RECIPE · Molletes. Think about them as your run of the mill cheese on toast with a Mexican twist!

Pronounced moe·ye·tay

Molletes are a yummy breakfast or brunch option in México: they are cheap and cheerful, easy to make and you can get all the ingredients in your local supermarket. Molletes are traditionally made with a type of bread called bolillo (very similar to a crusty roll) sliced lengthwise and spread with refried beans and melted Chihuahua cheese. They're usually eaten with salsa pico de gallo which is very mild and refreshing although you can always dip them in salsa verde, chipotle or even habanero salsa as well (these are super hot). 

What you need:

• Preheated oven (180 C)
• 2 White Continental Rolls (sold in Sainsbury's, very similar to bolillos)
• Old El Paso Refried Beans
• Sainsbury's Basics Grated Mozzarella
• Butter or spread
• Homemade pico de gallo salsa (recipe here)

Makes 4 molletes, enough for two people.

Cut the rolls lengthwise and spread with butter.

Spread the refried beans on top of this.

Add the grated cheese on top of the beans.

Stick them in the preheated oven until the cheese begins to melt and bubble (about 7 minutes, but don't trust the timer, keep an eye on them!)

Put some freshly made pico de gallo on top and eat immediately.  

RECIPE · Classic Mexican Pico de Gallo Salsa (Ripe Tomato, Onions and Green Chilli)

Pronounced pee·ko day ga·yo

This refreshing salsa is so typically Mexican that it even bears the colours of the flag. What's really wonderful about it is that you don't need to hunt for exotic ingredients. Serrano chillies are originally used but can be easily substituted by plain green chillies.

One thing to bear in mind about pico de gallo is that it must have a chunky consistency. It mustn't be pureed or look like curry sauce. You should be able to see bits of red, green and white clearly.

Here's how to make it.


Ingredients

• 1/2 a small (50g)  white onion  (we used Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Sweet Onions)
• 4 vine ripened tomatoes
• 10 sprigs of coriander
• 1 medium green chilli
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt,
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 3/4  teaspoon salt

Makes 1 cup.

You can core the tomatoes or if you don't want the seeds. Then, either dice all ingredients finely (onions and tomatoes should be made into small cubes 5 mm thick) or simply toss them into a food processor and chop until you get this chunky consistency (Remember, do not puree!)

Can be enjoyed as a dip with tortilla or as a topping for cheese quesadillas.

RECIPE · The Magic of the Plain Quesadilla

With Mexican food, sometimes less is more.

People outside México are often led to believe that food is always overelaborate, showy and real gooey. That's not always the case and quesadillas are an example of that. A true quesadilla is nothing but a corn tortilla folded in half, filled with oaxacan cheese and warmed up on a hot pan until the cheese melts. Quick, cheap and really easy to make.

You might need some extra oomph though, so you can add a lick of refried beans, dip it in guacamole, salsa verde or salsa pico de gallo, or even just have some jalapeño chilies on the side to nibble on between bites (that's SUCH a Mexican thing to do).

So in order to prepare a plain quesadilla making do with stuff available in most supermarkets in the UK you need:

• Old El Paso Corn Tortillas 
• Grated mozarella such as Sainsbury's Basics Grated Mozzarella

We've found that this cheese is the most similar to Oaxacan cheese (cheddar tends to be a bit too strong even in its mildest variety). Also, pictured are some Mexican Discovery Green Jalapeños.

Then all you need to do is to heat up a pan (no need to add oil), warm up the tortilla and add the grated cheese. Fold it in half and keep cooking until the cheese has melted. Eat immediately!

Again, this isn't proper Mexican as such. Ideally the tortillas would be 100% corn (Old El Paso Corn Tortillas are only 27% corn flour and the rest is wheat flour).

OK, so where on Earth to get proper tortillas and salsas you ask?

That proves a bit more difficult than simply popping down to your local Sainsbury's but it's not impossible. Cool Chile sells packs of a dozen corn tortillas here, and we just found out about Rico Mexican Kitchen who have an impressive array of salsas right here. If you live in London, go to Wholefoods Market and ask for Sabores Aztecas Green Salsa for the most amazing tomatillo salsa imported directly from México.