Christmas ham quesadilla with sweet pickled onions

• ham↗1 handful leftover

  or two slices of shredded ham

• large flour tortillas↗2
• cheddar↗1 handful

  or another hard cheese such as comte or gruyère, shredded; small knob of butter

• white wine vinegar↗4 tbsp tbsp
• star anise1
• chili flakes↗pinch of
• gold caster sugar↗2 tbsp tbsp
• small red onion↗1

  thinly sliced

• mint leaves↗handful of

  torn, for serving

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   To make the pickled onion, heat the vinegar, spices and sugar in a small saucepan with 4 tbsp water until the sugar dissolves. Place the onion in a bowl. Pour the liquid over the onion and let it marinate for at least 20 minutes or up to a day. The longer it sits, the softer and more pickled the onion becomes.

2. 2

   Evenly spread the ham over one of the tortillas, then sprinkle cheese on top. Spoon some onion onto the cheese and cover with the remaining tortilla. The tortilla can be prepared a day ahead and stored in the fridge, ready for frying.

3. 3

   For serving, heat half the butter in a non‑stick pan. When it begins to foam, carefully place the quesadilla. Cook over low heat for about 2‑3 minutes, pressing with a spatula until the bottom is nicely coloured. Flip the quesadilla to brown the other side, adding the remaining butter to the pan. Transfer the quesadilla to a board, cut into wedges and serve, sprinkled with mint and a few pieces of onion, with the remaining onion on the side.