Tacodilla? What's That?

A tacodilla is a cheese quesadilla, folded and filled like a taco. Brilliant. Think grilled cheese sandwich folded around a spicy, savory filling and you get the idea, sort of. But it's more than that, eating a tacodilla is a whole different food experience. If it's not an official and recognized culinary offering, it should be! 

I first found this term here, and immediately loved the concept. Then a Google search turned up 4200 more links for tacodillas. It was obvious that while this notion was new to me, scores of other taco lovers already knew about tacodillas. Why didn't I think of this practical, street truck approach to tacos? Corn tortillas, my favorites, are often flimsy and can fall apart when used singly in tacos. Doubling them up helped to keep the filling intact, but it was still a messy challenge to eat a corn tortilla taco with your fingers. 

Now a simple solution is to griddle a flat, cheese-filled quesadilla and use it as the wrapper for a hand-held taco of your favorite fillings. Melted pepper jack cheese adds a rich, comfort-food note to a taco that cold, shredded cheese can't match, no matter how traditional it is as a topping. (That's where the toasted cheese sandwich comparison comes to mind.)

This tacodilla features a New Mexican pork filling (carne adovada) with a handful of chopped vegetables for crunch. It's still waiting for a squirt of lime juice, or a drizzle of a cilantro sour cream sauce, or even a bit of guacamole. 

I'll bet you can't eat just one. Really!