January 24: Salsa Stoup and Double-Decker Baked Quesadillas

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus some for brushing the tortillas
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped with greens
3 garlic cloves, chopped
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 28-ounce can stewed tomatoes
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock or broth
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
6 6- to 8-inch flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Cheddar
3 scallions, chopped
1 cup shredded Pepper Jack
   Sour cream, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and the jalapenos, bell peppers, onions, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, then saute the veggies for 5 minutes.

Add all the tomatoes and stock and bring to a bubble. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the cilantro.

Paint one side of 2 tortillas with oil and place them, oiled side down, on a large cookie sheet. Mix the Cheddar with the scallions and divide between the tortillas evenly.

Top with another tortilla and top each of those with equal amounts of Pepper Jack cheese.



Set the last tortillas on top and brush the tops with oil. Bake the quesadillas for 10 minutes, then cool for 5 minutes to set.

Cut each into 6 wedges.

Serve each bowl of stoup with 3 wedges of quesadilla alongside and sour cream for topping either.

4 SERVINGS

The only thing I want to say about this is that the quesadillas are good and plenty, but the stoup is way too much for 4 servings. Maybe some people eat a quart of soup in one sitting, but I can't. We have so much left over! I guess I'll freeze it. It might even be good cold as a salsa for chips. I love dipping the quesadillas in it.

My husband always hates chunky vegetables. This is supposed to be a chunky vegetable soup, but I put all the vegetables (including the stewed tomatoes) into the food processor and chopped them finely, almost to a puree. He just gobbles it down, even though every single vegetable (except the hot peppers) I put in it he hates: bell peppers, onions, celery, garlic, and tomatoes. The only thing I left out for him was the cilantro. I put that as a garnish on my own soup.