The complexity of guajillo chiles, sweet clove, smoky cumin, Mexican oregano and finely minced mushrooms combine to create a delicious vegetarian chorizo filling for these quesadillas. The chorizo is easy to prepare and versatile⎯ great for tacos or scrambled with eggs. Slideshow: More Tex-Mex Recipes
How to Make It
In a nonreactive shallow bowl, combine the chiles, onion, garlic, and bay leaf. Pour in the vinegar, water, and orange juice. Cover with plastic wrap set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Discard the bay leaf. Transfer the chile-vinegar mixture to the bowl of a food processor and process to form a rough paste. Add the olive oil, agave, cumin, clove, and oregano and pulse until the spices are evenly distributed. Using a spatula, scrape the chile paste into a medium bowl and set aside.
Working in the same bowl for the processor, add the mushrooms and pulse until finely diced. Stir the chopped mushrooms into the chile paste and mix until evenly distributed. The mixture should resemble a loose chorizo filling. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
In a non-stick skillet, heat 1/2 teaspoon of the oil. Place one tortilla in the skillet and scatter 1/4 cup cheese evenly over the top. Spread 1/2 cup of the mushroom chorizo filling over the cheese and top with another 1/4 cup of grated mozzarella. Top the quesadilla with the second tortilla and cook over moderately high-heat until crisp on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Carefully flip the quesadilla over to the other side and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until cheese is melted and the chorizo filling is spilling and bubbling out from the sides. Repeat with the reserved oil and tortillas to finish the remaining quesadillas. Slice into wedges, transfer to plates, and sprinkle with chopped cilantro to serve.