Squash blossoms are not only edible they are fantastic in quesadillas. Try this traditional Mexican way of cooking and eating flor de calabaza (or zucchini blossom) and you'll be amazed at the deliciousness.
Grab one blossom and very carefully begin to rip off the little furry green stems that go all the way around the blossom. Now ever so gently rip the blossom down towards the stem, use your fingers to rip it off and separate it from the stem and the centre bud that holds the pollen. Discard the stem and set the separated blossom aside, repeat until all of the flowers have been prepared.
Rinse them under slow running water then place on top of paper towels to drain off all the excess water. Once dry chop the blossoms into large even-sized pieces and set aside.
Prepare the Quesadillas:
In a separate pan heat the oil and once hot add the onion, cook until soften before adding the chopped pepper bits and the minced garlic. Drizzle a little bit of fine sea salt over the ingredients and cook until everything is soft, once that is the case you can add the chopped zucchini blossoms and saute just until wilted. Turn heat off and set aside.
Heat up the griddle or large clean pan over medium heat, and once it is hot place one corn tortilla on it. Allow to cook for a minute, flip it over and add some Oaxaca cheese to one half of the tortilla -- you can add as much or as little cheese as you'd like. When the cheese has begun melting spoon in a tablespoon or so of the zucchini blossom mixture, carefully fold the empty half of the tortilla over the filled half. Allow the quesadilla to cook for another minute or so to allow the cheese to thoroughly melt. The whole cooking process should only take 5 to 8 minutes. Serve the quesadillas with your favourite Mexican salsa.
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Notes
*If you can't find Oaxaca or asadero cheese, substitute with Mozzarella or Chihuahua cheese.**If you want to cook the blossoms before using in quesadillas you can try the following.
1 large jalapeño or one whole habanero pepper for extra heat finely chopped**optional - 1/4 medium onion finely chopped, optional - 2 whole garlic cloves finely minced, optional - 1 Tablespoon olive oil optional - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt to taste
Sauté the onion, jalapeno and garlic until soft. Place the mixture onto the quesadilla before adding the cheese for melting. Serve and enjoy!