Sunday 23 November 2014

Cheesey Kale Quesadillas with Mole Sauce and home made Tortillas

It was a home made day.  I made (roasted) cashew butter to go in home-made mole sauce to go in quesadillas made with home-made tortillas.  I was rewarded with possibly the best quesadillas I have ever made.  They didn't spill or curl or flop the wrong way.  They were creamy and spicy and filled with lots of healthy kale.

I have made a few mole-related recipes but never a mole sauce.  This year I bought my first jar of mole sauce and loved it.  However I was a little uncomfortable that it had peanut butter in it (because my 5 year old has a peanut allergy).  I really needed to make my own.  The one I made was as easy as the recipe suggested.  It was very spicy but with great depth of flavour.  The cocoa added to the richness but did not taste like chocolate.

The sauce took about an hour to cook but it was not onerous.  The last 15 minutes just required occasional stirring.  It was a balmy spring evening.  Sylvia was outside jumping off the letterboxes at the end of the driveway and drawing chalk circles on the footpath.  The neighbours were out too.  I just needed to run in and stir for a few seconds every now and again.  The mole made the house smell wonderful and spicy.

I've always thought I would make my own wheat flour tortillas some day.  Even so, I am not sure what fit of whimsy led me to decide to make some.  I guess I have made enough similar fried flatbreads to know it was be fairly easy.  They were rather quickly and were lovely and soft.  (Sylvia even had one in her lunchbox the next day.)  Perhaps their freshness made it easy to fry them up into quesadillas.  I still have to find out more about making tortillas such as what is the best way to store them and is it better to knead a little or a lot.

The mole recipe suggested enchiladas.  This sounded good but I don't always have the energy to put together an oven bake and wait for it.  I wanted something quick.  So I made quesadillas with kale and cheese.  Once the tortillas were made it took no time at all to put together dinner. I fried up some kale, slapped together the quesadillas and fried them.

These quesadillas were excellent.  The tortillas were superior to store-bought.  So fresh and floppy.  The sauce kept it all together but I love cheese and thought this was a good opportunity to use the vegan biocheese.  E had regular cheddar cheese.  But it would work without any cheese too because the mole sauce has lots of flavour.  And of course stuffing it with kale made it feel healthy.

I had heaps of mole sauce leftover.  I still have some in the fridge a week later.  Below you can see some of the dishes I have served with the sauce.

As well as the quesadillas, I have made plain old cheese and mole quesadillas with lettuce and tomatoes on the side (bottom left), wrap your own tortillas with mole, spicy kale and avocado dip, lettuce, tomato, kale and cheese (top left) and mole burgers with spicy kale and avocado dip, plus a side serve of rice fried with leftover salad, hot sauce, salt and lime (top right).  When I did the wrap your own tortillas, I was in a rush and didn't warm the sauce properly.  It really needed to be warm.  I must remember that next time.

I am sending these quesadillas to Shaheen at Allotment to Kitchen with thanks.  She is hosting this month's We Should Cocoa and has chosen to pair chilli with chocolate.  I am not keen on chilli in sweet food but I do love a savoury chocolate dish.  I have had mole on my to do list for some time so this event was a great inspiration.  I am also sending these quesadillas to Shaheen for her Eat Your Greens event.

More savoury chocolate and chilli recipes from Green Gourmet Giraffe:

Cheesey Kale Quesadillas with Mole Sauce 

Oil
Kale, chopped
Tortillas (recipe below)
Mole sauce
Cheese (cheddar or biocheese)

Fry up kale in oil for a few minutes until bright green in colour.  Spread a tortilla with about 3-4 tbsp of mole sauce leaving about an inch around the edge of the tortilla.  Thinly slice some cheese and soread over half the mole sauce.  Scatter with kale.  Fold over and fry on medium high heat until golden brown on each side.  (It takes a bit of time - enough to be running in and out of sleepless child's room)

Easy Mole Sauce
Adapted from Vegetarian Times
Makes about 2 1/2 to 3 cups

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped (2 cups)
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (2 tsp)
2 tbsp old bay seasoning*
1 tbsp chilli salt seasoning*
1/2 tbsp cumin powder*
2 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
5 cloves, ground
400g tin of diced tomatoes
2 cups water
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp cashew butter*

Fry onions in oil over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Add garlic, spices and sugar. Stir for 1 minute.  Mix in the tomatoes, water, cocoa powder and cashew butter.  Check seasoning.  Bring to the boil and gently simmer for 15 minutes (covered), stirring frequently.  Store in the fridge.

*NOTE I used old bay seasoning, chilli salt and cumin instead of 1/4 cup chile powder.  If you don't have these or American style chile powder (not the same as what is referred to as chilli powder in Australia) you could use 2 tbsp mild paprika, 2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp cayenne powder (based on this recipe.)  Many moles tend to use peanut butter but I avoid it due to family allergies.  However you could substitute peanut butter or other nut butters for the cashew butter.

Wheat flour tortillas
From Taste of Home
Makes 8

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup water
3 tbsp olive oil

Mix flour and salt.  Add water and olive oil.  Mix until it comes together in a dough.  Lightly knead on a floured surface until you have a smooth dough.  Rest for at least 10 minutes, covered with a tea towel.  Cut into 8 pieces.  Roll out each piece into a 7 inch circle on a floured surface.  Heat heavy based non stick frypan over medium high heat and fry each tortilla about 1 minute each side or until just a few brown spots.  Use tongs to poke at any air bubbles and to flip the tortilla.  Stack cooked tortillas on a plate with a tea towel over them to keep them soft and warm.

On the Stereo:
Brood: My Friend the Chocolate Cake

30 comments:

  1. Yum! You had me at the word "mole".

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    1. Thanks Cakelaw - that makes me laugh because I keep seeing "mole" and thinking of how the word was often used as an insult in the playground when I was a kid. (Not pronounced Mol-eh like this dish)

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  2. Great idea to make your own mole sauce. I've only eaten it but never made it but it sounds straightforward and I have everything but cashew butter!

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    1. Thanks Lorraine - you could easily use peanut butter which is more common as a household ingredient - I have updated the post to reflect this

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  3. They look delicious. I love the smoky earthy flavour of mole sauce. You've reminded me I really should make my own tortillas more often

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    1. Thanks Katie - I haven't had much mole sauce but most of it I have enjoyed. Do you make corn tortillas or ones with gf flour ? I have tried corn tortillas but found the wheat ones much easier!

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  4. These look incredible! I love anything that is mole-ified, but especially if there is cheese involved. Also, your tortillas are so impressive!

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    1. Thanks Joanne - I need more mole-fying in my life :-)

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  5. Coincidence: we had quesadillas for dinner last night, but ours were the instant variety because we had been watching a movie until it was essentially time to eat. Ready-made tortillas, all the miscellaneous cheese in the fridge melted onto them, last half of a jar of pineapple salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, hot peppers from a jar. LAZY! Yours sound really ambitious and delicious and blog-worthy.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks Mae - your tortillas don't sound instant (I thought maybe they came out of a box when you described them thus). That is how I usually make them but I don't have such an array of ingredients! And I think watching a movie is a good reason for quesadillas

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  6. I haven't have quesadillas for ages..... these look so delicious, it is making me want some now! There are so many variations, but your mole sauce sounds wonderful, especially with the fresh cashew butter!

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    1. Thanks Kate - I am rather fond of quesadillas so I should make them more often (just like I should make tortillas more often)

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  7. ooh they looks wonderful, my biggest challenge is always rolling them out thin enough and making them roughly the same size. Very keen to give the mole a go!

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    1. Thanks Cate - I didn't find the rolling out difficult (unlike when I tried rolling out corn tortillas) but I have made quite a few flatbreads and found it similar to them. Try the mole - it was great

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  8. These look so delicious. What a lovely dinner. There's wonderful flavours in these quesadillas and I'm impressed you made your own mole sauce - I haven't done that! xx

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    1. Thanks Charlie - actually I was impressed I made my own mole sauce - it has been something I have wanted to do for ages and was less intimidating than I expected.

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  9. Quesadillas regularly appear in my kitchen, but I've never made the tortillas from scratch - Not sure why as I make beautiful rotis/chappatis, so I applaud you. I've made mole once in my life, and wasn't overly keen as I found the chocolate too much, but that was like 10 years ago, so I am happy to try again, esp your recipe. Thanks for sharing with WSC and eatyourgreens.

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    1. Thanks Shaheen - we don't have quesadillas regularly but I wish we did - and if you regularly make chappatis and rotis I am sure you would find tortillas easy. I really enjoyed this mole - I have found some savoury dishes too chocolatey but this wasn't - I think the spices balance it out. (I also tried a mole sauce at a market that I didn't like so I guess not all mole sauces are the same)

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  10. Homemade amazingness - the tortillas look perfect and the recipe possible enough to inspire me to make my own next time too!

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    1. Thanks Danielle - the tortillas were really easy (though not quite perfect but close enough for jazz)

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  11. Wow this looks like my perfect meal! The tortillas look so good and I love the sound of the sauce and kale together

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    1. Thanks Kate - I did consider just eating these quesadillas night after night because we had so much mole sauce and they were so good

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  12. I've never heard of biocheese - is it new? Is it good?!

    I'm applauding over here for the making your own tortillas, they look fantastic. Quesadillas with some form of dark green veg are one of my favourites

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    1. Thanks Joey - I think biocheese is also known by a few other names - I really love its meltiness and recommend it - though it isn't so rich in flavour but I figure it is easier to add flavour than find a melty texture and apparently it is coming out in some new flavours.

      I made our own tortillas again for haggis mole wraps last night and they were so easy and so yummy

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  13. Fantastic, Johanna! I love the sauce and tortillas. I have made my own tortillas on a whim over the last few months but never to standards blogging worthy. Yours look great - I will have to give this meal (minus cheese ;) ) a try.

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    1. Thanks Kari - great to hear you are making your own tortillas - I have made lots of flatbreads so felt quite confident doing it - hopefully the more you do it the more confident you will be (because it is often confidence that makes it blogworthy)

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  14. Oh this is absolutely fabulous Johanna, I want to run off and make my own tortillas right now - sadly on a fast day :( When I do make them I want to use your mole and kale quesadillas recipe because it sounds right up my street and kale is one of the few things still growing down at the plot. Thanks for joining in with We Should Cocoa - I've bookmarked.

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    1. Thanks Choclette - it is terrible seeing good food on a fast day - but at least there will be other days for these - esp if you have kale readily available in your plot - I am jealous :-)

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  15. Wow, these look SO amazing! And well done you, making the tortillas to boot. I wonder what else the mole sauce could go with... apart from a spoon!

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