- Serves: 6
- Cooking time: 25 minutes
- Course: Main
- Cuisine: Mexican
With never-ending summer days quickly fading in the distance, it’s becoming easier and easier to slip into the mid-autumn doldrums and increasingly difficult to avoid the temptation to choose cosy socks, television bingeing and early nights in bed.
It’s hard to stay inspired and motivated as the days get darker and colder and the holidays continue to feel so far away. By incorporating midweek moments featuring unexpected surprises, diversions from the routine, and making the most of small celebrations to get you through the midweek ‘hump', you can make the most of this cosy time of year. From midweek dinners with friends to exploring new ways to work out indoors, or even opting for something as simple as a new route to walk the dog on - finding ways to mix up the routine will help you get through this quiet time of year.
One way to mix things up this autumn is to incorporate new ingredients into tried-and-tested recipes or add new, globally-inspired dishes to your midweek menu repertoire. Rich and complex in flavour, European lamb is the perfect companion for warm, hearty comfort foods and also stands up well to global spices ranging from Moroccan to Mediterranean or even Mexican, as is the case with these protein-packed cheesy lamb quesadillas.
A favourite ingredient among Irish cooks for generations, lamb’s rich, succulent flavour and the availability of a wide range of cuts makes it a versatile and simple substitution, in this case for the traditional chicken or steak often used in Mexican quesadillas. Combining gooey mature cheddar cheese, a kick from taco spice, crunchy tortillas and succulent lamb mince, this recipe will add spice and texture to your midweek, elevating a typical tea time to a hump-day fiesta with minimal effort and prep time. Simply serve with brightly-coloured dishes – optional pinata – and your favourite drinks to set the scene for a meal worth sharing with friends. Ole!
Ingredients
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 150g mushrooms, sliced
- ½ - 1 sachet (20-30g) prepared taco spice
- 150ml water
- 2 tbsp of finely chopped coriander
- 500g of minced lamb
- 6 tortillas or wraps
- 1 tablespoon oil, to lightly oil tortillas
- 200g mature cheddar cheese, grated
Method
Brown the mince on a high heat in a frying pan using a spatula to break up the meat to stop big clumps forming. Remove from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan cook the onion, pepper and mushrooms for two-to-three minutes until slightly softened.
Return the mince to the pan, sprinkle with the spice and pour in the water. Cook this for five minutes on a low heat, then add the chopped coriander.
Brush the tortillas lightly with oil on one side only, then divide the filling and cheese equally between the tortillas, placing on one half only. Fold them in two and brown on both sides in a large non stick frying pan, until the cheese melts.
Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Cut in half and serve hot with a salad of romaine lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and red onion.
Tip: If you don't have any taco spice, mix equal parts of cumin, chilli, paprika and dried oregano. If needed, add a little garlic and onion powder too.
