Wanted: vegan fillings for quesadillas
“Quesadillas are my comfort food,” says Karla Zazueta, author of Norteña: Authentic Family Recipes from Northern Mexico. “They’re quick to make, and you can stuff them with just about anything and they’ll taste really good.” Spinach Mexican-style is just one such example, and ideal for a vegan spring lunch or quick dinner. “We call any vegetable cooked with tomato, onion and green chilli or coriander ‘Mexican-style’, because they’re the colours of the flag,” Zazueta says. And it’s “mega-easy”, too: heat a little vegetable oil, add tomatoes, onion and jalapeños – “if you don’t have any of those, use a bit of green pepper or coriander instead” – and fry for a few minutes. “Add the spinach and, once it’s wilted, season with salt. That’s it.”
Self-confessed quesadilla “super fan” Adriana Cavita, chef-owner of Cavita in cental London, sandwiches mushrooms sauteed with onions, garlic, chilli (fresh or dried, and herbs between her tortillas. “In Mexico, we use epazote [an indigenous herb with oregano and anise notes], but it’s hard to find in the UK, so here I’d use coriander or parsley instead,” she advises. Alternatively, make the most of courgettes: “Cut them into cubes, then saute with onion, garlic, chilli (again, fresh or dried), tomato puree and any fresh herbs you fancy [parsley or coriander, say],” adds Cavita, who might also include spices, such as coriander or cumin seeds. Similarly, if Zazueta is “feeling fancy”, she often looks to courgette flowers: “In Mexico in spring, that’s the most common quesadilla filling, but they do tend to be quite expensive in the UK.” Traditionally, those flowers would be combined with epazote, although in its absence Zazueta would be inclined to try basil or mint, as well as some green jalapeños to add a touch of bitterness: “It’s not quite the same, though.” Corn tortillas, however, are absolutely non-negotiable, because “they just taste nicer”.
Mashed beans – white or black – will give your quesadillas a nice bit of texture, as will potatoes. Cavita combines pureed spuds with jalapeño or poblano chilli, or mixed peppers. “Roast them first, until the skins are blackened, then peel and cut into slices,” she advises. “That with the potato would be perfect.” Alternatively, treat butternut squash in much the same way. In a recipe for the Guardian, Anna Jones cooks finely sliced onion and a pinch of salt in oil until soft, then adds grated squash, chopped chilli, chipotle paste, spices (cinnamon, cumin seeds) and chopped cashews. Once all that’s soft, she spoons the mix on to a corn tortilla, tops with another, and dry-fries until golden brown.
Ever the maverick, Zazueta is currently into a kimchi filling. “I was making some blue corn quesadillas and just thought, ‘I’m adding kimchi!’, and my son and I loved them.” Granted, she uses the homemade stuff full of pear and ginger, but you could use a good-quality shop-bought one. “You get the crunchiness, the spiciness … It’s just really good.”
Finally, like “a good Mexican”, Cavita always eats her quesadillas with a load of sauce. “Guacamole, for sure, but then I’d add more on top of that,” she says, be that red or green tomato, habanero, maybe pickled onions. “That’s what I love about Mexican food – it’s just so playful.”
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