I head to Sor Ynez in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood, where we learned the basics from the pros.
As I found out, it's so quick, so easy and so fresh!
"We're a traditional Mexican restaurant and we use traditional methods," explains Executive Chef Alexis Dellez. "We use the volcanic stones to grind our masa."
Masa is a dough made from ground corn. Sor Ynez recently launched an in-house, handcrafted Masa program.
The Dish: Zucchini flower quesadillas and salsa from Sor Ynez
"We started grinding our own masa about two years ago," Dellez explains. "We source our corn from Mexico from small farmers."
They serve that masa at the restaurant, sell it to wholesalers and shops, and now, you can buy it and make your own tortillas at home.
They say you can taste and feel the difference.
"If you get any type of corn tortilla or flour tortilla that's processed, it's kind of like eating junk food," says Dellez.
Their masa is organic and everything they make with it is from scratch.
Sor Ynez opened three and a half years ago in a spacious lot on North American Street, with parking and a patio.
"Fall is always nice for us," Dellez says. "People enjoy the patio and the sunset and dine al fresco."
Dellez taught us how to make their zucchini flower quesadillas, complete with those fresh tortillas and a super fast homemade salsa.
It starts with fresh veggies on the grill. We are using whole tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and whole cloves of garlic.
"If you don't have a grill at home, you can use an oven," Dellez says. "Just oven roast everything. There's nothing on them. You just pop them on the grill and get a nice char."
The cheese is queso hebra, or Oaxaca cheese. It comes in a braid shape and you pull it apart, like string cheese.
"It's like a string cheese, like a Mexican mozzarella," Dellez says.
Once that's ready, start rolling the masa for those quesadillas.
Place each ball onto a plastic-lined tortilla press and flatten twice, flipping in between each press.
Dellez says it's worth investing in the press to crank them out faster.
Once the veggies get a nice char, just pop them into a food processor or blender while they are still hot. You don't even have to add anything else.
After a quick blend, season with a little salt. Once it cools, you can add cilantro or any herb you like and mix it in.
Lay each tortilla down flat, place the cheese down first and then add some zucchini blossoms. The flowers are seasonal and this is the perfect time to eat them.
Simply open each one, take off the stem and add to the quesadilla.
Next, Dellez adds a Mexican herb called epazote. You can use cilantro, spinach, or anything green.
Fold each tortilla and place them on a hot stovetop or pan, flipping until they're nice and melty.
Plate with your fresh salsa and enjoy!
Salsa and Quesadilla Recipe From Sor Ynez
Salsa Roja Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. plum tomato
- 2 jalapenos
- 2 oz. white onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- chopped cilantro to taste
- salt to taste
Directions:
1. Grill or oven roast all ingredients, except for the cilantro
2. Blend all cooked ingredients in a food processor while still hot, then add salt
3. Once salsa is cool, add fresh cilantro and mix together
Flor de Calabaza Quesadilla Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 corn tortillas
- 1 lb. queso hebra or Oaxaca cheese
- 9 zucchini blossoms
- 6 epazote leaves (cab substitute with cilantro, spinach or anything green)
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Heat up a nonstick pan to medium heat
2. Warm the tortilla on one side, then flip
3. Add queso, blossoms and epazote/cilantro
4. Season with salt and pepper
5. Fold and flip for both sides to cook through until cheese is gooey and melty