corn, leek, and spinach quesadillas

I am having a love affair with leeks.  I never thought much of them before, but in a farmers market buying frenzy a few weeks back I bought some and since then they have become a weekly staple.  Add in to a frittata with asparagus? Try Leeks!  Looking for a quick soup?  Try Leek and Potato! Making a pasta dish with spinach and goat cheese?  Why not add Leeks to the dish!  I have found myself adding leeks to pretty much everything – I love the sweet taste they get when sautéed in a bit of butter and olive oil – and using that technique I’ve created a foundation for a lot of different dishes.  The latest being spinach, leek, and corn quesadillas.

The corn came from our freezer stash (last summer Tyler and I had the genius idea of buying corn, cutting it off the cob and freezing it – some how we ended up with 3 dozen ears of frozen corn..I still don’t know how that happened or how it all fit), the spinach and leeks came from the farmers market, and the tortillas were leftover’s from a Mexican fiesta night.  The meal came together quickly and the beauty of it was that it was vegetarian and filling; creamy and yummy.  The kind of perfect meal for a rainy spring evening.

Corn, Leek, and Spinach Quesadillas
Serves 2 (and by 2 I mean this will make 3 quesadillas and if your boyfriend is like mine he will eat 2 and you will eat 1!).

1 Leek (white and light green parts only), cleaned and diced.
4 cups spinach, cleaned and chopped
¾ cup frozen corn
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Cheese of your choice (I love goat cheese and Monterey Jack but really anything works!)
6 tortillas
Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a large sauté pan heat the butter and oil on medium heat.  Add the leeks, stirring to combine with the butter and oil. Turn the heat down to low and let the leeks cook until softened, about 10 minutes. 

Add the spinach to the sauté pan, and stir to combine with the leeks, add the corn in as well, cooking the mixture for another 2 min until the spinach has wilted and the corn is heated through.  Add in the tablespoon of cream and stir to combine the mixture.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

Heat a second pan up with a bit of olive oil – while that is heating, assemble your quesadillas with your cheese of choice, the leek, corn, and spinach mixture, and more cheese.  Cook until golden brown on each side and melted through.