Chicken Quesadillas

Today's lunch is a taste of Mexico, my favourite cuisine

Chicken quesadillas are a family favourite: a tortilla filled with chicken, peppers and cheese, seasoned with chilli and cumin. Serve them with a freshly made coleslaw of just carrots and red cabbage.

Did you know that in Mexico, quesadilla means “little cheesy thing”?

Mexican cooking is wonderfully indulgent, with just the right amount of heat from chilli and spices. Its roots can be traced back to 7000 BCE.

Authentic Mexican food is believed to have been introduced by the Mayan Indians, who held that the richness of food enhances the spirit and body through taste, smell and touch.

In Mexico the main meal is traditionally served at midday, a relaxed and sociable affair, and today's lunch honours that tradition with a real family favourite: chicken quesadillas, the tortilla filled with chicken, peppers and cheese and seasoned with chilli and cumin, served with a homemade crunchy coleslaw of red cabbage and carrots.

For me, this dish conjures up the sun, the heat and the colours of Mexico.