Fusion Confusion.
This recipe is quite possibly the most fusion-y mishmash I’ve ever created. It’s a quesadilla, so there is the obvious Mexican influence. But then it has goat Gouda, giving it a touch of Dutch. A big part of the flavor profile comes from Western China, home to the Uyghurs whose cumin lamb specialty is a favorite in our house. And because we both love Moroccan cuisine, the oil-cured olive salsa tops it all. It is all of those wonderful flavors in one tidy wrapper.
So much of today’s meal came from vendors at the Tucson Heirloom Village Farmers market — the best tortillas from Tortilleria Arevalo, the lamb from L & B Farm, and the tomatoes and herbs from Careless Coyote. I’m so grateful to them for all the hard work they do to bring the best and healthiest ingredients to our tables.
Willing taste-testing friends confirm that it is a super good combination of flavors and worth considering for your table. When it came time to pair it with a wine, I chose a Domaine Lafage Narassa — a full-bodied red blend from the Côtes Catalanes. You can read more on the Provence WineZine.
~ David
Lamb Quesadillas
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Ingredients
- 2-3 large Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 20 oil cured olives, pitted and diced
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1 habanero pepper, seeded and minced
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- _____________________________
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin, plus extra as needed
- kosher salt, to taste
- 8 ounces goat Gouda, coarsely grated
- 4 large flour tortillas
- Yogurt or sour cream to serve
Instructions
- Mix the tomatoes, olives, cilantro, habanero, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Add the olive oil and mix well; set aside.
- Crumble the lamb (if you can, regrind it for an easier crumble) and shallot into a 12-inch skillet and cook over medium heat until the lamb is nice and crumbly and the shallot is clear. Season with the cumin and a touch of salt. Using a slotted spoon, remove the lamb from the skillet.
- Leave a tablespoon or so of the fat in the pan; reserve remaining fat. Fold two of the tortillas in half (do not crease them), and put them in the pan over medium heat to make a full circle. Lift one side and spread 1/8 of the grated Gouda. Top with 1/4 of the lamb mixture, then top that with 1/8 of the Gouda, and let the side of the tortilla down. Repeat with the other tortilla.
- Cook until the bottom is golden brown and crunchy. Carefully flip both quesadillas to brown the other side. (It helps to flip the open edge upward as you turn them over so the filling doesn’t fall out. The cheese inside will help “glue” the tortilla together.) When they are golden on the second side, put them on a platter and keep warm in the oven.
- Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas, cheese, and lamb, adding some of the reserved cooking fat back to the pan if needed.
- When the second set of tortillas is done, remove the ones from the oven, then cut each of the four into three wedges, and plate or arrange on a platter and serve with sides of the salsa and yogurt/sour cream.
- Serves 4-6.
© 2024 Copyright Cocoa & Lavender
Mad Dog
December 7, 2024 at 5:43 amThat looks delicious and a touch of sunshine for a very wet and stormy day (here).
Cocoa & Lavender
December 7, 2024 at 8:18 amThanks, Mad Dog — hope you are cozy and dry.
Mimi Rippee
December 7, 2024 at 5:51 amGoat Gouda? Never had it! Wow. What a fantastic combination of flavors!!! I can put just about anything in a tortilla and make a quesadilla. I know I’d love these.
Cocoa & Lavender
December 7, 2024 at 8:19 amI love goat Gouda, Mimi — it seems to be available in most grocery stores here. Worth seeking out! These flavors went really well together… a nice surprise!
angiesrecipes
December 7, 2024 at 6:16 amNot a fan of Mexican food, but I absolutely LOVE lamb.
Cocoa & Lavender
December 7, 2024 at 8:21 amWell, the good news is that this is definitely not Mexican food! It is more Middle Eastern in essence, I think. Only the tortilla is from Mexican heritage, and any flatbread could be used.
Barb
December 7, 2024 at 7:40 amVery interesting combinations that obviously work perfectly together! It sounds delicious even though Mexican is not one of my favorite cuisines. I would have thought it would have been difficult to pair with a red wine but you obviously hit the jackpot with the Côtes Catalanes.
Cocoa & Lavender
December 7, 2024 at 8:24 amIt’s funny you say that about the wine pairing, Barb — my friends at the PWZ thought it should be a white wine but I stuck with my guns and the red was perfect.
We have learned so much about Mexican cuisine since moving here… it is as diverse as imaginable. Most of what we see in the US is a tiny percentage of all that is available in the country. We came not really loving Mexican food and are now quite enamored with all the cuisines in the different regions.
Pauline McNee
December 7, 2024 at 2:42 pmI need to find goat Gouda as well. Love your combination of flavours, and I think this dish is achievable in my humble kitchen. The lamb filling sounds perfect. Wonderful, thanks David
Eha Carr
December 7, 2024 at 2:52 pmWell, reading this fusion there is no confusion in my mind – I would love this NOW even after just finishing breakfast 🙂 ! You truly have covered the world in its creation!!! No trouble with ingredients even in my neck of the woods except for that goat Gouda . . . don’t think I have ever tasted any . . .
Gerlinde de Broekert
December 7, 2024 at 4:15 pmDavid, this is my kind of food. I love anything quesadilla . Although I have to admit, I’m not a real fan of ground lamb but love goat cheese. This looks like a wonderful creative recipe. Congratulations.
FEL!X
December 7, 2024 at 5:58 pmI agree with AngiesRecipes comment! Would eat your delicious lamb creation and the tomato salsa with an other side dish!!!
Frank | Memorie di Angelina
December 8, 2024 at 7:05 amYou’ve got my head spinning, David! I feel like that robot on Lost in Space yelling “Does not compute!” But you know what, I bet your taste testers are right. Plus I absolutely love cumin lamb.
Karen (Back Road Journal)
December 8, 2024 at 9:11 amYou may have created a fusion-y mishmash but I know I would love your quesadillas.
Ronit Penso
December 8, 2024 at 11:12 amMy kind of fusion! All these different ingredients work so well together. The goat Gouda is quite intriguing. Can’t recall seeing it. Will look for it. 🙂
sherry
December 8, 2024 at 5:40 pmwe are not lamb eaters (unlike most Aussies) but i like the sound of this, David. Could use other meat I guess 🙂
Happy festives to you.
sherry
Jeff the Chef
December 9, 2024 at 7:33 amThis is truly world cuisine! I’ve never had a salsa with olives in it. That alone sounds amazing. I also love lamb and love to come across new recipes for it.
Inger
December 11, 2024 at 6:24 amWe’re big lamb lovers (though without such a ready source as your lovely farmer’s market), so we’d be voting thumbs up too!