Squash Blossom Quesadillas

In case you missed it, I've got two summer squash extruders working overtime in our front yard. As a result, we've got more zucchini than we know what to do with. Also popping off every day, it seems, are these beautiful squash blossoms. They're quite the sight. Paper-thin and brilliant orange, like wisps of fire. Tasty, too. 

I'm new to gardening, so I hadn't fully wrapped my head around the subtle but profound ways in which growing your own vegetables can change your relationship to food. Instead of you heading off to the market with a shopping list, the garden tells you what to make, and when. It's up to you to figure out what to do. For me, it can really prey on the guilt, seeing fresh vegetables go to waste. In a good way.

But back to the squash blossoms. I considered stuffing, battering, and deep frying them. Maybe some day, but no time for that now (another condition I pin on the 3- and 5-year-old). And have I mentioned how much I hate cleaning up after deep frying?

For Christmas last year, my sister gave me a copy of Alice Waters' latest book The Art of Simple Food II (which is awesome, by the way. In addition to the simple, fresh recipes and beautiful artwork, there's tons of information on starting your own garden. Now that I've got a garden of my own, it's always by my side - in the kitchen, on the desk, on the nightstand). In it, she's got a simple recipe for squash blossom quesadillas which seemed more my speed.

A traditionally Mexican dish, quesadillas de flor de calabazas aren't going to blow you away with flavor. But it's an easy, home-style way to make use of these abundant blossoms. Plus who doesn't love a cheesy quesadilla?

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Squash Blossom Quesadillas

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Adapted from a recipe from The Art of Simple Food II

Subtle, savory, faintly zucchini-tasting. Quesadillas are a great way to enjoy the flavor of squash blossoms. Bugs love them, so if you're harvesting them yourself, be sure to remove any stowaways before you prepare them. Also remove the pointy green sepals at the base of the blossoms, as well as the pointy centers inside the flowers (anthers in male flowers, pistils in females).

Yield: 4 quesadillas
 

Ingredients

• 6 squash blossoms, pointy centers and sepals removed, and gently torn into quarters
• 4 tortillas, flour or corn 
• 1.5 cups monterey jack cheese, grated*
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or butter
   

Directions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add some of the oil or butter to the pan.
    
2. Lay tortilla down in skillet. Add 1/4 of the grated cheese to one side of the tortilla. Place squash blossoms on top of cheese.
    
3. Once cheese melts, use a spatula to fold tortilla in half. Brown evenly on both sides. Repeat for remaining tortillas.
    
4. Serve with your favorite fresh salsa.
    

* Any cheese that melts well is fair game.