Shrimp Ceviche Quesadillas – Quesadillas Ceviche de Camarón

(recipe available in English and Spanish)

Towers of Cheesy Quesadillas were on the menu when we had an impromptu appetizer party with the kids. Earlier that day I had received a shipment of Tillamook cheese (the true way to a gal’s heart – cheese) and mi carnio suggested we make grilled pizza. The girls suggested over the top quesadillas and I had no other choice but to surrender to their wishes.

I’m cool like that.

I handled the grill and the rest of the gang assembled the quesadillas. I have to say I was pretty excited to wrap my mouth around the ceviche quesadillas. Usually a summer time appetizer ceviche is very popular in my home and with the amazing local shrimp; we find any excuse to make it. Using pre-cooked shrimp these quesadillas come together quickly and the fresh pico de gallo gives them a summer vibe. And a mountain of Tillamook’s Monterrey jack gooey cheese holding everything together never hurts either.

Enjoy~

In my last post I share a little about my recent trip to Oregon with Tillamook cheese. I shared about our trip to the factory to see where all that amazing cheese is made. Today I want to share about the people behind the scenes, the farmers. The dedicated families who provide farm fresh milky goodness to the Tillamook factory each and every day.

Here is a little of what I learned on my recent visit:

Dairy farming isn’t a job, it’s a lifestyle: It is an all-day, every-day occurrence. It’s not 9 to 5 and there are no holidays. The family farm we visited had not had a vacation in 3 years. They are a hard-working family who value their product and strive each and everyday to maintain the level of excellence.

Dairy farmers are Jacks- and Jills-of-all-trades: They work with the experts, but they must also be proficient in all aspects of their trade. This means that are everything from a veterinarian and livestock technician, to animal nutritionist, an engineer and mechanic, to a construction contractor to business manager.

Their day begins at 2 .m. – yup: Milking start times vary between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. A cow must be milked at least twice a day, every 12 hours, so the morning milking routine will be repeated in the afternoon.

Cows need lots and lots of water: A cow can drink a bathtub full of water. They drink so much water because it takes about two gallons of water for the cow to make one gallon of milk.
That’s a lot of food: An average Holstein can eat up to 100 pounds of feed each day. This includes variety of forages and grains for feed that is both home-grown and purchased. The mix varies dairy to- dairy, but will likely include a mix of grass, alfalfa, some corn silage, and grains such as
barley or soy.

Did you know? More than 50 percent of a dairy farmer’s income will go back into the cost of
feeding the cows.

Fueled by coffee and loads of passion: Breakfast for a typical farmer may be as late as 9 a.m. They’ve been going for at least six hours by then! But you can bet they are fueled with coffee and maybe a snack such as a banana.

Shrimp Ceviche Quesadillas

Author: Vianney Rodriguez

Ingredients

1 1 /2 cups small cooked shrimp about ½ pound
½ cup pico de gallo
3 tablespoons salsa
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 cups shredded Tillamook Monterrey Jack cheese
1 ripe avocado peeled, pitted, cubed
6 7inch flour tortillas
Tillamook sour cream

Instructions

Rinse and drain the shrimp. Press between paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Stir together the shrimp, pico de gallo, salsa, and lime juice in a small bowl. Cover and allow to marinate for 10 minutes.
Place an equal amount of cheese, avocado, and shrimp mixture on half of each tortilla. Fold over to enclose the filling. Place on grill over low heat and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Carefully turn and grill the other side. Serve warm with sour cream.

Recipe Notes

recipe from The Tillamook Cookbook