I first learned to cook Mexican food while spending two months studying Spanish in Oaxaca, in the foothills of the Mexican Sierra Nevada.
It was here that I also learned, to my astonishment, how incredibly annoying I can be. After one class, a couple of Dutch students took me aside to ask me if I would mind terribly not asking so many questions. It was disturbing their learning. They were very polite about it, but the twitching around their eyes indicated that I had pushed them to breaking point.
In the years since then, the scale of my imperfections has become apparent to me. One of my business partners can’t stand my habit of absent-mindedly taking food from other people’s plates. My other business partner is driven to squeals of irritation by my tendency to “pop” my nose in meetings and raise my arms above my head like a baboon when in deep thought.
It is not uncommon for complete strangers to stage interventions. I was recently approached in the quiet carriage of a train by a woman who begged me to stop typing on my laptop. “It’s not the noise level, exactly,” she groaned. “It’s the way the tempo is just so … erratic.”
In fact, just about the only thing I do that isn’t annoying is cook. Which brings us back to today’s recipes. It is sad that the harvest required to cook a Mexican feast comes in our climate when the weather is less than sunny. But Jane’s recipes this week will light up even the greyest day. Set a table in the garden before the weather turns for good and invite the neighbours round. Just make sure you ask before trying anything from someone else’s plate.
Tortilla chips
Serves 6
4 corn tortillas
Grape seed oil, for brushing
Salt
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Brush each tortilla lightly with the oil. Stack the tortillas and cut them in half, then each half into 4 wedges.
2 Put on a baking tray, slightly spaced out, sprinkle with salt and put in the oven for about 8 minutes. After 4 minutes, check the chips and turn them over for an even cook.
3 When crisp, remove from the oven and allow them to cool. Serve with tomato salsa (below).
Tomato salsa
If you want to try something a bit different, substitute the tomatoes with tomatillos and use smoky chipotle chillies rather than jalapenos.
1 garlic clove, crushed
1-3 jalapeno chillies, chopped
500g tomatoes, cored
4 spring onions, chopped
2 tbsp coriander, chopped
Juice of ½ lime
Salt
1 Put the garlic and chillies in a food processor with half the tomatoes and blitz until smooth. Empty into a bowl.
2 Roughly chop the rest of the tomatoes and add along with the onions and coriander. Add lime juice and salt to taste. Best eaten fresh.
Baked squash, corn and goat’s cheese
1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cobs of corn
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 red chillies, finely chopped
150g goat’s cheese, crumbled
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp coriander, chopped
For the pumpkin seed dressing
80g pumpkin seeds
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 medium green tomatoes or tomatillos (red toms will do)
1 tbsp coriander, chopped
2 leaves of cos or romaine lettuce, shredded
2 green chillies, roughly, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 Preheat the oven to 170C/335F/gas mark 3½. Chop the squash into 1-2cm chunks. Toss in the olive oil and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes or until tender.
2 Cook the cobs of corn in simmering water for 10 minutes. Remove the corn kernels when cool enough to handle.
3 Add the corn, garlic and chillies to the squash and return to the oven for 5 minutes.
4 Make the dressing by dry-frying the pumpkin seeds until they are toasted and have started to pop. Allow them to cool, then blend in a liquidiser with all the other dressing ingredients. Add a little water so it is drizzling consistency. Season well.
5 Remove the squash mix from the oven, fold through the goat’s cheese and bake for another 10 minutes.
6 To serve, squeeze the lime juice over the dish and drizzle with the dressing. Finish with chopped coriander.
From Riverford Every Day and Sunday (Fourth Estate)
Quesadillas
½ red onion, chopped
1 tsp soft brown sugar
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
100g cooked corn kernels
1 red pepper, chopped
1 red chilli, chopped
1 tbsp coriander, chopped
1 tbsp mint, chopped
75g gruyere cheese, grated
75g feta, crumbled
A pinch of smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper
4–6 corn tortillas
To cook
25g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 Soak the chopped onion in the sugar and vinegar for about 20 minutes. Tip into a bowl and add all the other filling ingredients. Season well.
2 Put a little of the mix on one side of the tortilla and fold over the other half to make a pasty shape. Repeat with the remaining tortillas until all the mix is used up.
3 Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan. Cook the tortillas one at a time, pressing down on to the tortilla with a spatula. When the base is golden brown, flip it over and cook the other side. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm while you finish the other quesadillas. Serve with the salsa.
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Henry Dimbleby is co-founder of the natural fast-food restaurant chain Leon; @HenryDimbleby
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Jane Baxter is a chef and food writer based in Devon; @baxcooka
