Quesadilla

Starter: Serves 2. Total time: 5 minutes.

There are tortillas and tortillas; what you will find in a Mexican city are as close to what we understand as tortillas as sliced white bread is to a decent baguette. A quesadilla is a filled tortilla turnover, ideally cooked on a lightly oiled comal (a flat, round cooking plate) to elicit a nutty maize flavour. Die-hards take them deep-fried in lard.

2 corn tortillas
175g Gruyè, Emmental or mozzarella, grated
1 beefsteak tomato, skinned, seeded and diced
50g sliced pickled jalapeno chillies

Heat a dry iron frying pan over a medium heat, add a tortilla and sprinkle over some of the cheese, tomato and chilli. After about 30 seconds, fold it in half and cook it briefly on each side, melting the cheese. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and serve immediately.