Nigel Slater’s recipe for black-eyed bean and tomato quesadillas

To make the filling chop 3 spring onions, then cook them in a little oil in a shallow pan until soft. Drain and roughly chop the grilled red peppers from a 350g bottle, then add them to the pan. When the peppers are warm, peel 3 cloves of garlic and crush them to a paste, then stir into the peppers.

Roughly chop a 400g can of tomatoes and stir them into the peppers and leave to simmer for 10-15 minutes, with the occasional stir, until they have softened into a rough sauce. Drain a 400g can of black-eyed or haricot beans and add them to the onions and peppers.

Roughly chop a good handful of both basil and coriander leaves (you will need 2 heaped tbsp of each) and stir them into the sauce with both salt and black pepper.

Make a quick salsa by chopping together a medium-sized avocado, 250g of cherry tomatoes and 100g of cucumber. Finely chop and add a couple of small hot chillies. Season with the juice of a lime and 2 tbsp of finely chopped chives.

Place a large tortilla on a nonstick frying pan, then spread the bean and tomato filling over. Scatter 100g of finely grated manchego, or other semi-hard cheese, over the top and place a second tortilla on top.

Cook over a low to medium heat, pressing the tortilla down from time to time, until the base is crisp and golden. Turn the tortilla over and cook the other side. Enough for 2

Use corn tortillas if you can. The result will be crisp, though the wheat flour versions are fine if that is all you can get.

I think it is a mistake to make the filling too thick. Apart from anything else, stuffing them too thickly makes them difficult to eat.

In our house we always bring out a tub of soured cream to go with them.

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