BEAN SOUP WITH SOUR CREAM AND QUESADILLAS

BEAN SOUP WITH SOUR CREAM AND QUESADILLAS:    AMERICAS  (serves 4)

INGREDIENTS:

2 onions
2 cloves garlic
2 tbs oil
1 tsp cumin
1 bay leaf
400 g chilli beans
11/2 ltr vegetable stock
200 g red kidney beans, canned
1 small red chilli
2 tbs coriander, fresh and chopped
150 ml sour cream
200 g mozzarella
200 g  tomatoes
2 spring onions
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbs jalapenos, finely sliced
4 tortillas

METHOD:

• Peel and dice the onions. Peel and chop the garlic. Heat the oil ina large pan and sweat the onions, stirring until translucent. Add the cumin and garlic and fry briefly. Add the bay leaf, chilli beans and stocks and bring to the boil. Simmer, covered, over a medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Drain the red kidney beans. slit the chilli open lengthwise, remove the seeds and finely dice the flesh. Mix the chilli and coriander into the sour cream. Remove the bay leaf from the soup and puree. With the pureed soup back in the original pan, cover with a lid and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Dice the mozzarella. Wash, halve, deseed and finely dice the tomatoes. Wash and trim the spring onions and cut into thin rings. Add the red kidney beans to the soup, Season with salt andpepper and keep warm.
• Mix the mozzarella, tomatoes, sliced jalapeno peppers and spring onions. Heat a dry non- stick frying pan and put one tortilla in the pan. Put half of the mozzarella and tomato mixture on top of the tortilla, leaving 1 cm free at the edge.
• Lay another tortilla on top and press down lightly. Cook until the underside is browned. Turn the quesadilla over using a plate to help you and cook the other side until the cheese has melted.
• Keep warm in the oven.Make another quesadilla in the same way using the two remaining tortillas and the rest of the filling. Cut each quesadilla into 6 pieces. Serve the soup with the sour cream and quesadillas.

TIPS  -A mexican vegetarian recipe. You can play with the ingredients for quesadillas to come  up with endless flavour combinations. Other filling options might include leftover shredded beef, pork, or chicken, cooked shrimp, cooked corn kernels, and chopped tomatoes.

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