For tasty tidbit or main course, try quesadillas

By BETTY ROSBOTTOM, Tribune Media Services

Last update: January 23, 2008 - 6:06 PM

My husband and I are about the most unathletic souls I know, but our 30-something son lives for sports. Imagine, then, how much he looks forward to the Super Bowl.

Along with being an avid athlete, our son also is a good cook, so he often hosts Super Bowl gatherings. He serves simple dishes with robust flavors that don't take much time to prepare. This year, I can't wait to send him the recipe for Shrimp, Avocado and Goat Cheese Quesadillas. It's just the sort of hors d'oeuvre he can make easily, and it bursts with assertive tastes.

Flour tortillas are spread with a goat cheese/Monterey Jack mixture that is seasoned with cumin, lime and cilantro. Then sautéed shrimp, sliced avocados and bits of bacon are arranged over the cheese spread. Finally the tortillas are folded into their traditional half-moon shapes.

These quesadillas can be assembled an hour ahead, and at serving time require only about 5 minutes of cooking, either on a stovetop grill or in a skillet. You can cut the quesadillas into wedges to offer as appetizers or leave them whole and make them a light main course.

Add a bowl of nuts, some spicy homemade chicken wings, the requisite beer, and you'll be all set for Super Bowl Sunday.

Betty Rosbottom is a cooking school director.

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