PASTRAMI QUESADILLA—FUSION CUISINE OLE!

THERE ARE SEVERAL LAYERS OF THIS TALE, one a bit scary but with a happy ending. They’re offered as tidbits chronologically. 

The Basic Quesadilla. Wikipedia describes, “A quesadilla is a Mexican dish consisting of a tortilla that is filled primarily with cheese, and sometimes meats, spices, and other fillings, and then cooked on a griddle or stove. Traditionally, a corn tortilla is used, but it can also be made with a flour tortilla…. The quesadilla as a dish has changed and evolved over many years as people have experimented with different variations of it.”

The Pastrami Quesadilla. A decidedly different variation is a quesadilla made with pastrami. Which leads, of course, to Wikipedia’s description of this meat: “Pastrami is a type of cured meat originating from Romania usually made from beef brisket. The raw meat is brined, partially dried, seasoned with herbs and spices, then smoked and steamed. Like corned beef, pastrami was originally created as a way to preserve meat before the invention of refrigeration. One of the iconic meats of Eastern European cuisine as well as American Jewish cuisine and New York City cuisine, hot pastrami is typically served at delicatessen restaurants on sandwiches such as the pastrami on rye.”

Another pastrami tidbit: Wikipedia notes, “New York’s Sussman Volk is generally credited with producing the first pastrami sandwich in the United States in 1887. Volk was a kosher butcher and New York immigrant from Lithuania. According to his descendant Patricia Volk, he prepared pastrami according to the recipe of a Romanian friend and served it on sandwiches out of his butcher shop. The sandwich was so popular that Volk converted the butcher shop into a restaurant to sell pastrami sandwiches.”

Hurrah for Lithuania!

Ben’s Best Deli Pastrami Sandwich, Rego Park, NY. Image by Jeff via Wikipedia.

My Fav Pastrami. There used to be a quick-food Mexican drive-through nearby that had among its offerings a pastrami quesadilla. It had properly grilled corn tortillas encasing cheese, onions, jalapeno pepper, and pastrami, complete with some might think a surfeit of the latter’s lush juices. 

I recall two memorable people staffing the drive-through: one an avant garde young lady with pink hair and various metallic adornments; the other, a gracious grandmother type. The young thing would reward my order pickup with a thumbs up; the gracious abuelita, with a smile and a subtle wagging of an index finger.

Alas, the abuelita, the pink-hair charmer, and the restaurant are gone; the site now another fav of mine, a Habit Burger & Grill.

In the News. Always the hep influencer (even sans TikTok), I see that pastrami quesadillas have made the news.

Image from RC Provisions, June 4, 2024. 

Indeed, there’s a Eureka! restaurant near the campus of UC Irvine not far from here.  The menu description, however, describes an offering that’s not quite canonical: “RC Provisions Pastrami/cheese blend/sauerkraut/chipotle sauce/housemade pickles.” 

Image from Los Angeles Daily News, December 11, 2024.

The sauerkraut (not a fav of mine) would seem to make it more of a Pastrami Reuben Quesadilla (not the usual corned beef). 

A Lesson in Online Recipe Hunting. In researching pastrami quesadilla online, imagine my distress in encountering a locked-up iMac 27 with a seemingly inalterable warning about a Trojan virus. Its demands were along the lines of “You Must Immediately Call Apple Support to Unlock Your Computer.” 

Yes, there was a toll-free number listed. But there was also a portion of the demand reading something like “before stating your computer.” 

Seemingly, hackers are never very literate, for which I am thankful. Tawanna, a most cordial, real—and smart!—Apple rep at its official number (not the hacker’s) put things right with a couple of clicks.

The lesson is “Whenever confronted with supposed computer maladies, be an editor and look for typos.” 

And then enjoy making a pastrami quesadilla.

My Easy-Peasy Version: Heat a gob of butter in a skillet. Put in a corn tortilla. Pile generously with cheese of your choice. Sometimes I use Swiss, other times a Mexican mix. Sprinkle with chopped onion and jalapeno. If the latter’s heat is objectionable, dice only the skin, not any seeds. Pile on a goodly amount of pastrami. I use StoneRidge Ranch Shaved Deli Style with a prior 1-minute microwave zap to loosen it up.

 Next you can be non-canonical/inventive: Some Thousand Island Dressing? A sauerkraut Reuben? Some Korean Gochujang? Top with a second corn tortilla. Heat until the bottom one is slightly browned here and there. Flip and finish off the top.

Let it sit long enough to set the cheese. Cut in quarters. Enjoy. ds  

 © Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2024