(grilled) lime & zucchini quesadillas
Ingredients (for 4 people)
8 wheat or whole-wheat tortillas
250g cheddar (grated)
1 medium-sized zucchini
10 small zucchini blossoms
1 medium-sized red onion (or spring onion)
1 small (green) chili / jalapeño
some olive oil
1 tsp. lime (or lemon) juice
zest of 1 organic lime (or ½ a lemon)
freshly ground black pepper and sea salt
optional: 2 twigs of lemon balm (or other herbs depending on taste & availability)
Prepare the filling:
Wash and clean zucchini and blossoms and herbs (if using).
Dry / carefully dab dry the blossoms and herbs.
Dice the zucchini, chop the onion and chili (if you don’t want the quesadillas too hot, take out the chili seeds first.)
Cut the zucchini blossoms in half or quarters, depending on their size.
Finely chop the herbs if using.
Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan.
Sautee the onions, then add the zucchini and fry until slightly golden.
Add the blossoms and chili, reducing the heat to medium – low. Add lime or lemon zest, optional herbs and juice.
Finally, add salt and pepper according to taste.
Fill and grill:
Take the filling out of the pan, roughly-clean the pan with a paper towel. If there is not much oil left in the pan, add a little more and heat it over medium heat.
Put one tortilla into the pan, let it warm up for a ½ min, then add a spoonful of each grated cheddar and the filling to one half. Flip the other half over and fry for a couple of minutes until the cheese has melted. Turn once.
This also works very well on a BBQ or in a grilling pan!
Repeat and enjoy.
Zucchini #omapelto
Fennel tuna pasta sauce
Ingredients (for 4 people)
1 large bulb of fennel (including stems and leaves depending on taste)
3 large tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1 medium-sized onion (or shallot, or spring-onion)
2 dl cooking cream (‘ruoka-kerma’) or plant-based alternative
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (and / or other herbs depending on taste)
1 red chili
freshly ground black pepper and sea salt
1 can of tuna in brine (this can easily be left out for a vegan version or be replaced by cooked lentils, quinoa or chickpeas if you don’t want to miss out on the protein. If you’d rather add more veggies, try steaming a small head of cauliflower ‘al dente’ and chop it up).
Prepare the sauce:
Wash and clean the tomatoes and fennel.
Dice the tomatoes.
Either cut the fennel bulb into fine slices or dice the pieces. If using the stems and leaves – or parts of those – chop them finely.
Chop garlic and onion as well as the (de-seeded) chili.
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Sautee the onions, then add the fennel and garlic.
Add tomatoes, reducing the heat to medium – low letting the sauce simmer for a few minutes.
Add cooking cream and stir carefully.
Let it simmer until the fennel has softened.
Drain tuna and add it to the sauce, stirring carefully.
Finally, add salt and pepper and parsley according to taste.
Serve:
Cook your favorite type of pasta (spaghetti or penne work well). Drain the water but don’t rinse the pasta with cold water! Rather, mix it immediately with the prepared sauce.
The amount of sauce works best with 300 – 400g of pasta (uncooked) even though the original recipe calls for 500g.
Enjoy your meal! Milena ☺