With beef, chayote, sweet potato and sweet corn for baby
I would simply LOVE to visit Mexico. I love the cuisine, not to mention the vibrant colours and my fascination with the culture. Quesadillas, a long-standing Mexican tradition, are one of those fail-safe meals you can whip out at any time, for a few, or many. In this recipe, I'll take you through how to make beef, chayote, sweet potato and sweet corn filling smothered in cheese along with flour tortillas. If you're short on time, you can always just buy some ready-made flour or corn tortillas and make the filling, but you should try making the tortillas at some point, they are super easy and let's face it, nothing beats fresh, homemade, warm bread! Babies 6 months + will love discovering this beef, chayote, sweet potato and sweet corn blend of flavours whether they are following a BLW approach or puréed food, as it is packed full of goodness and different textures.
Prep Time: 12 Mins | Cook Time 50 Mins
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
3 tbsp Groundnut oil
500g Minced beef
380g Sweet potato peeled and cubed
1 Chayote peeled and cubed
Pepper
1 tsp Oregano
3-4 Spring onions washed and sliced diagonally
150g Sweet corn (I used frozen)
125g Baby plum tomatoes sliced
1 Handful of fresh parsley chopped
3 Jalapeno chillies sliced
400g Mozzarella cheese grated
300g Mature cheddar cheese grated
Fresh
Quesadilla sauce or guacamole and sour cream (additional extras if required)
FLOUR TORTILLA
450g Plain flour
1 tsp Baking powder
80ml Groundnut oil
250ml Room temperature water
(See notes for adaptations to the recipe)
METHOD
Using a sauté pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Once hot, add the beef and brown for 1-2 minutes, reduce the heat to low and add the sweet potato, chayote, a touch of pepper and oregano and cook for around 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn't catch.
While this cooks, prepare your tortillas: using a food mixer with a dough hook attachment, mix the baking powder, flour and salt. Then gradually alternate the oil and water until the mixture binds together to form a dough.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and using the heel of your hand, knead the dough for a minute then split into around 14-16 small balls. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes.
Add the sweetcorn, ¾ of the spring onions, ⅔ of the baby tomatoes and ¾ of the fresh parsley to the beef mixture and cook for another 8 minutes (the beef mixture should have cooked for a maximum of 25 minutes in total).
Serve your baby's portion at this stage. If you are following a BLW approach, then simply spoon the beef mixture into a small bowl and allow it to cool before serving. If you prefer to purée the food for the baby, spoon 1-2 tbsp of the mixture into a blender jug and add 25ml of water and blend on high for a few seconds. If the consistency is too thick for your baby add another 25ml water and re-blend until the required consistency is achieved.
Dust your surface with a little flour and make your tortillas by rolling out each ball into a small round flat pancake shape. As you make them, heat a small frying pan over medium heat, stretch your tortillas a little with your hands as you're waiting for the pan to heat (no oil required) and begin to cook the tortillas. You will only need 1-2 minutes on each side and you will know when to turn them over as the dough puffs up and begins to brown in patches. Set aside on a warm plate.
Now you're ready to load your tortillas for the children. Place one of your cooked tortillas back in the pan and spoon 1 tbsp of the beef mixture onto one side of the tortilla then sprinkle with the mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Fold the empty half of your tortilla over the filling and flip it over to allow the cheese to melt. Place your quesadillas into an ovenproof dish and place them in the oven if you wish to keep them warm whilst preparing the adult quesadillas.
Return the remaining beef filling to the hob and add 1-2 of the sliced chillies and combine for a couple of minutes. Following the same process as above, load the adult quesadillas and place them in the oven with the others to keep warm (ensure to make a mental note of which ones are for the children!).
Serve babies 8 months + (see notes) and adults the quesadillas garnished with the remaining chillies and parsley for the adults, along with offering quesadilla sauces or guacamole and sour cream.
Notes
8 Months +
Babies can eat the quesadillas as they are (minus the chilli) from 8 months +. If you are following a BLW approach with your little one, then ensure to only give them long thin pieces of the tortilla to ensure they don't choke. If you are wishing to purée the food for the baby, only purée the beef filling and cheese as instructed in point 5 above in the method. You can then offer them long slices of the tortilla to hold and discover on their own.
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