the hot skillet.  Cook for 5 minutes a side until the cheese is melted and each side is golden-brown.

For an extra pop of color, serve with sliced carrots, top with sour cream, and garnish the whole thing with fresh cilantro.  Mine's missing the sour cream, alas.  Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!