Kimchee Quesadilla

In July, I visited Montreal, Quebec, a wonderful, charming, multi-cultural city north of the border. I wrote about my experience on this blog; go read it if you have plans to visit Montreal (and you definitely should make plans). One of the most fun things I ate while there was a kimchee quesadilla. I saw it advertised on a sign outside of a Korean restaurant near our B&B and I just had to try it. After a long day of exploring the city, I dragged my three friends in, and made them watch while I ate it. Actually, they helped eat it too.

It was quite tasty and very easy, provided you can get kimchee. That's not so very hard. I saw it for sale in a small supermarket in Ithaca, New York recently. If they have it, I bet you can find it almost everywhere now. My kimchee came from Pacific Ocean Marketplace in Broomfield, CO. POM, as we call it, is a supermarket-sized Asian full-service grocery store. They cover nearly all Asian cuisines: Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Japanese, Korean and more. They have locally made kimchee. It's garlicky, and spicy, and not too, too funky. Also rather addictive. It was perfect for my homemade kimchee quesadilla.

Kimchee Quesadilla
(serves 1-2 as an entree, 4 as a snack or appetizer)

2 8-inch flour tortillas, labeled medium size usually
¾ cup colby-jack cheese, shredded
¼ medium bell pepper, diced
finely minced fresh hot chile, to taste
⅓ cup kimchee, coarsely chopped

Place one tortilla on a cutting board. Sprinkle on most of the cheese. Sprinkle on the remaining ingredients, then the rest of the cheese (this helps the quesadilla stay together). Heat up a large skillet or griddle over medium heat until hot. Place the quesadilla in the griddle and weight it down with another pan. This also helps the quesadilla stick together. When the bottom is slightly browned and the cheese is beginning to melt, flip over. Cook until cheese is completely melted and the bottom is browned. Serve immediately with fresh salsa and sour cream.