Breakfast Barbecue Quesadillas

A perfect bach breakfast from Sarah Tuck.

We tend to cook all our meals on the barbecue when we're holidaying on Waiheke. One of the most successful is this breakfast of left-over Slow-Cooked Mexican Beef used to make quesadillas - the perfect breakfast for hungry 15 and 17-year old boys! You could easily substitute shredded chicken, re-fried beans or left-over pulled pork in the tortillas - even grilled bacon and a fried egg!

Slow Cooked Mexican Beef 

4 tablespoons olive oil

2kg stewing beaf such as chuck or blade steak, cut into 3cm chunks

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 brown onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons Chipotle chilli sauce

1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

1/3 cup (45g) brown sugar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

1 x can red kidney beans, drained

1 cups (500ml) beef stock

Heat the oil in a big, heavy-based pot over medium-high heat. Season the chopped beef with salt and pepper and cook, in batches, for 2 minutes each side or until browned. Put to beef to one side and heat the remaining oil in the pan, add the onions and garlic and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the paprika, cumin, chipotle sauce, red chill and stir in. Return the beef to the pan with the brown sugar, tomatoes, beans and stock, and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to very low and cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for 3 hours, remove the lid and cook a further 1/2 - 1 hour so that some of the liquid is evaporated (reduced).

If you find the beef too liquidy, add 2 teaspoons cornflour mixed with 1 tablespoon water, stir through and heat until thickened. Serves 8

Breakfast Barbecue Quesadillas:

8 tortillas

Left-over Mexican Beef

Rice Bran or other spray oil

1 1/4 cups grated mozzarella or edam cheese

optional - diced tomato and chopped avocado

Heat a frying pan on the barbecue (or use the hotplate). Spray one tortilla with oil and lay oil-side-down in the pan. Top with 1/2- 2/3 cup Slow-Cooked Mexican Beef then sprinkle over 1/3 cup cheese. Put another tortilla on top, spray with oil and after a minute, when the bottom is crispy, flip with an egg slice to cook the other side. Cut into wedges and serve immediately, with optional accompaniments tomato and avocado.