Most foodbloggers pretend that they share what they cooked and ate on that day. On a whim. Nearly as an afterthought. And sometimes they do. Sometimes I do too.

But more often than not, this is a much longer process: we’ve planned what to cook and when to post it well in advance. We’ve researched, shopped, tested, re-tested, taste-tested, prepped, styled, written the article and marketed it on social media and, lest we forget, done all of this well in advance before we post for your pleasure. And we can schedule the post to be published in our absence. Gotta love modern technology.

Sometimes this helps me, as my “proper day job” often takes me traveling. So my time in my home kitchen and home office to do all this is often very hurried and limited. But I can work in advance when time is less of a premium.

Often, this does not help me though, as there are times when I want to make best use of advance time, but still want to align with seasonal publishing, when said seasonal produce is perhaps not yet available (see my recent asparagus blogs where I had to jump through hoops hand-carrying asparagus from places where it was in season before it hit the shops at here at base camp).

Another consideration is buying all the stuff you need for testing, prepping, final photo shoot and then needing to space out posts to not make it look as if EVERYTHING I cook has coriander in it, or EVERYTHING has chorizo, or EVERYTHING has spring onions. Because I want to use up all the produce I had to buy over and above the quantities strictly needed for a particular recipe.

You get the idea, right?

So here’s the thing. I stocked up on so-called stack-and-stuff tortilla bowls, hoping to use them for leftovers from my Steak and Cowboy Caviar or my Enchiladas. But I didn’t need them. They were all set to languish away in my cupboard until kingdom come, until I saw this facebook vid.

OMG. Lightbulb moment! Why did I never think of that? And hang on, I could fill these with anything and everything I like or have hanging around in the fridge, right? Mexican flavours, sure, but basically anything and everything and whatever I fancy, right? Hurrah! Sold!

There are 2 sizes of these on the market. And then there are kits. Don’t buy the kits. And for this, I suggest you want the mini ones, which are perfect finger food, 4-5 bites each. I prefer the mini ones as regular taco or tortilla filler shells too, as the larger ones look great, but have more collapasabilty than their smaller sisters. Yes. I know that is not a word. But it is now.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the world is you taco. Go fill it!

THE RECIPE

Mini Flour Tortilla Quiches with Peppers and Chorizo (makes 12)

These can be filled with pretty much anything you like. Use more veg to replace meat to easily create a vegetarian version. I part covered cooked ingredients with the eggy base, then scattered the rest of the uncooked ingredients and garnishes over the top before baking for texture contrast.

These freeze beautifully, so make a couple of batches to share with friends for a weekend brunch, then freeze the rest for a quick grab-and-go breakfast on the run, or pack into your lunch box. Wonderful for picnics or summer garden parties.

Eat after resting, else at room temperature, or reheat in a medium oven or even a quick blast in the microwave if you don’t mind less crispy edges.

If you can’t get hold of these mini tortilla cases, you can cut out 12 cm rounds from regular flour tortillas, or arrange a couple of quarters into greased muffin tins for similar effect.

Ingredients

12 stack-and-stuff flour tortillas (I used Old El Paso)

4 large eggs (I used duck eggs)

100 gr chorizo or bacon, finely chopped (I used spicy cooking chorizo)

1 small red pepper, finely chopped

5-6 spring onions, finely sliced

a little fresh parsley or coriander, finely chopped

a few chives, finely chopped

1 tbsp sour cream, double cream, whipping cream or milk

20-30 gr good melting cheese, grated (I used cheddar, but you could use Gouda, mozzarella or even blue cheese)

S&P

Method

Preheat the oven to 190 C.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and add the chorizo or bacon. Stri-fry for a few minutes until the juices are releasing. Add 2/3 of red pepper and 2/3 of the spring onion. Stir-fry for another minute or so and set aside.