The tortillas that you can now buy make a goof fast-food snack, warmed through, filled with through, filled with tasty ingredients and then rolled up. They can be eaten immediately or topped with grated cheese and put under a hot grill to melt the cheese. The remaining tortillas will keep well in a polythene bag in the freezer.
2 tortillas
6–8 iceberg lettuce leaves
2 tomatoes
small piece of cucumber
2 spring onions
4 tbls mayonnaise, soured cream, yogurt or a mixture
hot chilli sauce such as Tabasco
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the tortillas into a Irving pan over a moderate heat, one at a time, to warm through, or heat them under the grill.
Shred the lettuce leaves and chop the tomatoes, cucumber and spring onions. Mix with the mayonnaise, soured cream or yogurt then add a dash of hot chilli sauce and some salt and pepper to taste.
Spread the salad mixture on to the warm tortillas, roll them up firmly and serve at once.
SERVES 2
POPPADUMS WITH AVOCADO AND CURRIED MAYONNAISE
2 tsp curry powder
2 tbls mayonnaise
2 tbls plain yogurt
1 tsp mango chutney
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado
2 tomatoes
squeeze of lemon juice
2–3 poppadums
paprika pepper or fresh coriander
Put the curry powder into a dry saucepan and heat for 1–2 minutes until it smells aromatic. Remove from the heat and mix with the mayonnaise, yogurt, chutney and salt and pepper to taste.
Peel, stone and chop the avocado then put it in a bowl. Dice the tomatoes and add to the avocado with the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
Put the poppadums on a plate, spoon the avocado mixture on the side and trickle the curried mayonnaise over it. Finish with a sprinkling of paprika pepper or a little chopped fresh coriander.
SERVES 1
RED BEAN BURRITOS
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 tbls olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 chilli, de-seeded and chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tomatoes
l × 425g / 15oz can red kidney beans, drained
2 tbls chopped fresh coriander
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tortillas
soured cream to serve
Fry the onions in the oil, with a lid on the pan, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chilli and cumin and cook for 1–2 minutes.
Cover the tomatoes with boiling water for a few seconds, then drain and slip off the skins. Chop and add to the pan with the kidney beans. Cook gently for 5 minutes or until heated through, mashing the beans to make a rough puree. Add the coriander and season with salt and pepper.
Warm the tortillas one at a time in a frying pan over a moderate heat, or heat them under the grill. Spread the bean mixture on the warm tortillas, roll them up and serve with soured cream.
Although garlic bread is usually made in the oven, you can speed things up by using the grill instead.
Cheese and Garlic Bread makes a nice variation: simply put slivers of cheese (such as Gruyère) on the garlic bread before grilling it; or try herb bread, using 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley and chives instead of, or as well as, the garlic.
1/2 French stick or 2 crusty rolls, white or wholewheat
2 garlic cloves, crushed
50g / 2oz butter, softened
Heat the grill. Cut the French stick on the diagonal into slices about 2.5cm/1 inch thick, or cut the rolls in half.
Mix together the garlic and butter then spread this over the cut surfaces of the bread.
Grill the bread until hot and sizzling on one side, then turn it over to heat the other side. Serve immediately, or cover with foil and keep warm.
