Sunday, September 7, 2025

Pepperoni Jalapeño Pizza Quesadillas

Pepperoni Jalapeño Pizza Quesadillas make a great packable school lunch, full of flavor and easy to eat. No utensils needed! 

Food Lust People Love: Pepperoni Jalapeño Pizza Quesadillas make a great packable school lunch, full of flavor and easy to eat. No utensils needed!

If you are packing lunches for multiple people, quesadillas are super flexible. Just a couple of triangles might do as the main for younger children while older students or grownups might eat a whole quesadilla. Or more! 

Our jalapeños aren’t really spicy hot but they do add a little crunch and flavor. You can leave them out if you or your lunch eaters can’t do spicy at all. 

Pepperoni Jalapeño Pizza Quesadillas

As you might have read here before, my preferred tortilla is one I can buy at my local grocery store. They are called mitad y mitad because they're made from a combination of corn and wheat flour. Use your favorite fresh tortillas. 

Ingredients to make four quesadillas
8 tortillas
3 1/2 oz or 100g grated mozzarella
1/2 cup or 128g pizza sauce, homemade or store-bought
24-28 pepperoni slices
2 whole pickled jalapeños, sliced



Method
Use one tortilla to estimate how many slices of pepperoni you will need. My tortillas are about 5-6 inches or 12.7 – 15.3cm so seven pepperoni slices each looks about right. You don’t want to overcrowd the quesadilla.


Start by warming the tortillas in a nonstick frying pan. Set them aside.

Put one tortilla back in the pan then top with 1/8 of the pizza sauce and the pepperoni and jalapeño slices. 


Sprinkle on 1/4 of the grated mozzarella. 


Spread 1/8 of the pizza sauce on another tortilla and carefully set it, sauce side down, on the one with topping in the pan. 


Cook until the bottom tortilla is toasted and then carefully turn the quesadilla over to toast the other side. 


When both sides are toasted, remove the quesadilla to a cutting board and leave to cool briefly before cutting into triangles. 


Repeat the process until you've made four quesadillas, cut into triangles. 

Pack into lunch box containers. I love the flat ones I use also for salami and ham because, unlike the deeper containers, they don’t take up much room in a lunchbox or picnic basket. You can also wrap these in foil.

Food Lust People Love: Pepperoni Jalapeño Pizza Quesadillas make a great packable school lunch, full of flavor and easy to eat. No utensils needed!

These pepperoni jalapeño pizza quesadillas can be reheated by a quick zap in a microwave, if one is available, but they are just as tasty chilled or at room temperature. 

Food Lust People Love: Pepperoni Jalapeño Pizza Quesadillas make a great packable school lunch, full of flavor and easy to eat. No utensils needed!

Enjoy! 

It's Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing favorite lunch box recipes, easy to pack, great to eat. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out the links below. 

 
We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.



Pin these Pepperoni Jalapeño Pizza Quesadillas!

Food Lust People Love: Pepperoni Jalapeño Pizza Quesadillas make a great packable school lunch, full of flavor and easy to eat. No utensils needed!

.

Sunday, August 31, 2025

Blue Cheese Spinach Fig Tarts

Savory cheese, earthy spinach and sweet figs baked in puff pastry make these little blue cheese spinach fig tarts the perfect light summer meal. 

Food Lust People Love: Savory cheese, earthy spinach and sweet figs baked in puff pastry make these little blue cheese spinach fig tarts the perfect light summer meal.

When it’s fig season, my consumption of fresh figs is only hampered by my reluctance to pay the big prices often commanded in my nearby grocery store. But I do enjoy them so much that sometimes I succumb to temptation.

Mostly I just eat them plain, straight out of the little basket, especially if they are quite sweet. When they aren’t quite a sweet as they could be, I find baking them helps. And adding a savory element like cheese heightens their innate sweetness, like a sprinkle of salt on watermelon.

Blue Cheese Spinach Fig Tarts

If I have a choice of blue cheeses, my favorites are Roquefort, which is made with raw cow’s milk or Bleu d’Auvergne which is marbled with the same blue-green mold from the Penicillium roqueforti. Use your own favorite blue cheese! 

Ingredients
6 3/4 oz or 192g frozen spinach, thawed
1.1 lb or 500g puff pastry block
4 ripe but firm figs (about 7 2/3 oz or 216g)
3 1/2 oz or 100g your favorite blue cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

Method
Drain the thawed spinach and squeeze as much excess liquid out of it as you can.

Trim off the stems then cut the figs into wedges.


Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C fan. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. 

Crumble the blue cheese in a mixing bowl. 


Add in the thawed spinach along with a few generous grinds of black pepper and toss lightly with a fork to combine. 


On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry out into a large square, then trim the edges. 


Cut the pastry into four equal squares. 


Fold the corners in and then up to create a short wall of pastry all around.


Divide the blue cheese spinach mixture into four equal portions. You can, of course, eyeball the portions and skip this step but I find it easier to use my scale and take the guess work out. 


Add half of the apportioned blue cheese/spinach mixture to one of the little tart shells. Top with 1/4 of the fig wedges. 


Finish with the other half of the blue cheese mixture. 


Assemble the other three tarts the same way and transfer them to your prepared baking sheet. 


Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven or until the puff pastry is golden and the cheese is melted. 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes before serving. 

Food Lust People Love: Savory cheese, earthy spinach and sweet figs baked in puff pastry make these little blue cheese spinach fig tarts the perfect light summer meal.

Or cool completely before storing in an airtight container, separated by baking parchment or wax paper. These individual tarts are great picnic food and absolutely taste better outdoors with a glass of chilled rosé.

Food Lust People Love: Savory cheese, earthy spinach and sweet figs baked in puff pastry make these little blue cheese spinach fig tarts the perfect light summer meal.

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are celebrating Eat Outside Day with recipes perfect for your next picnic. Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Cam. Check out the links below. 

 
We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.



Pin these Blue Cheese Spinach Fig Tarts!

Food Lust People Love: Savory cheese, earthy spinach and sweet figs baked in puff pastry make these little blue cheese spinach fig tarts the perfect light summer meal.


Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter

Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter is a delightfully fluffy side dish where nutty, celery-flavored celeriac combines beautifully with gorgeously buttery coral scallop roe.

Food Lust People Love: Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter is a delightfully fluffy side dish where nutty, celery-flavored celeriac combines beautifully with gorgeously buttery coral scallop roe.

It’s not a pretty vegetable – in fact, some would say it’s downright ugly - and perhaps that’s why celeriac is underrated. I like to use it in soups where it adds a delightfully subtle celery flavor and welcome creaminess, especially when pureed. 


But celeriac really shines when you mash it. It becomes fluffy and light, the perfect side dish to serve with any meal. 

As for the scallop roe, I know some people cook and eat them along with the scallops but I am not a fan of their texture. This recipe takes advantage of their wonderful flavor to "season" the celeriac and solves my texture issues.

Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter

If you can’t find celeriac where you live (looking at you, most US grocery stores!) you can certainly make this with your favorite potatoes. 

Ingredients
About 1 dozen scallop roe (1 3/4 oz or 50g)
1 3/4 oz or 50g butter, divided
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 celeriac - about 1.1 lb or 500g, before peeling
Fine sea salt
Ground white pepper

Optional for garnish: parsley. 

Method
Clean the scallop roe and cut off any dark or unsavory looking bits. I use only the coral-colored bits. 

Pan-fry the roe in a little of the butter for 2-3 minutes, stirring and flipping them as you cook.


Remove from the heat and transfer to a small bowl to cool, along with any butter in the pan. Use a silicone or rubber spatula and don't leave anything behind!


Add the lemon juice and cool water to a suitable sized pot in which to boil the celeriac. Use a sharp knife to cut the peel off of the celeriac and cut it into chunks. 


Add them to the lemon water as you cut them to stop them turning brown. 


When all of the celeriac is cut, drain the lemon water and refill the pot with fresh water to cover. Add 1 teaspoon fine sea salt. 

Bring to the boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until a knife easily slices through the chunks.


While the celeriac cooks, add the rest of the butter to a small food processor along with the cooled roe. 


Process until smooth. Set aside.


Drain the water and return the celeriac to the pan and mash until smooth. 


Add in the scallop roe butter and stir well to combine. 


Season to taste with fine sea salt and white pepper.


 Garnish in a serving bowl with a little parsley, if desired. 

Food Lust People Love: Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter is a delightfully fluffy side dish where nutty, celery-flavored celeriac combines beautifully with gorgeously buttery coral scallop roe.

I served this with seared scallops and a small tomato and onion salad. 

Food Lust People Love: Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter is a delightfully fluffy side dish where nutty, celery-flavored celeriac combines beautifully with gorgeously buttery coral scallop roe.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 18th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter R. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the R recipes below:




Pin this Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter!

Food Lust People Love: Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter is a delightfully fluffy side dish where nutty, celery-flavored celeriac combines beautifully with gorgeously buttery coral scallop roe.

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