Well, these were just as good as I thought they were going to be. I have all of Sara Foster's cookbooks. This recipe is from her most recent (although, as usual, I'm behind the eight-ball and it's almost a year old), called Casual Cooking. Like Ina, Sara is a protege of Martha's, but where Ina has a New York/Hampton's vibe, this is more North Carolina/Southern. Foster's Market is located in Durham, NC, and she has one in Chapel Hill too now. I want to go. Road trip. Second best though are her books. Go get one. And then get the rest.

So I've had the latest cookbook for a week or two now and spent that time happily browsing. Great photographs and some inspiring-looking recipes, but these quesadillas were the first we tried. You can't raise a toddler and preschooler in Southern California without making a bazillion quesadillas, and they're a normal staple of our dinner week (my usual has chicken, apple, carmelized onion and brie), but this was definitely a new take.

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 cup bottled bbq sauce (I had more chicken, so I used more sauce)
1 can chickpeas, drained, with 2T liquid reserved
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 scallions, minced (we were out of these, but managed just fine)
8 flour tortillas
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup smoked Gouda, shredded
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack
oil for the grill pan
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees.
Combine chicken and barbeque sauce, season with salt and pepper and toss gently to coat.
In a separate bowl, combine chickpeas, reserved liquid, the garlic and scallions and mash together with a potato masher, leaving the mix slightly chunky. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Lay tortillas on a flat surface and spread chicken and chickpea mix over half of each tortilla, dividing evenly. Sprinkle with cheese and cilantro, fold in half to form half moons.
Lightly grease a grill pan or skillet and heat over medium high heat until hot. Place two quesadillas in skillet and grill for two minutes per side, turning once until cheese is melted and tortillas are golden brown. Transfer to baking sheet and keep warm as you repeat process with remaining quesadillas. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

It's so hard to take dinnertime pictures in winter. I wish I had the time to set up a properly lovely shot. The time and the daylight. Perhaps these were gobbled up too fast.