365 in 365 - #107 & # 108 - Lime Marinated Pork Quesadillas & Roasted Pico de Gayo

Days left in this challenge:  118             Recipes left to post:  257

Lime Marinated Pork Quesadillas

This is a recipe that I came up with because I didn’t have enough chicken stock left to poach some pork tenderloin.  I love the taste of lime, so I figured what the heck!  This turned out to be my husband’s favorite version of my quesadillas to date.  The key is to let the pork sit in the marinade over night in the fridge.  YUMMY!

3-4 lbs Pork tenderloin, trimmed

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups unsweetened Lime Juice (fresh or from the specialty food store).  I typically use Key Lime juice.

2 large bay leaves

1 tbsp whole peppercorns

1 large onion cut into chunks

1 bunch of cilantro

Place all the ingredients into a large pan, cover and bring to a simmer.

Let this simmer slowly for approx. 1 hour.  Let cool and place in the fridge over night.

The next morning, remove the pork, drain the meat and shred or chop into small pieces.  The meat will be very tender and delicious.

Roasted Pico de Gayo

2 lbs roma tomatoes, washed, cored, seeded, roasted and chopped.  

To roast the tomatoes, place in a single layer in a jellyroll pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in the over for 1 hour at 300”.

1 large red onion, chopped

2 coves garlic, minced

1 - 2 jalapenos, chopped (seeded if desired).  For the more adventurous, feel free to use a Serrano or habañero pepper.

One bunch of cilantro, washed and finely chopped.

¼ cup lime juice

½ tsp Kosher Salt and ½ tsp freshly ground pepper

Mix all the ingredients together, and let it sit to allow the flavors to meld.  

This can be made the day before also and refrigerated overnight.

Assembling the Quesadillas

You will need these additional ingredients:

4 cups shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese and 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese, mixed

1 lb Sour cream

12 burrito sized Four tortillas

Cooking spray

A large griddle

Mix the Pico with the chopped pork and set aside.

Spread a thin layer of sour cream on a tortilla

Sprinkle a layer of cheese on half of the tortilla, 

Sprinkle about ½ cup of the pork and pico mixture on top of the cheese,

Sprinkle the pork and pico with cheese and fold the tortilla in half to cover the filling.

You now have a quesadilla that is really easy to turn without loosing any filling.

Preheat your griddle on medium heat.  Lightly spray the griddle.

Place the quesadillas on the griddle and let them turn a golden brown, once they turn a golden brown on one side, turn them over and repeat on the other side.  This makes 12 servings.

Serve with Chips, salsa, sour cream, and a Marguerita……Viva la Quesadilla!


From the heart of my purple kitchen to you!!!


Enjoy,
S.