Happy Boxing Day!
This recipe, which started with the very nice folk at Pillsbury.com, calls for turning a couple of their ready-made pie crusts into a savory pie, filled with chorizo sausage, balck beans, corn, and cheese.
Nice.
But how much nicer, I thought, if I rescued the savory short crust recipe from the disastrous Gentleman’s Relish episode?
And then, while I was at it changing stuff, I had this cool seasoning blend from The Spice House, that promised to turn any ground meat into a nicely seasoned chorizo, that I was kinda itchin’ to try out.
We’d also, in the lead up to the holidays, been eating a bit more beef and pork than we should, so I thought a chicken-based chorizo would be just the thing – which, as it happened, it was.
Still, if you have a preferred pie crust recipe, or like to buy yours, along with actual chorizo sausage, feel free to do so, this makes for a fine meal, no matter how you come to it.
INGREDIENTS
Chorizo:
•1 lb ground chicken
•2 tbsp Chorizo Casero
•2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Short Crust:
•2 cups flour
•1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
•1/4 tsp seasoned salt
•Black pepper, freshly ground
•1 stick butter
•1 tbsp Parmesan, grated
•2 egg yolks
Quesadilla:
•10 oz ground pork chorizo (I used the pound of chicken chorizo)
•1/2 cup chopped onion
•1 fresh jalapeño, sliced
•1/4 cup tomato paste
•1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained, rinsed
•1 box (10 oz) frozen corn & butter sauce
•1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box (I used the savory shortcrust recipe above, which will make two, nice pie crust rounds)
•2 cups shredded cheddar-jack cheese (8 oz)
First thing, make your chorizo by combining a pound of ground meat of your choice – the chicken was nice, but turkey, beef, or pork would be good, too – with the seasoning blend and red wine vinegar, then cover and stash in the fridge overnight.
Second, make the dough by combining the flour, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Give it a few pulses to blend, then add the butter and pulse until you have a crumbly dough.
Blend in the eggs and the cheese, adding up to three tablespoons of water if needed, to make the dough come together.
Turn the dough out into a bowl lined with plastic wrap, flatten it into a disk, then fold the wrap up and over to cover and stash in the fridge for 45 minutes to overnight.
When ready to make your quesadilla, heat oven to 375°.
Bring the shortcrust out to warm up a bit on the counter while you put the filling together.
Prepare the corn according to package directions and set aside – I cut a small slit in the top of the bag and ‘waved mine.
Heat a large skillet (I used my tagine) over medium-high heat.
Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil or so in the pan, then add the chicken (or sausage), onion, and jalapeño.
Cook for three or four minutes, stirring constantly, then add the tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring, until the meat is well and truly cooked – mebbe ten minutes total.
Lower the heat, then stir in the drained black beans along with the cooked corn and butter sauce.
Cook for another three minutes or so, just until heated through.
Divide your dough in two pieces, then roll out the first into a large (mebbe 12 inch) circle and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Roll the second half of the dough into a large circle and set aside.
Sprinkle about 2/3 cup of the shredded cheese over the bottom crust – stopping about an inch for the edge.
Top with the meat and bean filling, then with another 2/3 cup of the cheese.
Place the second crust on top of the bottom and the filling, then roll the edges over and crimp with a fork to seal.
Note: no offense to the fine purveyors of pre-made pie crust, but my savory shortcrust is, I believe, a tad richer and moister than store bought; so, if you do choose to use premade dough, you might want to moisten the edge of the bottom crust with a bit of water before placing the second crust on top, rolling and crimping.
Pop the chorizo into the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
Sprinkle the last of the grated cheese over the top, then pop it back into the oven for another four or five minutes, just until the cheese is nicely melted.
Let rest for ten minutes before serving.
I sliced ours into quarters and added sliced scallion.
Tasty warm for dinner, and not too, too bad cold for a snack the next day.