Mexican Squash Blossom Quesadilla

Squash blossoms have been adorning dinner plates for as long or longer than their more famous vegetable by-product. All squashes, zucchini and even pumpkins are native to the Americas, and they and their blossoms have been widely used in native Central American cuisine for over a millennia. Squash blossoms make star appearances in modern Mexican cuisine under the name flor de calabaza which find their way into soups, quesadillas and salads, and give chiles and tortillas a run for their money as a favorite envelope for various fillings.

Soon after Columbus returned to Europe, zucchini found its way to Italy, where they found instant popularity as decorative garden plants at first. Italians loved the vibrant and sensual blossoms with their iridescent petals and kept them for ornamental purposes long before they discovered that any part of the plant was edible. Luckily for us, the Italians were intrepid gastronomes and soon discovered that just about everything the plant produced was edible.



The biggest problem with cooking with the blossoms is their fragility. To experience them at their absolute prime, they should be used the same day they are harvested. We are fortunate to have a yarden that yields approximately 20 blossoms per day at the peak of the season. The blossoms are best picked early in the morning (before 9:00am) and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them. As many of you know, our favorite way to experience these bright orange delicacies is stuffed with mozzarella and fried, but that method takes some effort. For a quick lunch, we went with a traditional Mexican squash blossom quesadilla. When we say traditional, we mean the recipes seldom vary. This also presented the perfect opportunity to test drive our new 8-inch Ozeri Green Earth pan.

2 tablespoons of butter
18 squash blossoms, stems and stamens
1 poblano pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Small onion, diced
1 teaspoon of dried epazote (or 1/4 cup fresh cilantro)
3 cups Mexican cheese, grated
6 tortillas (corn or flour)
Salt and pepper to taste

Roast the poblano. We do this by placing it directly on the gas burner (see video here). Place in a plastic bag, close it and let it sit for about 10 minutes until cooled enough to handle and peel. The skin should slide off easily, remove the stem and seeds and dice the pepper.

Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and the butter and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add onions and cook for about 10 minutes or until they are translucent. Add chopped peppers, garlic, epazote, and squash blossoms and sauté over medium-low heat for another 10 minutes. The squash blossoms will shrink incredibly as the liquid from the flowers evaporates. Remove from heat and set squash-blossom filling aside.

Heat a non-stick pan (like the 8-inch Ozeri green Earth pan) or skillet over medium heat.  Lightly spray the surface of the pan with cooking spray. Add a tortilla to the pan and place about ¼ of the blossom filling on one half of the tortilla and top the filling with a handful of grated cheese and then fold the other half of the tortilla over the top. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottom is golden brown and then flip the quesadilla and cook the opposite side for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown and the cheese is nicely melted.

Cut the quesadilla into easy-to-manage pieces and serve with sour cream and salsa. A nice cold Mexican cerveza would be a great addition as well!

And about the Ozeri ceramic, non-stick pan, we were impressed. The Green Earth Pan is coated with "Greblon," an ultra-safe ceramic layer from Germany which is 100% PTFE and PFOA free. It heated quickly and evenly and maintained the heat. The size and shape of the pan were optimal for the quesadillas. The bottom of the pan with its tiny honeycomb pattern allowed the tortillas to glide over the surface and gave the tortillas a gorgeous, even golden brown crust.

Apparently the elevations of the textured cooking surface create air pockets which distribute heat underneath food to enhance the cooking performance of the pan. It also has a magnetized bottom for use on induction stove tops. The pan was easy to clean and even comes with a felt pad to place in the bottom on the pan during storage. Based on its maiden voyage, it is a nice pan at a nice price. As with all non-stick pans, however, time will tell the true story. We will be careful to use only rubber or wooden utensils, hand wash only and not cook over extremely high heat to maintain the surface.

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.