Squash Blossom Quesadillas - By: Elise Bauer

The squash blossoms in the full shares yesterday took us all by surprise.  But Mother Nature did her thing and there they were.  Squash blossoms are the male flowers of the zucchini plants.  You can pretty easily tell the difference between them—the male blossoms grow closer to the base of the stem and if you peek inside they have a long stamen with pollen. The female flowers are a bit more swollen at the base, which will grow into a squash if pollinated.

Here’s how it works. The male flower opens and the bees get busy doing what bees do and while they’re doing it, pollen from the male flower sticks to their hairy little legs. The bees then buzz on over to the female flower where a little of the collected pollen falls off and fertilizes the female flower. Time passes and the little base of the female flower grows into a squash. The male flower has done his job and is now pretty much useless. Let’s eat him and enjoy!

*Source:  Gardening Know How: What A Female Flower And A Male Flower Look Like On A Squash Plant 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 30 summer squash blossoms
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 12 white corn tortillas
• 8 ounces Oaxaca cheese (a Mexican string cheese) or Monterey jack cheese, sliced
• Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

PREPARATION:
Prepare the squash blossoms. Check the insides of the blossoms for bugs (especially if you've picked the squash blossoms from your garden), rinse out if you find any or if the blossoms are dusty. Otherwise there should be no need to wash. Cut away the stems. Roughly chop the blossoms, stamens and all.

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté  for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté a minute more.

Add the squash blossoms and toss to coat with the garlic and onions. Cook for a minute or two more, until the blossoms are just wilted. Remove from heat.

Heat a large cast iron pan or a large relatively stick-free skillet on medium heat. Rub a little butter in the pan (just enough to give the tortillas a little flavor). Place a corn tortilla in the pan and heat on both sides for half a minute or so, until bubbles begin to form in the tortilla.

Place a slice or two of the cheese on one side of the tortilla. Top with a tablespoon or two of the squash blossom mixture. Use a spatula to fold the other side of the tortilla over the side with the cheese and squash blossoms. Press down with a spatula. Cook until the cheese has melted and the tortilla lightly browned.

While the quesadilla is cooking, if your pan is large enough, you can start heating another tortilla in the pan.

When the cheese has melted, remove the quesadilla from the pan and continue to make the remaining quesadillas in the same manner. To serve, cut each quesadilla into triangles and serve with salsa, chopped fresh cilantro, avocado, black beans, Mexican queso crema (or diluted sour cream)


From  ~ Simply Recipes