We have so many pumpkins on the farm at the moment, we thought why not make some pumpkin cheese and whack them into one of our favourite meals…QUESADILLAS! These are in the words of Lucy Joseph…”naughty.” The creamy pumpkin cheese adds a richness to the veg and we like to spice ours up with a little chilli, to add a kick!
Cheesey Quesadillas
These are so tasty and tick so many delicious boxes – spicy, creamy, cheesy, a little bit of acid and a meat smoky mushroom in a crispy shell served with a magic pumpkin nacho cheese
Heat the pan back on medium heat and add a tortilla to the pan. On half the tortilla, spoon on 2-3 tbsp of pumpkin cheese sauce, a ½ the mushrooms, blackbean mix, a few slices of avocado and top with some pickled red onions followed by 2 tbsp of pumpkin cheese drizzled on top. Fold over the tortilla and cook on both sides until each is golden brown. Carefully remove from the pan onto a chopping board and slice in half.Repeat with the remaining tortilla and enjoy!
First let's make the mushrooms – rip or slice the mushrooms into long chunky slices. Peel and finely dice the garlic. Heat a wide bottomed pan over high heat and once hot add 1 tbsp of oil. Add in the mushrooms and compress with a clean pan to increase the grizzle and evaporate some of the water for a more “meaty” texture. Leave to cook for 3-4 mins until they start to brown on one side. Stir the mushrooms and add in the garlic, tamari, maple syrup, smoked paprika, ground black pepper, ground coriander and mix through. Drain and rinse the can of black beans and add to the pan along with ½ tsp of salt. Add 2 tbsp of water to deglaze the pan and incorporate any bits that are stuck to the pan.
Peel and slice the red onion into long stips. Add to a glass with the vinegar, and enough water to ensure that they are submerged and a pinch of salt and leave to sit and pickle while we make the pumpkin cheese.
Take the cooked pumpkin and add to a food processor along with the rest of the nacho cheese ingredients and blend till super smooth. Taste and adjust to your liking and add more water if needed to get a super smooth runny by not too runny texture.
Cut the avocado in half and spoon out the flesh and slice into long stips
Heat the pan back on medium heat and add a tortilla to the pan. On half the tortilla, spoon on 2-3 tbsp of pumpkin cheese sauce, a ½ the mushrooms, blackbean mix, a few slices of avocado and top with some pickled red onions followed by 2 tbsp of pumpkin cheese drizzled on top. Fold over the tortilla and cook on both sides until each is golden brown. Carefully remove from the pan onto a chopping board and slice in half.Repeat with the remaining tortilla and enjoy!
