RECIPE: Quesadillas Potosinas

Josefina visited San Luís Potsí, the agriculturally rich state in central Mexico, frequently to teach cooking classes and raise money for local church projects. This recipe comes from her book Cocina de San Luís Potosí (circa 1957) and was tested by Saveur as part of the feature article that I wrote for the magazine in December 2005.

Don’t let the name quesadillas fool you. These little stuffed-masa wonders require more work that a folding-a-tortilla-with-cheese operation. But once you discover the taste of ancho chile in the masa and the tangy queso fresco you will be willing to start a new batch right away. This recipe, by the way, makes around 14 quesadillas.

3 cups lard or vegetable oil
2 large white onions, peeled and chopped
16 serrano chiles, stemmed and chopped
2 tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and chopped
1 lb. queso fresco, crumbled
2 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
4 cups instant corn masa mix (Maseca brand)
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 chorizos
1/2 cup shredded queso añejo


1. Heat 1/4 cup of the lard in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, 8–10 minutes. Add serrano chiles and tomatillos and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to a medium bowl. Add queso fresco, mix well, and set aside to let filling cool.

2. Put ancho chiles into a small bowl, cover with 2 1/2 cups hot water, and set aside to let softened, about 20 minutes. Put chilies and soaking water into a blender, purée until smooth and transfer to a large bowl. Add masa, salt, baking powder, and 1 tbsp. of the lard or vegetable oil and mix with your hands until well combined. Divide dough evenly into 14 balls. Drape plastic wrap over the base of a tortilla press. Put 1 dough ball at a time in center of press, cover with plastic wrap, and close press to flatten into a 6” disk. (Alternatively, put dough between 2 pieces of plastic and roll out with a rolling pin.) Set plastic-covered tortillas aside.

3. Unwrap a tortilla and put about 1/3 cup of the filling in the center. Fold tortilla into a half-moon shape and press edges together to seal. Repeat process with remaining tortillas and filling.

4. Melt remaining lard in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat and heat until hot but not smoking. Add chorizo, fry until browned, 5—7 minutes, and set aside. Working in batches, fry quesadillas until lightly browned on each side, 1—2 minutes per side. Drain quesadillas on paper towels as done. Slice chorizos.

5. Serve quesadillas garnished with queso añejo and with chorizo.