Tortillas with avocado, sweetcorn and mozzarella
Tacos and tortillas were regulars on our menu when the four of us were still meat eaters. Since we aren’t anymore, I have been experimenting with a lot of different vegetarian fillings. New favourites at our place are tortillas with kidney beans and roasted sweet potatoes, and chilli and coriander cream enchilladas. I can’t wait to write down those recipes and photograph them, but for now I have chosen a light and summery version to enjoy in the garden.
The nice thing about tortillas is the fact that you can fill them with whatever you think tastes good. This version is an opportunity to highlight fresh sweetcorn. Corn is a nice veg, but because of its intense sweetness it doesn’t please everyone as the main ingredient for dinner. In these tortillas I mix it with garlic, lime juice and green jalapeño chillies, making it fresh and spicy. With soft-flavoured avocado and mozzarella and crunchy rocket leaves, these tortillas generate instant happiness.
The picture above shows the dish as I prepared it in the first try-out. That time I griddled the corn cobs until they were tender and charred all over, before cutting off the kernels and adding them to the rest of the vegetables. The charring gives the corn a smokey flavour, which combines very well with its sweetness. The next time I first cut off the kernels and stir-fried them in a wok. By doing this, the sugars are released during the frying process, which makes them caramelize better and, to my taste, blend more nicely with the lime juice. The resulting vegetable mixture looks a bit messier than it does in the picture, but I think the taste more than compensates for that. Below you’ll find the recipe for the stir-fried corn, but by all means, find out for yourself which preparation mode you prefer!
Tortillas with avocado, sweetcorn and mozzarella – serves 4
Ingredients
- 4 corn cobs
- 1 courgette
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 limes
- 3 tbsp. parsley, chopped
- 2 avocados
- 400 g mozzarella
- 12 small tortillas or taco shells
- 75 g rocket leaves
- 2 tbsp. pickled green jalapeño chillies, sliced
Preparation
Use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off the cobs. Dice the courgette. Grate the zest off one of the limes and juice this lime; cut the second lime into wedges.
Heat a frying pan with one tablespoon of olive oil, then fry the courgette pieces until they’re lightly browned. Add the onion and garlic and continue frying the vegetables till they’re tender. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, heat one tablespoon of sunflower oil in a wok, then stir-fry the sweetcorn kernels until they’re caramelized and tender. Add the lime juice and zest, then lower the heat and stir the courgette mixture and parsley through the corn.
Cut the avocados into bite-size cubes and squeeze over one of the lime wedges. Tear the mozzarella into pieces and warm through the tortillas or taco shells.
Fill the tortillas with the rocket leaves, mozzarella, avocado, the corn mixture and jalapeño slices to taste. Serve them with the remaining lime wedges.
