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Quesadillas with leek, zucchini and ham

Quick lunch, filling snack or a go-to dinner for a crowd - these quesadillas will do the job!

We just really love tortillas in all different ways and when I came up with this version of quesadillas it was like the best bite ever. Sourdough crunchy tortilla, roasted veg and melted cheese like a cherry on top.. and the best when served with some kind of dip! You can change the filling depending on what you have in a fridge or what your leftovers are and it is THE PERFECT way how to use up all of those zucchini from your harvest.

What is a quesadilla?

Quesadilla is a very simple and convenient dish made from flour tortillas. It's basically fresh tortillas topped with a combination of vegetable, beans or roasted meat with some sauces and a lot of cheese. Everything is fried on a pan until the cheese is melted and the flour tortilla is golden and crunchy.

For a one quesadilla you need either 2 similar tortillas, when on the first you add the filling and cover with the second, so you end up with a full circle quesadilla. Or use just 1 tortilla, that after folding creates a half moon. I prefer using only 1 tortilla, which is much easier to work with and also, you don't have to seek for 2 most similar tortillas in a pile.

How to cut quesadillas?

In a typical way, quesadilla is cut into wedges. But we just cut them straight into strips. Well, my husband cut them like this once which I was really surprised at first, because I would never think about cutting the quesadillas in a different way then wedges! But we've been doing this ever since. It's easier to eat, easier to cut and bonus - it seems to be more than it really is!

How to make quesadillas with leek, zucchini and ham?

First, you need some flour tortillas. We usually use this sourdough tortillas from spelt flour, but feel free to use what you have in your pantry. Whole wheat tortillas would also be delicious and more nutritious. Then you have to prepare your filling. On a board cut leek, zucchini and ham into small cubes and fry them together in a pan with herbs, salt and a pinch of pepper about 5 minutes until soft.

Meanwhile, grate the cheese coarsely on a grater. Use cheese with a minimum of 45% fat with some mild flavor like gouda, eidam, emmental, cheddar - those are great options. Prepare your sauce (we use tomato-onion chutney). If you don't have this delicious thing, just use good old ketchup or BBQ sauce.

While we have all components prepared on a desk, we can start to build our quesadillas. On each half of the tortillas spread about 1 tsp tomato and onion chutneyor a sauce of your choosing. Then about 1 tbsp of zucchini mixture and top it with fresh grated cheese, then fold in a half moon and fry on a pan from each side until the tortilla is crunchy and the cheese is melted.

What else to use for filling?

You can use whatever you have on hand for a filling, but something that goes well together is needed. It's quite very similar to pizza topping. So why not to try your favorite pizza combination? They would be delicious even with some cream or mascarpone instead of tomato sauce, with some roasted chicken pieces and vegetable sounds heavenly. You can also experiment with a different kind of cheeses like a goat or sheep cheese would be interesting.

TIPS:
- you can also mix grated cheese with a roasted zucchini mixture in a bowl, but the mixture has to be cool, otherwise the cheese would melt from the heat and it wouldn't be easy to work with
- try sprinkling the folded tortillas with a little bit of salt on a pan, it will enhance the taste of tortillas
- quesadillas can be done also without cheese, but you have to use something to bind the components of the dish - leftover mashed potatoes works really well, or mashed beans (try this refried beans), avocado, squash, sweet potatoes even some hummus

Recipe

Recipe 4-6 servings

Quesadillas with leek, zucchini and ham

Ingredients:

⦁ 10 medium tortillas

⦁ 1 medium zucchini, diced

⦁ 1 medium leek, diced

⦁ 50 g ham, diced
⦁ 200 g cheese, grated

⦁ 1 tsp Italian seasoning

⦁ salt and pepper

⦁ tomato-onion chutney or ketchup

⦁ 1 tbsp oil, for frying

⦁ dip of your choosing

Instructions:

1. In a hot pan with oil roast all of the zucchini, leek and ham for about 5 minutes. Add Italian seasoning and salt with pepper to taste.
2. Preheat a large pan with a lug of oil.
3. On each half of the tortillas spread about 1 tsp tomato and onion chutney or a sauce of your choosing. Then about 1 tbsp of zucchini mixture and top it with fresh grated cheese, then fold in a half moon.
4. Fry them on the first side for about 3 minutes, then flip and continue frying for about 2 minutes. Keep an eye on them, cause they tend to burn quickly.
5. Allow the quesadillas to cool a little bit before cutting and cut them on wedges or strips. Serve with some dip to complement this dish.