Pork and Tomatillo Quesadillas with Ancho Dipping Salsa

Name: Pork and Tomatillo Quesadillas with Ancho Dipping Salsa
Yield: makes 6 quesadillas for about 12 appetizer portions
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons chili powder; 2 tablespoons ground cumin; 1 tablespoon coriander seed, lightly crushed; 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper; 4 pounds pork butt (also sold as shoulder); 2 pounds fresh tomatillos, papery covering removed, and washed; 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered; 1 1/2 jalapeño chiles, seeded; 3 cloves garlic; 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 medium lime); Coarsely chopped fresh cilantro; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 ripe medium avocado; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 medium yellow onions, sliced; 4 poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and sliced in long strips; 2 Anaheim chiles, stemmed, seeded, and sliced in long strips; 12 large (8-inch) flour tortillas; 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 12 ounces); Ancho Dipping Salsa (recipe follows), for accompaniment; 8 Roma tomatoes, cored; 3 cloves garlic; 1 medium yellow onion, quartered; 2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed and seeded; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 4 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded; 2 chipotle chiles, stemmed and seeded; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; Pinch of sugar

December 14, 2011

A fresh-off-the-griddle appetizer offered just after guests arrive makes for an especially warm welcome. Pork quesadillas were standard fare during my catering days, when we passed them on trays as appetizers. Most of the components for this dish are made in advance, but assembling and grilling them is a last-minute thing. Frances, my college-age daughter, is a quesadilla pro, and at a recent party she stepped right in, saying, “I know how to do this, Mom.” She kept on turning out quesadillas until the tortillas were gone and guests had moved on to filling their plates from the buffet. It reminded me how handy it is to have a young adult around to help out, freeing me to greet and mingle. My daughter is away at college for most of the year, but teenagers—yours, a friend’s, or even a neighbor’s—can be valuable elpers at parties. Money is a strong motivator, so I always pay my teen helpers, and I always train them beforehand, letting them know exactly what I expect. Oh, and I always feed them, too.

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