Blue corn and cheese quesadillas
These tortilla turnovers filled with cheese come from Xochimilco market, 20 miles or so from the centre of Mexico City. These quesadillas are made from blue corn and ooze with melted cheese and wilted courgette flowers. When courgette flowers are out of season, use Swiss chard or spinach.
Ingredients
- 250g/9oz blue corn tortilla flour (or maize flour if unavailable)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely sliced
- 1 green jalapeño chilli, finely chopped or a good pinch dried chilli flakes
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 250g/9oz courgette flowers, Swiss chard or spinach, washed and shredded
- 200g/7oz mozzarella, grated
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú Lancashire cheese, crumbled
- salt
Method
Place the flour in a large bowl with ½ teaspoon salt and add 275ml/9¾fl oz lukewarm water. Add more if the dough is too dry (you will need roughly 350ml/12fl oz water if using normal maize flour). Knead into a smooth, soft but not sticky dough. Cover and rest for 20–30 minutes.
Divide the mixture into 12 golfball-sized balls. Place one between two sheets of cling film and roll with a rolling pin to make a tortilla about 15cm/6in in diameter. Repeat and pile the tortillas up, separated with baking paper to prevent them sticking together.
Heat a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the tortillas, one or two at a time, until they change colour and start to puff up slightly; this will take about 2 minutes. Flip them over and repeat on the other side. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Cook the onion, chilli and garlic until soft but not coloured. Add the courgette flowers, chard or spinach to the pan and cook until wilted. Season with salt.
Lay a tortilla in a dry frying pan and sprinkle over some mozzarella and Lancashire cheese. Add some courgette flowers (or greens) and fold the tortilla in half to make a semi-circle. Once the cheese is starting to melt, flip the quesadilla over and continue to cook until the cheese is oozing. Remove the quesadilla from the pan and keep warm while you make the rest. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.
