By Spoiler alert: This column is not about haute cuisine. In fact, it is inspired by one of those accidental recipe moments that sometimes occur when you peer in your fridge with horror. I was starving. The boys and I had scarfed down copious amounts of Mexican food the night before. Now the kids had gone over to their mom’s and it was about three degrees out and the last thing in the world I wanted to do was venture out for a slice. But I wanted warm comfort food. What’s a home cook to do?
I rummaged through the refrigerator seeking out any workable ingredients from the detritus of the week prior. There was a decent slab of mozzarella left over from a foray into Chicken Parmagiana. There were the usual barely wrapped vegetables on the verge of the end of shelf life. And what was this, coyly filling a bunched up bit of aluminum foil? Pita! The most useless of day-old food, leftover from what meal I could not tell you. I pulled out several thick slices of the formerly warm and gently toasted bread. It had not gone completely stale; there was still a little give.
I stared at the Chopped-esque basket of mystery products on my cutting board. Could I make something of this? A smile crossed my face. I pulled a good cutting knife out of the drawer and popped on some Top 40 on the radio. I was hungry. I was not going out. It was time for a little fun.
Repurposed Leftover Quesadilla Delight
Ingredients
• A few slices of new or leftover pita bread
• Mozzarella, Cheddar or American cheese
• One small onion and one small jalapeno
• Salt and pepper to taste
Prep
–Slice Pita into pizza-shaped quarters
–Finely dice the onion and jalapeno
–Slice the cheese of your choice into tiny little cubes
–Lay strategically across pita for full coverage and lay the bread on a microwave-safe plate
–Nuke for 30 seconds or until cheese is achieving near-maximum goo factor
–Remove and sprinkle with onions & jalapeno. Add a bit of sea salt for extra pop and sizzle.
–Nuke for 20 more seconds until you have a tiny individual pizza pie
Warning: Three or more of these and a good book may lead to a very serious nap.
