Spicy Bean Quesadillas with Roasted Poblano, Garlic and Chiptole Salsa

I love quesadillas and these are the first ones I think I've made. We had Mexican stuff a few nights ago and we had all of these leftover beans sitting in their garlicy, cumin-y broth. I ordered some poblano chillies for something else (coming soon!) and had a few left over. Alas, this quesadilla was born.

If you've never had homemade tortillas, let me tell you, they are VASTLY superior to any storebought tortilla. I mean, it's not even close. So DON'T SKIMP. Do the right thing. Besides, it only takes a few minutes. You're worth it, right?

As you can see from the picture, I had started diving into them before taking the photo. Also, in the background, is a nice advertisement for Corona beer. This is a great way to use up left over cooked beans. I'm really happy with this one and I hope you try it.

2 cups cooked Mexican style beans
½ cup bean broth
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 red chillies, stemmed, deseeded and chopped finely
salt and black pepper
SAUCE
2 poblano chiles, stemmed, deseeded and cut into flat pieces
3 cloves garlic, peeled
½ red onion, chopped into big chunks
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons chipotle chile puree
1 tablespoon honey
salt and black pepper
olive oil, for drizzling
TORTILLAS
2 cups tortilla flour, or plain flour
½ cup warm water
1 tablespoon lard

BEAN PUREE
Take the cooked beans and put them in a blender with the bean broth. Whiz into a puree, set aside.

In a skillet set over medium-high heat, add the oil. When hot, add the garlic and chillies and saute briefly (30 seconds or so) just until they start to release their aromas. Add the bean puree to it and a little extra bean broth if you kept it (a little water if you have no bean broth left) and some salt and pepper. Cook until the liquid is absorbed and you have a nice, thick, tasty bean puree. Set the puree aside.

THE SAUCE
Preheat the broiler (grill) to high and place the oven rack about 4-6 inches under it. Drizzle a baking sheet with some oil and lay down the poblano pieces, onion and garlic in a single layer. Drizzle some more oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until the skins on the peppers start to blister and go black, about 6-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and peel the skins off of the chillies.

Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet set over medium-high heat. When hot, add the roasted chillies, garlic, onion, chipotle puree, honey and salt and pepper to the pan. Cook for a minute or two, then reduce the heat down to medium. Cook, stirring frequently, until the contents of the pan have softened up well, about 20 minutes at least.

Transfer the contents to a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.

TORTILLAS
Combine the flour, water and lard in a bowl and mix with your hand until it comes together into a ball of dough, making sure the lard is incorporated well. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 15 minutes. Divide the dough into four equal parts and roll each out into a circle on a well-floured surface.

In a non-stick pan set over high heat, cook the tortillas for about 20-30 seconds each side, until you start to get some brown spots.

ASSEMBLY
Split the bean mixture in half and spread each half on one tortilla. Top with the sauce in the same way. Top with the other tortilla. Warm up in a hot oven until hot, just a few minutes as you don't want the tortillas to go crisp. Serve hot.