Michelle Darmody: How to make Mexican staples like burritos and quesadillas for the whole family

Quesadillas are the easiest for little hands to hold because the melted cheese sticks the layers together

Pic: iStock

Each member of the family can add their own combination of ingredients to a quesadilla or burrito. 

Spicy sauces can be served on the side or for the more adventurous sprinkled into a burrito before it is rolled up. When making the breakfast burrito I usually add a little hot sauce to the egg before cooking it.

Rolling a burrito can be a little fiddley and it may need more than one pair of hands. The trick is to fold in both ends before you roll it up and then to roll as tightly as possible.

You can either use the more readily available flour tortillas or search out the corn variety. The corn ones give a nice Mexican flavour to the meal. Either tortilla can be used in a number of ways; burritos, fajitas, tacos, or quesadillas. 

I find quesadillas are most popular in our house, they are the easiest for little hands because the melted cheese sticks the layers together. I try adding different fillings, but not all are accepted. Simple combinations like cheese and chopped tomatoes or sweetcorn are often most popular.

Breakfast Burrito

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond 

A breakfast roll for the whole family.

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Mexican

Ingredients

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp of a spicy sauce – optional

• a large pinch of salt

• ½ a tomato

• ½ an avocado

• 1 spring onion - optional

• 100g of cheddar cheese

• 2 tortillas

Method

1. Mix the eggs with the spicy sauce and add a pinch of salt. You can use tabasco or any other hot sauce. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and get an adult to help you turn your hob on to medium. Stir the egg to scramble it then turn off the heat and leave it while you do the next task.

2. Carefully chop the tomato, avocado and the spring onion if you are using it.

3. Grate the cheese.

4. You can warm the tortillas in the oven for about five minutes until they are just a little warm. Flatten one of the tortillas out and put half of the egg onto one side. Sprinkle on some chopped tomato, avocado and spring onion. Add the cheese.

5. Here comes the tricky part. Fold both ends of the tortilla inwards over the filling then roll up the tortilla into a sausage shape. Roll it tightly so that the ingredients are nice and snug inside. It should look like a rectangular shaped parcel. Do the same with the other tortilla.

Cheesy Quesadilla

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond 

Dripping with cheese - we're not responsible for what little hands do with them!

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 9 mins

Total Time

 24 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Mexican

Ingredients

• 60g of cheddar cheese

• 1/4 of a tomato

• 1 dessert spoon of sweetcorn

• 2 tortillas

• some coriander – optional

Method

1. Grate the cheese, then carefully chop the tomato into cubes.

2. Ask a grown up to heat the hob to medium for you.

3. Place one tortilla into a cold pan and sprinkle it with half of the grated cheese, tomato cubes, sweetcorn and fresh coriander if you like that. Sprinkle a little more cheese over the sweetcorn and then place another tortilla on the top.

4. Gently carry the pan to the hob. The bottom tortilla will start to warm up and the cheese will start to melt. Ask an adult to turn the quesadilla over so the cheese on the other side melts too. When it is done ask them to slide it onto a big plate for you.

5. Melted cheese is very hot so leave it sit there for a little while to cool. Once it has cooled you can cut it up into slices like a pizza.

Activity: Sensory food activity

Children learn with all of their senses, and this is particularly important when it comes to food. Repeated, relaxed and pressure free exposure to new foods is known to help children expand their palate. Simple activities that look, feel, smell, hear and taste food can build up familiarity.

Set out a plate of colourful fruit and vegetables. Trying to have as many colours of the rainbow as possible. You can start by looking at the colours and chatting about the brightness and differences. 

Next, pick up a shiny pepper for example and feel the texture, or you can smell the sweetness of a strawberry, or hear the snap of a carrot breaking before listening to the crunch of it in your mouth. And if the children would like to, they can taste. But tasting is not essential. Playful inquiry, discovery and fun are the aim. Children will find their own path to tasting them eventually.