Ainsley Harriott Za'atar Courgette Quesadilla with Sun-Dried Tomato Salsa
Ainsley Harriott Za'atar Courgette Quesadilla Recipe — chargrilled courgette, creamy bigilla, goat's cheese, pine nuts, and za'atar folded into a crisp tortilla, served with a punchy sun-dried tomato salsa. From Ainsley's Taste of Malta on ITV. Ready in 30 minutes.
Equipment
- Griddle Pan
- Mini Food Processor
- Frying Pan
- Vegetable Peeler
Ingredients
For the Quesadilla
- 2 courgettes trimmed and sliced thinly with a peeler
- light olive oil for drizzling
- 4 small-medium corn tortillas
- 8 tbsp Maltese bigilla, refried beans, or hummus 4–8 tbsp depending on preference
- 4 tbsp soft fresh gbejna or soft goat's cheese
- 2 tbsp pine nuts toasted
- 8 black olives pitted and sliced
- za'atar for sprinkling — be generous
- pul biber or dried chilli flakes for sprinkling
- fresh mint and coriander leaves small handful, roughly chopped
- 60 g cheddar or similar hard melting cheese grated
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the Sun-Dried Tomato Salsa
- 50 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil approx. 6–7 tomatoes, drained and patted dry
- 85 g roasted red pepper from a jar or roasted fresh, skin removed and deseeded, roughly chopped
- 1 medium-hot red chilli deseeded and chopped — use half for less heat
- 1 small clove of garlic bashed
- fresh coriander leaves small handful
- 0.5 lemon for squeezing
- light olive oil for loosening the salsa
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Put the sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red pepper, chilli, garlic, coriander, and a pinch of salt into a mini food processor. Pulse until you have a textured sauce — not completely smooth. Stir in a little olive oil and add lemon juice and seasoning to taste. Set aside while you prepare the quesadilla so the flavours have time to develop.
- Heat a griddle pan over a medium-high heat. Put the courgette slices in a bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil. Cook for 1 minute on each side until chargrilled and lightly marked. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
- Lay out 4 tortillas on your work surface. Spoon and spread 1–2 tablespoons of bigilla onto each tortilla, leaving a small gap at the edges. Over one half of each circle, spread half a tablespoon of gbejna or goat's cheese. Sprinkle pine nuts and sliced olives over the cheese. Arrange the chargrilled courgette slices on top. Sprinkle over za'atar, pul biber, and herbs. Finish with a scattering of grated cheddar. Fold the tortilla in half and brush the top lightly with oil.
- Place the griddle pan back over a medium heat. Cook one or two quesadillas at a time, oiled side down, for 2–3 minutes. Brush the top lightly with oil, then carefully flip and cook for a further 2–3 minutes until lightly crisp, golden, and the cheese has melted. Keep warm while you cook the remaining quesadillas.
- Cut each quesadilla in half and serve immediately alongside the sun-dried tomato salsa.
Notes
Bigilla is a traditional Maltese dip made from dried fava beans — richer and more complex than hummus. If you can't find it, use a good-quality hummus, white bean dip, or refried beans as a substitute. The salsa can be made up to 4 days ahead and stored in the fridge — it improves with time. For a vegan version, replace the gbejna and cheddar with dairy-free alternatives. Everything else is already plant-based.