Chorizo & Bean Quesadillas

Feeding your friends when they come round for movie night no longer has to involve an expensive amount of take out. Because honestly, who truly has the budget for that anymore? Especially in this economic climate! But you also don’t want to spend ages putting something together, you want fast food so you can actually enjoy your girls night in (and yes, that’s the official name for it, regardless of your gender, so says I).

The great thing about quesadillas (the LL is a YUH sound – like quesaDIYUH. The LL is also silent in tortilla and paella) is that the average person has most of these ingredients lying around… and if they don’t? Well you can totally adapt it to whatever you have lying around. The only ingredients you DO need are tortillas and cheese, and if you don’t keep those on hand at all times, well you should from now on.

I’ve done chorizo and bean because that’s my favourite combo, but feel free to sub in chicken, beef, fish or even a full veggie version, (Left over roast veg, dusted in Mexican spices, are fantastic here.)

If you have a sandwich press, feel free to cook your quesadillas in them. This is definitely the easier option – alas, I do not own one.

Ingredients

• 1 chorizo, cubed
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika (preferably smoked)
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tin black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 2 spring onions, sliced thinly
• 2 tbs fresh coriander leaves, choppped
• Grated cheese (I’m not going to give you a quantity, cos we all have preferences here)
• 8 tortillas
• To serve: salsa, guacamole or even a drizzle of hot sauce

Method

1. Add the chorizo to a cold frying pan, turn on the heat and cook until it’s starting to crisp and the oils are released. Add the extra oil and the spices and cook over a low heat until you can smell those spices
2. Add the black beans and cook for about five or so minutes, or until everything is hot. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly in a separate bowl
3. Wipe out the frying pan with some paper towel
4. To assemble: Arrange some of the chorizo & bean mix, some tomato, spring onion, coriander leaves on one half of the tortilla and finish with the cheese
5. Place the tortilla in the wiped-out frying pan and turn on a medium-low heat. Fold over the top and cook until the cheese begins to melt slightly. Flip and cook until both sides are crisp. (You will find you need to adjust the heat up or down, depending on your stove top)
6. Remove from the frying pan, cut into four triangles and serve with your choice of dipping sauce from above