Flor de Calabaza Quesadilla

I’m making these quesadillas for my friends’ Cinco de Mayo party.  This historical day celebrating an important military victory in Puebla Mexico is popular in California.  I suppose any reason to party is a good one.

This spring I spotted these bright yellow orange blossoms at the local farmers market and couldn’t resist preparing these subtlely flavored edible flowers.  You may know flor de calabaza as squash blossoms. (Simply translated flor de calabaza means flower of the squash.)

If you can’t find squash blossoms, not to worry. This recipe can be made successfully with the squash alone.  The traditional flor de calabaza quesadilla is made with epazote but I use cilantro as a strong substitute.

This recipe is adapted from my mothers “calabacita con queso” recipe.  Not only is this recipe simple to make, you will impress your guests with this unique appetizer.

Ingredients 

1/2  lb squash blossoms, stems removed

3/4  lb zucchini, sliced in 1/4 inch rounds (or other summer squash)

1 large poblano chile roasted and cut into thin 1/4 inch strips  (Thinly sliced hot serrano chile works as well.)

1 medium tomato thinly sliced

1/2-cup scallions diced

1 clove garlic minced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves (don’t chop leaves)

1/2 lb grated Monterrey Jack, Oaxacan or other melting cheese

2 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 dozen corn or flour tortillas

Makes 10 -12 corn quesadillas

Flor de Calabaza

Place zucchini slices into boiling water, bring water back to boiling and cook squash for 1 minute, remove squash and set aside to drain.

Heat oil to medium hot in a 10 inch skillet, sauté scallions and garlic 1 minute; add tomato, zucchini and sauté mixture 2 minutes. Add blossoms and sauté and gently stir until flowers until they wilt then stir in fresh cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Using a comal or pancake griddle slightly heat the tortilla both sides just enough to make it pliable. Spoon the squash filling onto one side, top with cheese, fold in half and heat to melt the cheese until the tortilla is golden each side. 

Modifying this recipe as a side dish:

Increase the amount of squash to 1-1/2 lbs of zucchini and yellow squash.  Follow the same preparation steps for the filling and add the following step:

Add 1/4 cup half and half or whole milk and grated cheese.  Heat to melt the cheese and serve hot.

Let me know what you think!