Black Bean, Jalapeño and Mozarella Quesadillas

From New Vegetarian Kitchen, Nicola Graimes, Duncan Baird, 2011.

It felt like a Mexican evening so quesadillas seemed the answer.

I took out a large frying pan and heated up a little olive oil. A chopped onion then went in until softened. I then added a chopped garlic clove, some chopped jalapeño chilli and a red capsicum, seeded and cut into slices. These were sautéed for a while longer to soften the capsicum a little though not for it to lose some crunch. Now in went a tin of black beans, drained and rinsed. I used a fork to crush these a little as they mixed with the other ingredients and heated through. The mixture was tasted and seasoned.

I now grated some mozzarella cheese. While it was not stated in the recipe I think by the description that they were calling for buffalo mozzarella. I just had normal and actually felt this would work better in a quesadilla.

I laid out two small tortillas and sprinkled mozzarella on them. Now I added the mixture from the frying pan, leaving a little space on the edge. Some more mozzarella was sprinkled over this and another tortilla placed on top. Olive oil was brushed over the surface.

These then went into the oven under the grill for a few minutes and were then carefully turned to grill the other side.

They were served with a fruit guacamole and a tomato salad. I always enjoy a good quesadilla and these were quite good ones. They had a pleasant touch of chilli heat and the mix had a spiciness to it that was enjoyable. The drawback was that being cooked under a grill had over crisped the tortillas. The next time I make them they will go in the frying pan the way I generally cook them.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔